---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When all else fails fall back on the…"
description: "\"“When all else fails fall back on the truth. No I'm a politician I can't tell the truth Mara Cal Omas”\" — Walter Jon Williams"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/walter-jon-williams-11442_truth_when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-tru_2021994.jpg"
---

#  When all else fails fall back on the truth. No I'm a…

![“When all else fails fall back on the truth. No I'm a politician I can't tell the truth Mara Cal Omas” quote by Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/walter-jon-williams-11442_truth_when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-tru_2021994.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/walter-jon-williams-11442_truth_when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-tru_2021994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/walter-jon-williams-11442_truth_when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-tru_2021994.jpg)

> ““When all else fails fall back on the truth. No I'm a politician I can't tell the truth Mara Cal Omas””

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When other strategies fail, rely on truth; the speaker admits personal political constraints but emphasizes honesty as a fallback.

**In simple terms:** Truth is the ultimate backup when all else fails.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize honesty above all.

Themes

politics truth integrity

Mood

skeptical hopeful

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- campaign rhetoric
- media statements
- personal dilemmas

Key Concepts

ethical decision‑making public trust accountability

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you ensure honesty in your role?
- What are the costs of truth‑telling?

A Different Perspective

Politicians may still manipulate truth despite intent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [If you fall, the truth will set you free. And when your heart can see just one thing in this life, we'll set out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-rafferty/if-you-fall-the-truth-will-set-you-free-and-when-your-heart-can-see/)

[Gerry Rafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-rafferty/)

> [When you hear the ex-politician tell you that the reason they created the War on Drugs was to get black people and to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/when-you-hear-the-ex-politician-tell-you-that-the-reason-they-created/)

[Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/)

> [I've been both a journalist and a politician, and I can tell you it is more fun to ask the questions than have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-ve-been-both-a-journalist-and-a-politician-and-i-can-tell-you-it-is/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [What right does a politician have to tell me what I can and cannot watch? Change the channel if you don't like what's on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/what-right-does-a-politician-have-to-tell-me-what-i-can-and-cannot/)

[Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/)

> [I don't want to appease everyone. It seems very difficult to be steadfast on truth and be a politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/i-don-t-want-to-appease-everyone-it-seems-very-difficult-to-be/)

[Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/)

> [“The truth is 'what is.' If 'what is' is, you have to sleep eight, ten hours a day, that is the truth. A lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/the-truth-is-what-is-if-what-is-is-you-have-to-sleep-eight-ten-hours/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [“Truth \* I had a long heart-to-heart talk with a politician and a 14 month old baby the baby spoke more truth than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/truth-i-had-a-long-heart-to-heart-talk-with-a-politician-and-a-14/)

[rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/)

> [Getting the truth out of any politician is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/getting-the-truth-out-of-any-politician-is-hard/)

[Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/)

> [When you're playing country music, you have to tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-kane/when-you-re-playing-country-music-you-have-to-tell-the-truth/)

[Christian Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-kane/)

> [“Be interesting. Tell the truth. And if you can’t tell the truth, change what you’re doing so you can. In other words, live the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-sachs/be-interesting-tell-the-truth-and-if-you-can-t-tell-the-truth-change/)

[Jonah Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-sachs/)

> [Tell the truth and you won't have so much to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tell-the-truth-and-you-won-t-have-so-much-to-remember/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Tell the truth, or someone else will tell it for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tell-the-truth-or-someone-else-will-tell-it-for-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/it-requires-as-much-to-tell-the-truth-as-to-conceal-it/)

[Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/)

> [When a young artist asks me a question, I want to do what I can to give them an answer if I have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tait/when-a-young-artist-asks-me-a-question-i-want-to-do-what-i-can-to/)

[Michael Tait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tait/)

