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		<title>Orwell, George -- Essay (1942-08), &#8220;Looking Back on the Spanish War, ch. 4, Such, Such Were the Joys, essay  8 (1953)</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/orwell-george/80603/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:07:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Orwell, George]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bias]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[historiography]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[I know it is the fashion to say that most of recorded history is lies anyway. I am willing to believe that history is for the most part inaccurate and biased, but what is peculiar to our own age is the abandonment of the idea that history could be truthfully written.]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I know it is the fashion to say that most of recorded history is lies anyway. I am willing to believe that history is for the most part inaccurate and biased, but what is peculiar to our own age is the abandonment of the idea that history <i>could</i> be truthfully written. </p>
<br><b>George Orwell</b> (1903-1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]<br>Essay (1942-08), &#8220;Looking Back on the Spanish War</i>, ch. 4, <i>Such, Such Were the Joys</i>, essay  8 (1953) 
									<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/looking-back-on-the-spanish-war/#:~:text=I%20know%20it%20is%20the%20fashion%20to%20say%20that%20most%20of%20recorded%20history%20is%20lies%20anyway.%20I%20am%20willing%20to%20believe%20that%20history%20is%20for%20the%20most%20part%20inaccurate%20and%20biased%2C%20but%20what%20is%20peculiar%20to%20our%20own%20age%20is%20the%20abandonment%20of%20the%20idea%20that%20history%20could%20be%20truthfully%20written." target="_blank">Source</a>)
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		<title>Butler, Samuel -- The Note-Books of Samuel Butler, ch. 19 [ed. Festing-Jones] (1907)</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/butler-samuel/30723/</link>
		<comments>https://wist.info/butler-samuel/30723/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2015 14:17:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Butler, Samuel]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[I do not mind lying, but I hate inaccuracy.]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I do not mind lying, but I hate inaccuracy.</p>
<br><b>Samuel Butler</b> (1835-1902) English novelist, satirist, scholar<br><i>The Note-Books of Samuel Butler</i>, ch. 19 [ed. Festing-Jones] (1907) 
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		<title>Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 1, ch.  9  (1.9), &#8220;Of Liars [Des Menteurs]&#8221; (1572) [tr. Ives (1925)]</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/montaigne-michel-de/7947/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:16:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Montaigne, Michel de]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deceit]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[If falsehood, like truth, had but one face, we should be better off, for we should take for certain the contrary of what the liar said. But the opposite of truth has a hundred thousand shapes and a limitless field. [Si comme la verité, le mensonge n’avoit qu’un visage, nous serions en meilleurs termes : [&#8230;]]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If falsehood, like truth, had but one face, we should be better off, for we should take for certain the contrary of what the liar said. But the opposite of truth has a hundred thousand shapes and a limitless field.</p>
<p><em>[Si comme la verité, le mensonge n’avoit qu’un visage, nous serions en meilleurs termes : car nous prendrions pour certain l’opposé de ce que diroit le menteur. Mais le revers de la verité a cent mille figures, et un champ indefiny.]</em></p>
<br><b>Michel de Montaigne</b> (1533-1592) French essayist<br><i>Essays</i>, Book 1, ch.  9  (1.9), &#8220;Of Liars <i>[Des Menteurs]&#8221;</i> (1572) [tr. Ives (1925)] 
									<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Book_I/Myt1MG8XBqYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22falsehood%20like%20truth%22" target="_blank">Source</a>)
										<br><br><span class="cite">
						

(<a href="https://hyperessays.net/gournay/book/I/chapter/9/#:~:text=Si%20comme%20la%20verit%C3%A9%2C%20le%20mensonge%20n%E2%80%99avoit%20qu%E2%80%99un%20visage%2C%20nous%20serions%20en%20meilleurs%20termes%C2%A0%3A%20car%20nous%20prendrions%20pour%20certain%20l%E2%80%99oppos%C3%A9%20de%20ce%20que%20diroit%20le%20menteur.%20Mais%20le%20revers%20de%20la%20verit%C3%A9%20a%20cent%20mille%20figures%2C%20et%20un%20champ%20indefiny.">Source (French)</a>). Alternate translations:<br><br> 

