“The press is the art of making people believe what you want them to believe.”
What this quote means
Vallès, an engaged journalist, denounces the manipulative power of the press. Far from being a simple mirror of reality, it shapes opinion by steering narratives, choosing words, and selecting facts. This quote alerts us to the need for a critical eye toward media: they do not always tell us what is, but what they want us to believe. It invites us to diversify our sources and exercise discernment.
How to apply it daily
Before sharing information, verify its origin, cross-check sources, and ask what interest this media might have in spreading it.
Continue
Related quotes
Same author or same theme — keep reading.
“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”Create visual
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”Create visual
“The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.”Create visual
“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.”Create visual
“The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.”Create visual
“Insurrection is an art, and like all arts, it has its laws.”Create visual