--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We never fully grasp the import of any…" description: "\"We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/william-james-228_clear_we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-t_39332.png" --- # We never fully grasp the import of any true statement… ![“We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/william-james-228_clear_we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-t_39332.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/william-james-228_clear_we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-t_39332.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/william-james-228_clear_we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-t_39332.png) > “We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding a true claim requires recognizing its negation, revealing its full significance. **In simple terms:** Truth gains meaning through contrast. Key Takeaway Opposites clarify truth. Themes epistemology philosophy of language critical thinking logic cognition Mood curiosity intellectual rigor Type aphilosophical analytical When to use this quote - evaluating arguments - teaching logic - debating ideas - writing essays Key Concepts binary opposition conceptual framing knowledge acquisition Practical Applications - critical analysis - educational curricula Questions to Reflect On - What does this imply about the nature of evidence? - How can this insight improve our reasoning? A Different Perspective Some truths stand independently of their opposites, making the contrast unnecessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Notion Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion-opposite-451091/) [Opposite Untrue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-untrue-451089/) [True Statement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-statement-451092/) [Untrue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untrue/) [Untrue Statement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untrue-statement-451090/) ## Related quotes > [To know yourself you have only to set down a true statement of those that ever loved or hated you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/to-know-yourself-you-have-only-to-set-down-a-true-statement-of-those/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [You look good. You play good. That's a true statement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-angelo-russell/you-look-good-you-play-good-that-s-a-true-statement/) [D'Angelo Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-angelo-russell/) > [True statement: Live it, love it, leave the wold better off than when you got here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/true-statement-live-it-love-it-leave-the-wold-better-off-than-when/) [Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/) > [“Exercise: The Eight Statements The simple set of eight statements below will help you gauge where you are on the path to bending reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/exercise-the-eight-statements-the-simple-set-of-eight-statements/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If 'is' means 'is and never has been' that's one thing - if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/it-depends-upon-what-the-meaning-of-the-word-is-is-if-is-means-is-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [If we do take statements to be the primary bearers of truth, there seems to be a very simple answer to the question, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-mackie/if-we-do-take-statements-to-be-the-primary-bearers-of-truth-there/) [J. L. Mackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-mackie/) > [“If there is one true statement true of every living person it must be this: he hasn’t achieved his full potential.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-schultz/if-there-is-one-true-statement-true-of-every-living-person-it-must-be/) [William Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-schultz/) > [For us there is but one crime: to be untrue to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parker-yockey/for-us-there-is-but-one-crime-to-be-untrue-to-ourselves/) [Francis Parker Yockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parker-yockey/) > [I think comics has this rap of being misogynistic, and that's certainly not untrue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-stevenson/i-think-comics-has-this-rap-of-being-misogynistic-and-that-s/) [Noelle Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-stevenson/) > [We can't believe what we believe to be untrue, and we can't love what we believe to be unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/we-can-t-believe-what-we-believe-to-be-untrue-and-we-can-t-love-what/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Mostly it's lies, writing novels. You set out to tell an untrue story and you try to make it believable, even to yourself. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/mostly-it-s-lies-writing-novels-you-set-out-to-tell-an-untrue-story/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“There’s a widespread belief that if you have solid self-esteem you don’t need outside affirmation and praise. This is patently untrue, by the way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/there-s-a-widespread-belief-that-if-you-have-solid-self-esteem-you/) [Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/) > [I believe politicians should aim to be accurate and truthful in what they say at all times. You can be truthful and inaccurate but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-believe-politicians-should-aim-to-be-accurate-and-truthful-in-what/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [It strikes me as gruesome and comical that in our culture we have an expectation that man can always solve his problems ... This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-strikes-me-as-gruesome-and-comical-that-in-our-culture-we-have-an/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I cannot bear that you / Should think me faithful, when I am untrue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/i-cannot-bear-that-you-should-think-me-faithful-when-i-am-untrue/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) ## More by William James > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/success-or-failure-depends-more-upon-attitude-than-upon-capacity/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) [Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More Clear quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. So I went to Belgium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/when-i-came-to-chelsea-it-was-clear-that-like-many-other-players-i/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I try to listen to all music with an open head, a clear head, try not to say just because I don't know it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/i-try-to-listen-to-all-music-with-an-open-head-a-clear-head-try-not/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [I've always made it clear that I do not believe that global government is either necessary or feasible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-always-made-it-clear-that-i-do-not-believe-that-global/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [The moment it begins to question itself, the mind becomes so clear that it starts working with itself rather than with the body's identification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/the-moment-it-begins-to-question-itself-the-mind-becomes-so-clear/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Alec Wilkinson is a spare, clear, and lucid writer who works in stylistic simplicity with material that is not simple at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/alec-wilkinson-is-a-spare-clear-and-lucid-writer-who-works-in/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 7,410 Clear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/william-james-228_clear_we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-t_39332.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/william-james-228_clear_we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-t_39332.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/william-james-228_clear_we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-t_39332.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite…” — William James", "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": "William James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We never fully grasp the import...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/#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 } } ] } ```