<blockquote>If a lie had no more faces but one, as truth hath; we should be in farre better termes then we are: For, whatsoever a lier should say, we would take it in a contrarie sense. But the opposite of truth hath many-many shapes, and an undefinite field.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://hyperessays.net/florio/book/I/chapter/9/#:~:text=If%20a%20lie%20had%20no%20more%20faces%20but%20one%2C%20as%20truth%20hath%3B%20we%20should%20be%20in%20farre%20better%20termes%20then%20we%20are%3A%20For%2C%20whatsoever%20a%20lier%20should%20say%2C%20we%20would%20take%20it%20in%20a%20contrarie%20sense.%20But%20the%20opposite%20of%20truth%20hath%20many%2Dmany%20shapes%2C%20and%20an%20undefinite%20field.">Florio</a> (1603)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>If <i>Falshood</i> had, like <i>Truth</i>, but one Face only, we should be upon better Terms; for we should then take the contrary to what the Lyer says for certain Truth; but the Reverse of <i>Truth</i> has a hundred thousand Figures, and a Field indefinite without Bound or Limit.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://hyperessays.net/cotton/book/I/chapter/9/#:~:text=If%20Falshood%20had%2C%20like%20Truth%2C%20but%20one%20Face%20only%2C%20we%20should%20be%20upon%20better%20Terms%3B%20for%20we%20should%20then%20take%20the%20contrary%20to%20what%20the%20Lyer%20says%20for%20certain%20Truth%3B%20but%20the%20Reverse%20of%20Truth%20has%20a%20hundred%20thousand%20Figures%2C%20and%20a%20Field%20indefinite%20without%20Bound%20or%20Limit.">Cotton</a> (1686)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>If Falsehood had, like Truth, only one face, we should be upon better terms; for we should then take the contrary of what the liar should say for certain truth; but the reverse of truth has a hundred thousand forms, and a field without limits.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Essays_of_Montaigne/TlnCcrHXoYgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22falsehood%20had%20like%20truth%22">Friswell</a> (1868)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>If falsehood had, like truth, but one face only, we should be upon better terms; for we should then take for certain the contrary to what the liar says: but the reverse of truth has a hundred thousand forms, and a field indefinite, without bound or limit.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Essays_of_Montaigne/Book_I/Chapter_IX#:~:text=If%20falsehood%20had%2C%20like%20truth%2C%0Abut%20one%20face%20only%2C%20we%20should%20be%20upon%20better%20terms%3B%20for%20we%20should%20then%0Atake%20for%20certain%20the%20contrary%20to%20what%20the%20liar%20says%3A%20but%20the%20reverse%20of%0Atruth%20has%20a%20hundred%20thousand%20forms%2C%20and%20a%20field%20indefinite%2C%20without%20bound%0Aor%20limit.">Cotton/Hazlitt</a> (1877)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>If falsehood, like truth, had only one face, we would be in better shape. For we would take as certain the opposite of what the liar said. But the reverse of truth has a hundred thousand shapes and a limitless field.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/completeworksofm0000mont/page/24/mode/2up?q=%22only+one+face%22">Frame</a> (1943)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>If a lie, like truth, had only one face we could be on better terms, for certainty would be the reverse of what the liar said. But the reverse side of truth has a hundred thousand shapes and no defined limits. <br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/the-complete-essays-montaigne-michel-de-1533-1592/page/6/mode/2up?q=%22only+one+face%22">Screech</a> (1987)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>If, like truth, falsehood had only one face, we would be better off. We could trust that the opposite of whatever a liar says is true. But the flip side of the truth is endless and has a hundred thousand faces.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://hyperessays.net/essays/on-liars/#:~:text=If%2C%20like%20truth%2C%20falsehood%20had%20only%20one%20face%2C%20we%20would%20be%20better%20off.%20We%20could%20trust%20that%20the%20opposite%20of%20whatever%20a%20liar%20says%20is%20true.%20But%20the%20flip%20side%20of%20the%20truth%20is%20endless%20and%20has%20a%20hundred%20thousand%20faces.">HyperEssays</a> (2023)] </blockquote><br>						</span>
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                <!-- DCH Modify the title to give the category (quote author) at the beginning of it. -->
		<title>Munro, H. H. -- &#8220;Clovis on the Alleged Romance of Business,&#8221; The Square Egg (1924)</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/munro-h-h/2927/</link>
		<comments>https://wist.info/munro-h-h/2927/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Munro, H. H.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[complications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deceit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equivocation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[explanation]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation.]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation.</p>
<br><b>H. H. Munro</b> (1870-1916) Scottish writer [Hector Hugh Munro; pseud. Saki]<br>&#8220;Clovis on the Alleged Romance of Business,&#8221; <i>The Square Egg</i> (1924) 
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