--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truth never envelops itself in mystery…" description: "\"Truth never envelops itself in mystery, and the mystery in which it is at any time enveloped is the work of its antagonist, and never of itself.\" — Tho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/thomas-paine-267_antagonist_truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-a_3080764.png" --- # Truth never envelops itself in mystery, and the mystery in… ![“Truth never envelops itself in mystery, and the mystery in which it is at any time enveloped is the work of its antagonist, and never of itself.” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/thomas-paine-267_antagonist_truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-a_3080764.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/thomas-paine-267_antagonist_truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-a_3080764.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/thomas-paine-267_antagonist_truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-a_3080764.png) > “Truth never envelops itself in mystery, and the mystery in which it is at any time enveloped is the work of its antagonist, and never of itself.” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth is clear and unmasked; mystery arises only when an opponent creates confusion, not from truth itself. **In simple terms:** Truth is obvious; mystery is created by opponents. Key Takeaway Seek clarity, expose deception. Themes truth clarity conflict perception Mood inquisitive critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political debate - media analysis - critical thinking - education - law Key Concepts philosophy epistemology psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate genuine mystery from manipulation? - What role does skepticism play in uncovering truth? A Different Perspective It may overlook that some truths are complex and not easily discerned. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antagonist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonist/) [Envelops Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envelops-mystery-5254427/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mystery Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-mystery-505030/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Envelops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-envelops-5254426/) ## Related quotes > [“We Who Solve Mystery, Become Mystery”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rak-razam/we-who-solve-mystery-become-mystery/) [Rak Razam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rak-razam/) > [Mystery is the antagonist of truth. It is a fog of human invention, that obscures truth, and represents it in distortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/mystery-is-the-antagonist-of-truth-it-is-a-fog-of-human-invention/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [But though every created thing is, in this sense, a mystery, the word mystery cannot be applied to moral truth, any more than obscurity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-though-every-created-thing-is-in-this-sense-a-mystery-the-word/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“FORTUNE COOKIE THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY THE RADIO MYSTERY THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY THE MYSTERY OF THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-chandler-warner/fortune-cookie-the-black-widow-spider-mystery-the-radio-mystery-the/) [Gertrude Chandler Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-chandler-warner/) > [“When you get right down to it, we don’t ever want to know one another too well. We want there to be that mystery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/when-you-get-right-down-to-it-we-don-t-ever-want-to-know-one-another/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [Your heart's desire is to be told some mystery. The mystery is that there is no mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/your-heart-s-desire-is-to-be-told-some-mystery-the-mystery-is-that/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Give me a mystery - just a plain and simple one - a mystery which is diffidence and silence, a slim little bare-foot mystery:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-yevtushenko/give-me-a-mystery-just-a-plain-and-simple-one-a-mystery-which-is/) [Yevgeny Yevtushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-yevtushenko/) > [“MONSTER THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY THE PANTHER MYSTERY THE MYSTERY OF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-chandler-warner/monster-the-mystery-at-peacock-hall-the-windy-city-mystery-the-black/) [Gertrude Chandler Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-chandler-warner/) > [“MYSTERY THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY THE COPYCAT MYSTERY THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-chandler-warner/mystery-the-mystery-of-the-midnight-dog-the-mystery-of-the-screech/) [Gertrude Chandler Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-chandler-warner/) > [The first mystery is simply that there is a mystery, a mystery that can never be explained or understood, only encountered from time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/the-first-mystery-is-simply-that-there-is-a-mystery-a-mystery-that/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [It is Mystery - the mystery any one man or woman can feel but not understand as the meaning of any event - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/it-is-mystery-the-mystery-any-one-man-or-woman-can-feel-but-not/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“BOXCAR CHILDREN SURPRISE ISLAND THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY MYSTERY RANCH MIKE’S MYSTERY BLUE BAY MYSTERY THE WOODSHED MYSTERY THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-chandler-warner/boxcar-children-surprise-island-the-yellow-house-mystery-mystery/) [Gertrude Chandler Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-chandler-warner/) > [Mix a little mystery with everything, for mystery arouses veneration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/mix-a-little-mystery-with-everything-for-mystery-arouses-veneration/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [Art is a mystery. A mystery is something immeasurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/art-is-a-mystery-a-mystery-is-something-immeasurable/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [For me, in any story that I take, the antagonist is more interesting and multi-dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vetrimaaran/for-me-in-any-story-that-i-take-the-antagonist-is-more-interesting/) [Vetrimaaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vetrimaaran/) ## More by Thomas Paine > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The book called the Bible has been voted by men, and decreed by human laws to be the word of God; and the disbelief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-book-called-the-bible-has-been-voted-by-men-and-decreed-by-human/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-argue-with-a-person-who-has-renounced-the-use-of-reason-is-like/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/commerce-diminishes-the-spirit-both-of-patriotism-and-military-defence/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/those-who-expect-to-reap-the-blessings-of-freedom-must-like-men/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“It has been the practice of all Christian commentators on the Bible, and of all Christian priests and preachers, to impose the Bible on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-has-been-the-practice-of-all-christian-commentators-on-the-bible/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Wisdom is not the purchase of a day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/wisdom-is-not-the-purchase-of-a-day/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/suspicion-is-the-companion-of-mean-souls-and-the-bane-of-all-good/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“To pass from the extremes of danger to safety-from the tumult of war to the tranquility of peace, though sweet in contemplation, requires a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-pass-from-the-extremes-of-danger-to-safety-from-the-tumult-of-war/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) [Explore all 772 Thomas Paine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## More Antagonist quotes > [For me, in any story that I take, the antagonist is more interesting and multi-dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vetrimaaran/for-me-in-any-story-that-i-take-the-antagonist-is-more-interesting/) [Vetrimaaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vetrimaaran/) > [Self-love . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue, leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in violation of our moral duties to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/self-love-is-the-sole-antagonist-of-virtue-leading-us-constantly-by/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Evil is relative - and what I mean by that is that our villains are as complex, as deep and as compelling as any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/evil-is-relative-and-what-i-mean-by-that-is-that-our-villains-are-as/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [Remember that when you meet your antagonist, to do everything in a mild agreeable manner. Let your courage be keen, but, at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/remember-that-when-you-meet-your-antagonist-to-do-everything-in-a/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We honor revelation too highly to make it the antagonist of reason, or to believe that it calls us to renounce our highest powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/we-honor-revelation-too-highly-to-make-it-the-antagonist-of-reason-or/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [It almost seems as though this roiling world is conspiring to test our patience at every turn. In fact, it is. With this in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-almost-seems-as-though-this-roiling-world-is-conspiring-to-test/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Horror itself is a bit of a bullied genre, the antagonist being literary snobbery and public misconception. And I think good horror tackles our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kealan-patrick-burke/horror-itself-is-a-bit-of-a-bullied-genre-the-antagonist-being/) [Kealan Patrick Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kealan-patrick-burke/) > [I'm a filmmaker, and I was most influenced by Hitchcock's films. How he could plant such deep enriched characters and then make us care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-m-a-filmmaker-and-i-was-most-influenced-by-hitchcock-s-films-how-he/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [Because the character is a fiction, he's a composite of other contributors to the science that brought this enzyme therapy through the process. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/because-the-character-is-a-fiction-he-s-a-composite-of-other/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [If you have to be the antagonist, you often have a lot more creative powers. You have a lot more color to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-atherton/if-you-have-to-be-the-antagonist-you-often-have-a-lot-more-creative/) [William Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-atherton/) > [“I mean, without the antagonist, there would be no story! It’d be like: ‘Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-mean-without-the-antagonist-there-would-be-no-story-it-d-be-like/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Alice started to understand why people found her repulsive. In stories, anyone who didn't look quite right, who wasn't a perfect human being, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-byng/alice-started-to-understand-why-people-found-her-repulsive-in-stories/) [Georgia Byng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-byng/) > [Error indeed has often prevailed by the assistance of power or force. Truth is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/error-indeed-has-often-prevailed-by-the-assistance-of-power-or-force/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [We are the 1000 children of death. We're in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonists. I'm in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonist!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otep/we-are-the-1000-children-of-death-we-re-in-between-on-the-fence-non/) [Otep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otep/) > [From a real antagonist one gains boundless courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/from-a-real-antagonist-one-gains-boundless-courage/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) [Browse all 123 Antagonist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Truth never envelops itself in mystery, and the mystery in which it is at any time enveloped is the work of its antagonist, and never of itself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Paine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-and-the-mystery-in-which-it-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Antagonist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-and-the-mystery-in-which-it-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/thomas-paine-267_antagonist_truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-a_3080764.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/thomas-paine-267_antagonist_truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-a_3080764.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/thomas-paine-267_antagonist_truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-a_3080764.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Truth never envelops itself in mystery, and the mystery in which it is at any time enveloped is the work of…” — Thomas Paine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Paine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Truth never envelops itself in mystery,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-and-the-mystery-in-which-it-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/truth-never-envelops-itself-in-mystery-and-the-mystery-in-which-it-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```