Truth Be Quoted Trivia Quiz

J. K. Rowling is a British author best known for her Harry Potter novels which centre on the life and adventures of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends as they attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This is a quote from the first book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". It appears in Chapter 17, "The Man with Two Faces", after Harry has just survived his first encounter with Voldemort. He is talking with Dumbledore and asks him if he can tell him the truth about some things. The quote is from Dumbledore's answer:

"The truth," Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

Harry wants to know why Voldemort wants him dead and this is a question Dumbledore won't answer.

This quote speaks to the power and paradox of truth. On one hand, truth is beautiful. It represents clarity, honesty, and authenticity. It's a guiding light that helps us navigate through the complexities of life, cutting through deception and illusion.

On the other hand, truth can also be terrible. It can shatter illusions, reveal uncomfortable realities and unsettle deeply held beliefs. It has the potential to be disruptive, transformative and at times, painful. It must, therefore, be treated with caution

Oscar Wilde was a prominent figure in the late 19th century literary scene. Born in Ireland in 1854, he became renowned for his wit, charm and sharp social commentary. Wilde was not only a masterful playwright but also a prolific essayist and poet.

The quote is found in his play "The Importance of Being Earnest" which was first performed in 1895. The play is a comedy that satirizes the social norms and values of the Victorian era, particularly focusing on marriage, morality and the importance placed on a person's name.

The plot revolves around two friends who create imaginary alter egos named Ernest to escape their social obligations. The play is known for its witty dialogue, clever wordplay and humorous exploration of societal expectations.

The quote is in Act One when Jack is explaining his alter ego to Algernon and finishes with "That, my dear Algy, is the whole truth pure and simple"
Algernon replies "The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility!"

Alfred Lord Tennyson was a prominent Victorian poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during most of Queen Victoria's reign. She created him the 1st Baron Tennyson in 1884. His poetry often explored themes of nature, love, grief and the challenges of the human condition.

The quote appears in stanza VIII in "The Grandmother":

"And the parson made it his text that week, and he said likewise,
That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies,
That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright,
But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight."

In it the speaker is sitting at the deathbed of her eldest son, Willy, with her granddaughter, Annie, and is incapable of weeping. The grandmother apologises for appearing cold and hard, but explains that she has outlived her husband and all her children and has wept for them all but doesn't for Willy as she herself is anticipating death and knows she will see him soon.

The passage illustrates Tennyson's insight into the fact that lies that contain some elements of the truth are much harder to dispute than outright fabrications.

Matthew Arnold was an English poet, cultural critic and educator from the Victorian era. He is recognized for his contributions to both literature and cultural criticism during this period.

The quote is from his poem "Sohrab and Rustum":

"Man, who art thou who dost deny my words?
Truth sits upon the lips of dying men,
And falsehood, while I lived, was far from mine"

The poem is based upon the 10th-century Persian epic "Shahnameh" by Ferdowsi. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rustum and his son, Sohrab who do not know their connection and are on opposite sides of a battle.

Rustum, a Persian hero, kills Sohrab and then finds evidence that he was his long lost son. The poem explores themes of destiny, fate, and the complexities of human relationships, emphasizing the tragic consequences that can arise when individuals are kept in the dark about their true identities.

It has become a bit of a proverb about how a person who is on their deathbed has no time or need for fabrications and speaks only the truth.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer and poet who played a key role in the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Transcendentalists sought a deeper understanding of the self and the universe, emphasizing the importance of intuition, self-reliance and the spiritual connection with nature.

In his book "Poems (Emerson, Household Edition, 1904)" he has a section called 'Quatrains and Translations'. It contains 28 simple 4 line verses. The above quote is one of these titled "Sacrifice". It is also referenced as '47' in some works.

On a brief read it is quite simple a concept - we would all rather live our lives in safety, enjoying life's pleasures instead of standing up for what is right to the extent of even dying for it. However, if you read Emerson's translations that follow it, it is also an extremely complicated concept concerning Christianity.

