--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is nothing in this world so hard to…" description: "\"“There is nothing in this world so hard to get at as truth, and there is nothing in this world but truth that I care for.”\" — Washington Irving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/washington-irving-1386_truth_there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-t_868658.png" --- # There is nothing in this world so hard to get at as truth… ![“There is nothing in this world so hard to get at as truth, and there is nothing in this world but truth that I care for.” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/washington-irving-1386_truth_there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-t_868658.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/washington-irving-1386_truth_there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-t_868658.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/washington-irving-1386_truth_there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-t_868658.png) > ““There is nothing in this world so hard to get at as truth, and there is nothing in this world but truth that I care for.”” [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## 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 the ultimate pursuit; it is both elusive and the most valuable thing to seek. **In simple terms:** Truth is hard to find but most valuable. Key Takeaway Seek truth relentlessly. Themes truth value pursuit Mood thoughtful determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - journalism - personal reflection - legal investigation Key Concepts epistemology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What does truth mean to you? - How do you balance truth with personal bias? A Different Perspective Truth can be subjective and hard to verify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-care-721932/) [Truth World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-world/) [World Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-hard-326695/) [World Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-truth/) ## Related quotes > [Never, ever regret or apologize for believing that when one man or one woman decides to risk addressing the world with truth, the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/never-ever-regret-or-apologize-for-believing-that-when-one-man-or-one/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [“There's no point in making up a world, Elisabeth said, when there's already a real world, There's just the world, and there's the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/there-s-no-point-in-making-up-a-world-elisabeth-said-when-there-s/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“Truth is the world and falseness is man who lives within his mind world which has copied the world of Truth. Therefore, man must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woo-myung/truth-is-the-world-and-falseness-is-man-who-lives-within-his-mind/) [Woo Myung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woo-myung/) > [“Some people don’t care about the truth—they only care about being right. Even when the evidence is irrefutable, these same mud-butts will fight tooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-buckley/some-people-don-t-care-about-the-truth-they-only-care-about-being/) [Jaime Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-buckley/) > [Nobody is interested in the truth. They only care about what they want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/nobody-is-interested-in-the-truth-they-only-care-about-what-they-want/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [For to speak the truth, there are but few that care thus to spend their time, but choose rather to be speaking of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/for-to-speak-the-truth-there-are-but-few-that-care-thus-to-spend/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [“Maybe it's not true, but no one cares about truth—they only care about what they think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-abigail/maybe-it-s-not-true-but-no-one-cares-about-truth-they-only-care-about/) [Melissa Abigail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-abigail/) > [“Let the truth take care of itself, I decided. It's done all right on its own so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/let-the-truth-take-care-of-itself-i-decided-it-s-done-all-right-on/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [If I'm speaking positive truth, I could care less if you're upset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-speaking-positive-truth-i-could-care-less-if-you-re-upset/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The facts fairly and honestly presented; truth will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-allen-white/the-facts-fairly-and-honestly-presented-truth-will-take-care-of-itself/) [William Allen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-allen-white/) > [Books became my world because the world I was in was very hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/books-became-my-world-because-the-world-i-was-in-was-very-hard/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-to-get-what-you-want-in-this-world-is-through-hard-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man, you can have all of the talent in the world, but the hard work overrules that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-henry/man-you-can-have-all-of-the-talent-in-the-world-but-the-hard-work/) [Derrick Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-henry/) > [There is only one religion in the world-hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/there-is-only-one-religion-in-the-world-hard-work/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [“In a fallen world, it was hard to do unambiguous good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keneally/in-a-fallen-world-it-was-hard-to-do-unambiguous-good/) [Thomas Keneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keneally/) ## More by Washington Irving > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is a majestic grandeur in tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-a-majestic-grandeur-in-tranquillity/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) [Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oderberg/) [Browse all 45,081 Truth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is nothing in this world so hard to get at as truth, and there is nothing in this world but truth that I care for.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Washington Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-to-get-at-as-truth-and-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Truth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-to-get-at-as-truth-and-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/washington-irving-1386_truth_there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-t_868658.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/washington-irving-1386_truth_there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-t_868658.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/washington-irving-1386_truth_there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-t_868658.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is nothing in this world so hard to get at as truth, and there is nothing in this world but truth that…” — Washington Irving", "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": "Washington Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is nothing in this world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-to-get-at-as-truth-and-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-so-hard-to-get-at-as-truth-and-there/#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 } } ] } ```