--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes we want something to be true so…" description: "\"“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”\" — Wally Lamb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/wally-lamb-1817_convince_sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-s_7704.png" --- # Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we… ![“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.” quote by Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/wally-lamb-1817_convince_sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-s_7704.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/wally-lamb-1817_convince_sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-s_7704.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/wally-lamb-1817_convince_sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-s_7704.png) > ““Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”” [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind can fabricate belief to satisfy desire, leading to self-deception. **In simple terms:** Desire can distort perception. Key Takeaway Beware of wishful thinking. Themes cognitive bias self-deception psychology of belief motivation critical thinking perception Mood cautious reflective skeptical Type advice observation psychological insight When to use this quote - evaluating investment opportunities - making health decisions - political opinion formation - personal goal setting - relationship expectations Key Concepts confirmation bias motivated reasoning self-fulfilling prophecy cognitive dissonance Practical Applications - risk assessment - decision analysis Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would disprove your belief? - How does desire shape your conclusions? A Different Perspective Sometimes strong evidence can override wishful bias, forcing a reality check. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [If you want something to be true badly enough, you can rewrite it that way, in your head. You can even start to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/if-you-want-something-to-be-true-badly-enough-you-can-rewrite-it-that/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [It's not what is available or unavailable that determines your level of success and happiness; it's what you convince yourself is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-not-what-is-available-or-unavailable-that-determines-your-level/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [I can make everyone believe that I DON'T LOVE YOU. But I find it's so difficult to convince myself that it's true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-make-everyone-believe-that-i-don-t-love-you-but-i-find-it-s-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want you to be with me forever, I just want you to be true throughout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishu-anand/i-don-t-want-you-to-be-with-me-forever-i-just-want-you-to-be-true/) [Ishu Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishu-anand/) > [I want true love, because I don't have so much time, and I want to spend my time with the right girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/i-want-true-love-because-i-don-t-have-so-much-time-and-i-want-to/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) > [If you want to assert a truth, first make sure it's not just an opinion that you desperately want to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-want-to-assert-a-truth-first-make-sure-it-s-not-just-an/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Begin to listen to what you say. Don't say anything that you don't want to become true for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/begin-to-listen-to-what-you-say-don-t-say-anything-that-you-don-t/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [Men are quick to believe what they want to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-ceasar/men-are-quick-to-believe-what-they-want-to-be-true/) Julius Ceasar > [“I want true love in this life, and true contentment and peace. But maybe the only way I can find those things is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kim/i-want-true-love-in-this-life-and-true-contentment-and-peace-but/) [Elizabeth Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kim/) > [When you lay your life out there, you want it to be as true as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morris/when-you-lay-your-life-out-there-you-want-it-to-be-as-true-as-possible/) [Jim Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morris/) > ['1600 Penn' was a hit. It's 2018. Anything you want can be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/1600-penn-was-a-hit-it-s-2018-anything-you-want-can-be-true/) [Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/) > [ “It is natural for the mind to believe, and for the will to love; \[47\] so that, for want of true objects, they must… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/it-is-natural-for-the-mind-to-believe-and-for-the-will-to-love-47-so/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“If you want to be a true citizen then, be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/if-you-want-to-be-a-true-citizen-then-be/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [I want to be true to who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-want-to-be-true-to-who-i-am/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [If you want to get true someone's love. first you need to make yourself to be loyal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/if-you-want-to-get-true-someone-s-love-first-you-need-to-make/) Mak\_786 ## More by Wally Lamb > [I like to write first-person because I like to become the character I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-like-to-write-first-person-because-i-like-to-become-the-character-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [But I think this: that whatever prices I've paid, whatever sorrows I shoulder, well, I have blessings, too. Not just my family now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/but-i-think-this-that-whatever-prices-i-ve-paid-whatever-sorrows-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“why would white dudes want to change things when they held all the cards?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/why-would-white-dudes-want-to-change-things-when-they-held-all-the/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“And in taking on the subject of themselves-making themselves vulnerable to the unseen reader-they have exchanged powerlessness for for the power that comes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/and-in-taking-on-the-subject-of-themselves-making-themselves/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“People had always amazed him, he began. But they amazed him more since the sickness. 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A sidekick?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/guess-what-i-said-i-have-a-psychic-his-head-tilted-questioningly/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [The evidence of God exists in the roundness of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/the-evidence-of-god-exists-in-the-roundness-of-things/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [Life is a whoopee cushion, a chair pulled away just as you were taking a seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/life-is-a-whoopee-cushion-a-chair-pulled-away-just-as-you-were-taking/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“What I remembered about those seesaw rides was the way Thomas would get mad at me, midride, and evacuate. Send me crashing back down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-i-remembered-about-those-seesaw-rides-was-the-way-thomas-would/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“I didn't respond to him. 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But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Once you convince people that they're victims, you really own them because you've just told them that whatever problems they have in life, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/once-you-convince-people-that-they-re-victims-you-really-own-them/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The people on the QVC shopping channel convince me that life is worth living. They see the good in everything. People who go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/the-people-on-the-qvc-shopping-channel-convince-me-that-life-is-worth/) [Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/) > [“What can I say to convince you the Houses of Parliament dissolve night after night to become the fluid dream of the Thames? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/what-can-i-say-to-convince-you-the-houses-of-parliament-dissolve/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [Human beings have the incredible capacity for denial. I think they do. And although it's really hard to believe, I have my doubts. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/human-beings-have-the-incredible-capacity-for-denial-i-think-they-do/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [“If you can convince yourself, you can convince the other fellow,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/if-you-can-convince-yourself-you-can-convince-the-other-fellow/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [Don't lie to yourself about what you can't or can achieve. Convince yourself on a realistic level that you can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-lie-to-yourself-about-what-you-can-t-or-can-achieve-convince/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't ever let anyone convince you that your imagination is wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-bianco/don-t-ever-let-anyone-convince-you-that-your-imagination-is-wrong/) [Giuseppe Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-bianco/) > [It's hard to convince your agents and managers to do theater, because it's not as financially rewarding and it takes up a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/it-s-hard-to-convince-your-agents-and-managers-to-do-theater-because/) [Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/) > [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I knew I shouldn't like him cause I know it's not working, and everybody tells me that, and I convince myself I don't... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-knew-i-shouldn-t-like-him-cause-i-know-it-s-not-working-and/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-statesmen-will-invent-cheap-lies-putting-the-blame-upon-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Nothing that you do will ever feel good if you let people convince you that you have no choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-apple/nothing-that-you-do-will-ever-feel-good-if-you-let-people-convince/) [Fiona Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-apple/) Browse all 1,431 Convince quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wally Lamb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Convince" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/wally-lamb-1817_convince_sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-s_7704.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/wally-lamb-1817_convince_sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-s_7704.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/wally-lamb-1817_convince_sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-s_7704.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.” — Wally Lamb", "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": "Wally Lamb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes we want something to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/#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 } } ] } ```