This quote appears in Shakespeare's comedy "All's Well That Ends Well" which revolves around the character Helena, a low-born but intelligent and virtuous woman, who falls in love with Bertram, a nobleman and has to fulfil a set of conditions before she can marry him.

The quote in question comes from in Act 3, Scene 5 where Mariana is speaking with the widow and Diana:

"Come, let's return again, and suffice ourselves with
the report of it. Well, Diana, take heed of this
French earl: the honour of a maid is her name; and
no legacy is so rich as honesty."

Mariana is the play's official nosy neighbour. She doesn't get much stage time at all in this play but has this famous quote in her part.

The quote has two meanings about honesty - one is in learning to be a person of honour and of truthful character from strong role models; the other is to be someone who is a strong role model that passes these virtues on and thus a legacy of honesty would continue.

Clive Staples Lewis was a British writer, essayist and scholar of the 20th century. He is best known for his works of fiction, including "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, as well as apologetics - using his intellectual prowess to defend and explain the Christian faith.

In this quote he is emphasising the significance of both reason and imagination whilst pursuing truth and understanding. Using reason as an analytical tool to grasp the natural order of truth by investigating and understanding the world around us but then using our imagination to find meaning within it. Imagination transcends the logical and perceives deeper connections and possibilities. The two together make us see the world around us in a much broader and subjective context.

The full quote can be found in the essay "Blusphels and Flalanferes" published in "Selected Literary Essays" which includes over twenty of C. S. Lewis's most important literary essays that were written between 1932 and 1962.

"For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. Imagination, producing new metaphors or revivifying old, is not the cause of truth, but its condition."

Stephen Edwin King is a contemporary American author of horror, suspense, crime, science-fiction and fantasy novels. Beginning in 1982 he also wrote a series called "The Dark Tower" which focuses on a gunslinger named Roland and his quest toward a physical and metaphorical tower.

This quote comes from the fourth book in the series, "Wizard and Glass", from Chapter 5 - 'The Gunslinger and the Man in Black'. Part VII. The man in black says it to Roland:

"Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals? There is an offer you will get rarely, Roland. Only enemies speak the truth. Friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty."

This quote reflects a perspective on the complexities of truth and deception in relationships, suggesting that enemies may be more willing to express uncomfortable truths that those close to us might withhold or distort by a sense of duty or compassion. Friends might also be already entangled in a past web of lies that the truth is not compatible with.

John Keats was an English Romantic poet born in 1795 and is known as a master of lyrical and sensual poetry. His life was tragically short as he succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of 25. He is famous for his vivid imagery of nature and for his Odes - "To a Nightingale", "Autumn" and a "Grecian Urn" being three of his most famous.

This quote is the last two lines from his "Ode to A Grecian Urn":

"When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,-that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

These two lines have led to extensive interpretation and debate among scholars and readers with many different interpretations.

My favourites are those that suggest that contemplating something of beauty, either manmade or natural, can highlight the essential truths of the universe. Something beautiful, or even the ability to perceive something as beautiful, and the feeling it can evoke can make us believe we understand the real reason for living.

There is also a school of thought that suggests he is trying to say that the truth can be subjective depending on one's position and beliefs in life while beauty is universally recognized. But if you follow that train of thought then you have to go back to beauty being in the eye of the beholder so it is not universal and neither is the truth so they are, once again, the same.

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, in 1835 was an American writer, humourist and lecturer. His writing is characterized by a keen wit and a deep understanding of the human condition. His novels explore themes of morality, social justice and the complexities of individual conscience.

In addition to his novels, Mark Twain wrote essays, short stories and travel narratives. His work reflects a deep engagement with the social and political issues of his time and he used satire and humour to critique societal norms. Beyond his literary contributions he was known for his insightful quotes of which this is one of many.

This quote highlights the simplicity and reliability of truthfulness. By being honest, one avoids the need to keep track of lies and contradictions as the truth remains consistent and doesn't require elaborate memory management.

It also reminds me of another favourite quote from Sir Walter Scott:

"Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive."