--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no such thing as public opinion…" description: "\"There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.\" — Winston Churchill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/winston-churchill-95_opinion_there-is-no-such-thing-as-public-opinion_587415.jpg" --- # There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only… ![“There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.” quote by Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/winston-churchill-95_opinion_there-is-no-such-thing-as-public-opinion_587415.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/winston-churchill-95_opinion_there-is-no-such-thing-as-public-opinion_587415.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/winston-churchill-95_opinion_there-is-no-such-thing-as-public-opinion_587415.jpg) > “There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.” [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public opinion is shaped by what is printed, not by a collective voice. **In simple terms:** Only printed views count as opinion. Key Takeaway Question media sources critically. Themes media perception politics Mood skeptical analytical Type political commentary When to use this quote - elections - policy debates - media consumption - social media - news analysis Key Concepts information control public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How does media shape your beliefs? - Can you identify printed vs. genuine opinion? A Different Perspective Printed opinion can be manipulated, limiting true public voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinion Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion-published-4815776/) [Public opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-opinion/) [Published Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/published-opinion-4815777/) [Thing Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-public-506415/) ## Related quotes > [I am very shy. It's the most stressful thing to be in the public eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanam-saeed/i-am-very-shy-it-s-the-most-stressful-thing-to-be-in-the-public-eye/) [Sanam Saeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanam-saeed/) > [“Their priority has been not to clamp down on the thing to which the public are objecting but, rather, to the objecting public. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/their-priority-has-been-not-to-clamp-down-on-the-thing-to-which-the/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [What manner of thing this 'public opinion' is, should be best known to those who have its name forever in their mouths and erect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/what-manner-of-thing-this-public-opinion-is-should-be-best-known-to/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [I owe one thing to my public - the best performance I can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/i-owe-one-thing-to-my-public-the-best-performance-i-can-give/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [“Is there such a thing as public good? That's all I'm asking. I mean, is your good the same as my good? I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carroll/is-there-such-a-thing-as-public-good-that-s-all-i-m-asking-i-mean-is/) [Jim Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carroll/) > [It's a special thing to be a public company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duffield/it-s-a-special-thing-to-be-a-public-company/) [David Duffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duffield/) > [Try and spread a lot of love and affection around the world. The most important thing is not to 'con' the public. Be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-harris/try-and-spread-a-lot-of-love-and-affection-around-the-world-the-most/) [Rolf Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-harris/) > [The public does not like you to mislead or represent yourself to be something you're not. And the other thing that the public really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/the-public-does-not-like-you-to-mislead-or-represent-yourself-to-be/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [The only thing that the artist cannot see is the obvious. The only thing that the public can see is the obvious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-only-thing-that-the-artist-cannot-see-is-the-obvious-the-only/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“The public is largely influenced by the look of a book. So are we all. It is the only artistic thing about the public.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-public-is-largely-influenced-by-the-look-of-a-book-so-are-we-all/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't think anyone can say I have said one thing in public and done another in private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blunkett/i-don-t-think-anyone-can-say-i-have-said-one-thing-in-public-and-done/) [David Blunkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blunkett/) > [“I was myself so smitten in public opinion that it was the almost universal view that my political life was at last ended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-was-myself-so-smitten-in-public-opinion-that-it-was-the-almost/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum. (Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nihil-est-incertius-vulgo-nihil-obscurius-voluntate-hominum-nihil/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I believe the role that people like myself have played in the transformation of public opinion has been by persistently presenting a different point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/i-believe-the-role-that-people-like-myself-have-played-in-the/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [In America there is not one single element of civilization that is not made to depend, in the end, upon public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/in-america-there-is-not-one-single-element-of-civilization-that-is/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) ## More by Winston Churchill > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Never, never, never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-never-never-give-up/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most times he will pick himself up and carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/man-will-occasionally-stumble-over-the-truth-but-most-times-he-will/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [God alone knows how great it is. All I hope is that it is not too late. I am very much afraid that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/god-alone-knows-how-great-it-is-all-i-hope-is-that-it-is-not-too-late/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [When you're 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you're 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you're 60 you realize no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/when-you-re-20-you-care-what-everyone-thinks-when-you-re-40-you-stop/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Writing a book is an adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/writing-a-book-is-an-adventure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/all-men-make-mistakes-but-only-wise-men-learn-from-their-mistakes/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [People who are not prepared to do unpopular things and defy the clamor of the multitude are not fit to be ministers in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/people-who-are-not-prepared-to-do-unpopular-things-and-defy-the/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [To meet Roosevelt with all his buoyant sparkle, his iridescence, was like opening a bottle of champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/to-meet-roosevelt-with-all-his-buoyant-sparkle-his-iridescence-was/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-am-always-ready-to-learn-although-i-do-not-always-like-being-taught/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There are plenty of good ideas, if only they can be backed with the power of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-are-plenty-of-good-ideas-if-only-they-can-be-backed-with-the/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) [Explore all 1,366 Winston Churchill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## More Opinion quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [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/) > [If you want to edit your photos and make yourself look different, go for it. That is up to you, but in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-list/if-you-want-to-edit-your-photos-and-make-yourself-look-different-go/) [Peyton List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-list/) > [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/) [Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/) > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [I never knew a man who deserved to be thought well of for his morals who had a slight opinion of our Sex in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/i-never-knew-a-man-who-deserved-to-be-thought-well-of-for-his-morals/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) > [I'm just going to express my opinion and try to change the way people think with the stuff I write or try to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-m-just-going-to-express-my-opinion-and-try-to-change-the-way-people/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) [Browse all 8,279 Opinion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no such thing as public opinion. 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