The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which you know to be a fiction, there being nothing else. The exquisite truth is to know that it is a fiction and that you believe in it willingly.

Wallace Stevens
The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which...
The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which...
The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which...
The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which...
About This Quote

Alain de Botton said, “The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which you know to be a fiction, there being nothing else. The exquisite truth is to know that it is a fiction and that you believe in it willingly.” The power of self-delusion is one of the strongest forces we have as humans. It allows us to make decisions and actions we would never make if we didn’t believe in the fiction we were living.

Source: Opus Posthumous: Poems, Plays, Prose

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More Quotes By Wallace Stevens
  1. The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which you know to be a fiction, there being nothing else. The exquisite truth is to know that it is a fiction and that you believe in it willingly.
  2. Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.
  3. I am the truth, since I am part of what is real, but neither more nor less than those around me.
  4. After the final no there comes a yes / And on that yes the future world depends.
  5. I do not know which to prefer, The beauty of inflections Or the beauty of innuendos The blackbird whistling Or just after.
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