--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can fight a rumour only with an even…" description: "\"You can fight a rumour only with an even wilder rumour.\" — Werner Herzog" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/werner-herzog-964_fighting_you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even_3160236.jpg" --- # You can fight a rumour only with an even wilder rumour. ![“You can fight a rumour only with an even wilder rumour.” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/werner-herzog-964_fighting_you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even_3160236.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/werner-herzog-964_fighting_you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even_3160236.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/werner-herzog-964_fighting_you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even_3160236.jpg) > “You can fight a rumour only with an even wilder rumour.” [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rumors can be countered only by an even more outrageous claim, exposing the absurdity of the original. **In simple terms:** Fight rumors with a bigger rumor. Key Takeaway Use exaggeration to deflate falsehoods. Themes truth communication media strategy Mood cautious critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political campaigns - social media debates - public relations crises Key Concepts propaganda psychology information warfare Questions to Reflect On - Can a false rumor ever restore trust? - When does exaggeration become harmful? A Different Perspective Exaggeration may backfire, making credibility harder to regain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Rumour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumour/) [Rumours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumours/) ## Related quotes > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“We reveal most about ourselves when we speak about others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/we-reveal-most-about-ourselves-when-we-speak-about-others/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Rumour was the messenger Of defamation, and so swift, that none Could be the first to tell an evil tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pollok/rumour-was-the-messenger-of-defamation-and-so-swift-that-none-could/) [Robert Pollok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pollok/) > [History is the distillation of rumour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/history-is-the-distillation-of-rumour/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I certainly like the rumour that I was the father of Elizabeth Hurley's baby. It made me think I could impregnate women in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/i-certainly-like-the-rumour-that-i-was-the-father-of-elizabeth-hurley/) [Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/) > [My voice is like a rumour. I'm not sure if it came out or not, or if it is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/my-voice-is-like-a-rumour-i-m-not-sure-if-it-came-out-or-not-or-if-it/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“Rumour has a hundred mouths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-verlaine/rumour-has-a-hundred-mouths/) [Paul Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-verlaine/) > [Memory itself is an internal rumour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/memory-itself-is-an-internal-rumour/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [It has been suggested by some people in this country that I and my Government will be a 'soft touch' in the Community. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-has-been-suggested-by-some-people-in-this-country-that-i-and-my/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [“Rumours are like sexually transmitted diseases, both are spread by whores.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/habeeb-akande/rumours-are-like-sexually-transmitted-diseases-both-are-spread-by/) [Habeeb Akande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/habeeb-akande/) > [We've had a day of great drama and of humour too. The rumour mill is now taking over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-burnham/we-ve-had-a-day-of-great-drama-and-of-humour-too-the-rumour-mill-is/) [Andy Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-burnham/) > [Rumour doth double, like the voice and echo, The numbers of the feared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rumour-doth-double-like-the-voice-and-echo-the-numbers-of-the-feared/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There's always a bit of truth in each rumour, the trouble is finding out which bit. - Tayend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/there-s-always-a-bit-of-truth-in-each-rumour-the-trouble-is-finding/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [Rumour is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures And of so easy and so plain a stop That the blunt monster with uncounted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rumour-is-a-pipe-blown-by-surmises-jealousies-conjectures-and-of-so/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Rumour is information distilled so finely that it can filter through anything. It does not need doors and windows -- sometimes it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/rumour-is-information-distilled-so-finely-that-it-can-filter-through-2/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Werner Herzog > [If your project has real substance, ultimately the money will follow you like a common cur in the street with its tail between its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-your-project-has-real-substance-ultimately-the-money-will-follow/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/every-man-should-pull-a-boat-over-a-mountain-once-in-his-life/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I know whenever it comes to be really dysfunctional and vile and base and hostile on screen, I'm good at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-know-whenever-it-comes-to-be-really-dysfunctional-and-vile-and-base/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [When we speak about trespassing, we speak about artistic trespassing. You have to be prudent and have common sense and a sense of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/when-we-speak-about-trespassing-we-speak-about-artistic-trespassing/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [If you want to propose marriage to your girlfriend and you live in England and she is in Sicily, do the decent thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-you-want-to-propose-marriage-to-your-girlfriend-and-you-live-in/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I'm a very circumspect and prudent person, and I eliminate danger as far as it can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-m-a-very-circumspect-and-prudent-person-and-i-eliminate-danger-as/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [It is not only my dreams, my belief is that all these dreams are yours as well. The only distinction between me and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/it-is-not-only-my-dreams-my-belief-is-that-all-these-dreams-are-yours/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [My non-fiction films are pretty much fiction, or at least close... It's all "movies" for me. I never have searched for a subject. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/my-non-fiction-films-are-pretty-much-fiction-or-at-least-close-it-s/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [If an actor knows how to milk a cow, I always know it will not be difficult to be in business with him,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-an-actor-knows-how-to-milk-a-cow-i-always-know-it-will-not-be/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ِِِِِِِِِِArt house theaters are vanishing. They have almost disappeared completely, and that means there's a shift in what audiences want to see. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/art-house-theaters-are-vanishing-they-have-almost-disappeared/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I always had a feeling, for example, that there should be something from Verdi's "Requiem" in the film. You hear it when you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-always-had-a-feeling-for-example-that-there-should-be-something/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Along with this rapid growth of forms of communication at our disposal - be it fax, phone, email, Internet or whatever - human solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/along-with-this-rapid-growth-of-forms-of-communication-at-our/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ I had complete freedom. They \[Netflix\] knew roughly what I was doing. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-had-complete-freedom-they-netflix-knew-roughly-what-i-was-doing/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [For example, the face of Nicole Kidman in Queen of the Desert and she is the most beautiful goddess on screen that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/for-example-the-face-of-nicole-kidman-in-queen-of-the-desert-and-she/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I have always postulated that we have to find a new way to deal with reality. It's not so much facts that interest me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-have-always-postulated-that-we-have-to-find-a-new-way-to-deal-with/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) [Explore all 318 Werner Herzog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) ## More Fighting quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. 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The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [You have to fight gravity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-wine/you-have-to-fight-gravity/) [Sherwin Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-wine/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/) [Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/) > [Well, He had known what love was-a sharp pang, a fierce experience, in the midst of whose flames he was struggling! but, through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/well-he-had-known-what-love-was-a-sharp-pang-a-fierce-experience-in/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [It is sort of interesting that in our society this days we are very quick to apply the term 'war' to places where thare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-is-sort-of-interesting-that-in-our-society-this-days-we-are-very/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) > [Life is a battle of wits, and many people have to fight it unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-battle-of-wits-and-many-people-have-to-fight-it-unarmed/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [The devil has been defeated, stop trying to defeat him. What we have left is the fight of faith, and it's a good fight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-oyakhilome/the-devil-has-been-defeated-stop-trying-to-defeat-him-what-we-have/) [Chris Oyakhilome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-oyakhilome/) > [There comes a time when you're losing a fight that it just doesn't make sense to keep on fighting. It's not that you're being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/there-comes-a-time-when-you-re-losing-a-fight-that-it-just-doesn-t/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) Browse all 13,685 Fighting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can fight a rumour only with an even wilder rumour.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Werner Herzog" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even-wilder-rumour/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fighting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even-wilder-rumour/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/werner-herzog-964_fighting_you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even_3160236.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/werner-herzog-964_fighting_you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even_3160236.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/werner-herzog-964_fighting_you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even_3160236.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can fight a rumour only with an even wilder rumour.” — Werner Herzog", "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": "Werner Herzog", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can fight a rumour only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even-wilder-rumour/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/you-can-fight-a-rumour-only-with-an-even-wilder-rumour/#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 } } ] } ```