Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes

The first point of wisdom is to discern that which is false; the second, to know that which is true.

Till the false is seen as the false, truth is not.

A man may imagine things that are false, but he can only understand things that are true, for if the things be false, the apprehension of them is not understanding.

Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.

Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also.

He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.

The truth cannot be deceptive, and one who sees it cannot be deceived.

Ability to discern that what is true is true, and that what is false is false, is the characteristic of intelligence.

I seek the truth.

We do not find truth groveling through error.

To think truly is noble and to be deceived is base.

I seek the truth...it is only persistence in self-delusion and ignorance that does harm.

It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is so easy to recognize a falsehood.

The more false we destroy, the more room there will be for the true.

What men call knowledge, is the reasoned acceptance of false appearances. Wisdom looks behind the veil and sees.

The study of error is not only in the highest degree prophylactic, but it serves as a stimulating introduction to the study of truth.

Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.

The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.

The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue.

Not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, does the enlightened man dislike to wade into its waters.

Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth.

Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. She is there, but people must want her, and seek her out.

Seeing reality for what it is is what we call discernment. The work of discernment is very hard.

Knowledge is two-fold, and consists not only in an affirmation of what is true, but in the negation of that which is false.

You find that all men are successes or failures. Success is the stamp of truth. I will say all men who fail to place their feet on the dome of facts do so by not sieving all truth and throwing the faulty to one side.