## More by Walter Jon Williams

> [“I don’t believe the rogue has freedom.  I think it is following the direction of humans.” “Why do you think so?” “Because I find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/i-don-t-believe-the-rogue-has-freedom-i-think-it-is-following-the/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [Everything that you read is an influence on everything you write, and you want to draw as many elements into your work as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/everything-that-you-read-is-an-influence-on-everything-you-write-and/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [That's why editors and publishers will never be obsolete: a reader wants someone with taste and authority to point them in the direction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/that-s-why-editors-and-publishers-will-never-be-obsolete-a-reader/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [I've experienced writer's block, but never for more than a few days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/i-ve-experienced-writer-s-block-but-never-for-more-than-a-few-days/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [“Gabriel flashed him the one-fingered Mudra of Contempt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/gabriel-flashed-him-the-one-fingered-mudra-of-contempt/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [“When you revealed that the Rani was in fact the Nagi," Charlie said, "the players collectively pissed their pants." "I'd rather they creamed their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/when-you-revealed-that-the-rani-was-in-fact-the-nagi-charlie-said-the/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [The Internet offers an interesting combination of advertising and community - by participating in the community you can become an advertisement for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/the-internet-offers-an-interesting-combination-of-advertising-and/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [I'm not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels, I'm afraid of what real human beings to do other real human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/i-m-not-afraid-of-werewolves-or-vampires-or-haunted-hotels-i-m-afraid/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [The mass-market paperback, for one, is too expensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/the-mass-market-paperback-for-one-is-too-expensive/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [Try to meet as many authors, agents, and editors as you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/try-to-meet-as-many-authors-agents-and-editors-as-you-can/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [I want a platform that, like a book or a magazine, I can carry into the bath or leave at the beach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/i-want-a-platform-that-like-a-book-or-a-magazine-i-can-carry-into-the/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [“I can't help but wonder how the old Empire would have handled the crisis. I hope you will forgive my partisan attitude but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/i-can-t-help-but-wonder-how-the-old-empire-would-have-handled-the/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [I wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/i-wanted-to-be-an-author-for-as-long-as-i-can-remember/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [Working within the limitations of the shared world generally made the writing easier, because I didn't have to invent any of the characters or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/working-within-the-limitations-of-the-shared-world-generally-made-the/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

> [Being a writer was never a choice, it was an irresistible compulsion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/being-a-writer-was-never-a-choice-it-was-an-irresistible-compulsion/)

[Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

[Explore all 60 Walter Jon Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/)

## More Truth quotes

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [High school sucked. It was a universal truth, and whoever said these were supposed to be the best years of your life was probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/high-school-sucked-it-was-a-universal-truth-and-whoever-said-these/)

[Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/)

> [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/)

[Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/)

> [“The truth is heavier than a sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/the-truth-is-heavier-than-a-sword/)

[Naiyem Chowdhury Rony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I just speak the truth. I keep it real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-vera/i-just-speak-the-truth-i-keep-it-real/)

[Marlon Vera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-vera/)

> [I always believed that photography was subjective, interpretive and certainly did not represent the truth, but I did think that its status as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ritchin/i-always-believed-that-photography-was-subjective-interpretive-and/)

[Fred Ritchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ritchin/)

> [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 greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/)

[Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

Michael Arnold

> [Logic is essentially a tool for getting at truth; it is the tool, for without it no reasoning is possible in any field of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oderberg/logic-is-essentially-a-tool-for-getting-at-truth-it-is-the-tool-for/)

David Oderberg

[Browse all 45,081 Truth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When all else fails fall back on the truth. No I'm a politician I can't tell the truth Mara Cal Omas”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walter Jon Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-truth-no-i-m-a-politician-i-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Truth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-truth-no-i-m-a-politician-i-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/walter-jon-williams-11442_truth_when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-tru_2021994.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/walter-jon-williams-11442_truth_when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-tru_2021994.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/walter-jon-williams-11442_truth_when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-tru_2021994.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When all else fails fall back on the truth. No I'm a politician I can't tell the truth Mara Cal Omas” — Walter Jon Williams",
                "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": "Walter Jon Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When all else fails fall back...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-truth-no-i-m-a-politician-i-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/when-all-else-fails-fall-back-on-the-truth-no-i-m-a-politician-i-can/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
