You know, the truth will not vanish just because we avert our eyes. It’s a powerful reminder that reality doesn’t disappear when we ignore it. This is the core of self-deception and its consequences.
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Meaning
The core message is brutally simple: ignoring a problem or an uncomfortable fact doesn’t make it go away. It’s still there, waiting.
Explanation
Okay, so here’s the thing I’ve seen play out time and again, in business and in life. We all have this incredible capacity for self-deception. We think if we don’t look at the failing metric, the struggling team member, the shaky relationship… it’ll just resolve itself. But Goleman nails it. The truth is like a leak in the basement. You can close the door, you can pretend you don’t smell it, but the water is still rising. The damage is still being done. And eventually, you’re going to have to open that door and face a much bigger, much messier problem. It’s not just about knowing the truth; it’s about having the courage to look at it.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Wisdom (385) |
| Topics | avoidance (6), awareness (126), truth (77) |
| Literary Style | aphoristic (181) |
| Emotion / Mood | calm (491), clarifying (20) |
| Overall Quote Score | 89 (88) |
Origin & Factcheck
This comes straight from Daniel Goleman’s 1985 book, Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception. It’s a prequel to his famous work on Emotional Intelligence, really digging into the mental tricks we play on ourselves. Sometimes it gets misattributed to other psychological thinkers, but this is pure Goleman.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Daniel Goleman (125) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception (61) |
| Origin Timeperiod | Modern (530) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Daniel Goleman is a psychologist and bestselling author whose journalism at The New York Times brought brain and behavior science to a wide audience. He earned a BA from Amherst and a PhD in psychology from Harvard, and studied in India on a Harvard fellowship. Goleman’s research and writing helped mainstream emotional intelligence, leadership competencies, attention, and contemplative science. He co-founded CASEL and a leading research consortium on EI at work. The Daniel Goleman book list includes Emotional Intelligence, Working with Emotional Intelligence, Primal Leadership, Social Intelligence, Focus, and Altered Traits.
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | The truth will not vanish just because we avert our eyes |
| Book Details | Publication Year: 1985; ISBN: 9780743240156; Last edition: 1996 Harper Perennial; Number of pages: 288. |
| Where is it? | Approximate page from 1996 edition, Chapter 5: The Costs of Denial |