--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Intellectuals may like to think of…" description: "\"Intellectuals may like to think of themselves as people who \"speak truth to power\" but too often they are people who speak lies to gain power.\" — Thoma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/thomas-sowell-247_gains_intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-thems_1862994.jpg" --- # Intellectuals may like to think of themselves as people… ![“Intellectuals may like to think of themselves as people who "speak truth to power" but too often they are people who speak lies to gain power.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/thomas-sowell-247_gains_intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-thems_1862994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/thomas-sowell-247_gains_intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-thems_1862994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/thomas-sowell-247_gains_intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-thems_1862994.jpg) > “Intellectuals may like to think of themselves as people who "speak truth to power" but too often they are people who speak lies to gain power.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intellectuals claim to speak truth but often lie to gain power. **In simple terms:** Truth can be a mask for power. Key Takeaway Beware of hidden motives. Themes power truth intellectuals politics Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political discourse - media analysis - academic debate - activism Key Concepts ethics propaganda authority Questions to Reflect On - How to distinguish genuine truth‑tellers? - What safeguards protect against manipulation? A Different Perspective Not all intellectuals are corrupt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectuals/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Speak the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-the-truth/) [Speak Truth To Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-truth-to-power/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [You will be hated if you speak truth & you will be despised if you speak lies .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/you-will-be-hated-if-you-speak-truth-you-will-be-despised-if-you/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [I think public intellectuals have a responsibility - to be self-critical on the one hand, to do serious, nuanced work rigorously executed; but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-think-public-intellectuals-have-a-responsibility-to-be-self/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [It is an author's most solemn obligation to honor truth. If the free and independent writer does not speak truth to power, who will?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/it-is-an-author-s-most-solemn-obligation-to-honor-truth-if-the-free/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [It's very, very hard to speak truth to power when the truth is unpleasant. I think it's one of the toughest things especially a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gergen/it-s-very-very-hard-to-speak-truth-to-power-when-the-truth-is/) [David Gergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gergen/) > [Babes crying in the wilderness know that the world already has plenty of terrifying noise, but there aren't enough clear voices to smooth our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-h-cook/babes-crying-in-the-wilderness-know-that-the-world-already-has-plenty/) [Thomas H. Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-h-cook/) > [ The time-honored role of the artist \[is\] to speak truth to power. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-time-honored-role-of-the-artist-is-to-speak-truth-to-power/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Speak truth to power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/speak-truth-to-power/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [A society without intellectuals is like a body without a head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-society-without-intellectuals-is-like-a-body-without-a-head/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“Shun too great a desire for knowledge, for in it there is much fretting and delusion. Intellectuals like to appear learned and to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/shun-too-great-a-desire-for-knowledge-for-in-it-there-is-much/) [Thomas à Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [Real intellectuals like to escape once in a while from their world of intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desi-arnaz/real-intellectuals-like-to-escape-once-in-a-while-from-their-world-of/) [Desi Arnaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desi-arnaz/) > [Our democracy is designed to speak truth to power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/our-democracy-is-designed-to-speak-truth-to-power/) [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/) > [In the RFK Center's Speak Truth to Power program, we are working with schools across the United States and in countries like Italy, Cambodia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/in-the-rfk-center-s-speak-truth-to-power-program-we-are-working-with/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [“Why have the writings of the prophets endured? Because they fearlessly speak truth to power. They call out the injustice and oppression of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/why-have-the-writings-of-the-prophets-endured-because-they-fearlessly/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [We speak truth to power, and we've never been fooled into believing Donald Trump 'can be a good president.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/we-speak-truth-to-power-and-we-ve-never-been-fooled-into-believing/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [You know, as a comedian, that's what you do. You speak truth to power by making people laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-cooper/you-know-as-a-comedian-that-s-what-you-do-you-speak-truth-to-power-by/) [Sarah Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-cooper/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Gains quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/europe-is-creating-the-flight-of-refugees-that-s-tearing-it-apart/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-poet-reminds-men-of-their-uniqueness-and-it-is-not-necessary-to/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/change-your-attitude-and-gain-some-altitude-believe-me-you-ll-love-it/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Some lose yet gain, others gain and yet lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-lose-yet-gain-others-gain-and-yet-lose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people enjoy taking a light stroll in the morning and that gives them relief and that sort of feeling. That is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/some-people-enjoy-taking-a-light-stroll-in-the-morning-and-that-gives/) [Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! The only experience you gain in politics is how to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/professional-politicians-like-to-talk-about-the-value-of-experience/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [How you educate the people around you, what steps you take toward making it better, what sacrifices you make. The equation of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hawkins/how-you-educate-the-people-around-you-what-steps-you-take-toward/) [Andrew Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hawkins/) Browse all 3,001 Gains quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Intellectuals may like to think of themselves as people who \"speak truth to power\" but too often they are people who speak lies to gain power.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-themselves-as-people-who-speak/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gains" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-themselves-as-people-who-speak/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/thomas-sowell-247_gains_intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-thems_1862994.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/thomas-sowell-247_gains_intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-thems_1862994.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c68/thomas-sowell-247_gains_intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-thems_1862994.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Intellectuals may like to think of themselves as people who \"speak truth to power\" but too often they are…” — Thomas Sowell", "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 Sowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Intellectuals may like to think of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-themselves-as-people-who-speak/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/intellectuals-may-like-to-think-of-themselves-as-people-who-speak/#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 } } ] } ```