quotations about denial
The truth has become an insult.
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
Half of a Yellow Sun
The easiest way to solve a problem is to deny it exists.
ISAAC ASIMOV
The Gods Themselves
Perhaps you notice how the denial is so often the preface to the justification.
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
Hitch-22
You know it's not denial
Not denial, not denial
WHITE LIES
"Denial", Five
It's time to forget about the past
To wash away what happened last
Hide behind an empty face
Don't ask too much just say
Cause this is just a game
It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS
"A Beautiful Lie"
The conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them aloud is the central dialectic of psychological trauma.
JUDITH LEWIS HERMAN
Trauma and Recovery
Washington is the place where nobody believes a rumor until it has been officially denied.
EVAN ESAR
20,000 Quips & Quotes
There is no point in using the word "impossible" to describe something that has clearly happened.
DOUGLAS ADAMS
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Denial does not solve the problem. Denial does not make the problem go away. Denial does not give us peace of mind, which is what we are really seeking when we engage in it. Denial is a liar. It compounds the problem, because it keeps us from seeing a solution, and taking action to resolve it.
BILL KORTENBACH
Counterpredators
Deny any part of Reality, and you will lose your awareness of all of It.
ELIZABETH A. CRONKHITE
The Message of a Course in Miracles
The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid.
RICHARD BACH
Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.
MARK TWAIN
Delay is the deadliest form of denial.
C. NORTHCOTE PARKINSON
He that obstinately denieth the truth before men upon earth, wilfully refuseth his soul's health in heaven.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
attributed, Day's Collacon
Silent as the dead
Just like anyone I guess
Tryin' for the perfect life
End up bein' in denial
THE STROKES
"Metabolism", Angles
To deny one’s own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one’s own life. It is no less than a denial of the soul.
OSCAR WILDE
De Profundis
Equally as powerful as the desire to deny atrocities is the conviction that denial does not work. Folk wisdom is filled with ghosts who refuse to rest in their graves until their stories are told. Murder will out.
JUDITH LEWIS HERMAN
Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence
Refusal to believe until proof is given is a rational position; denial of all outside of our own limited experience is absurd.
ANNIE BESANT
Annie Besant: An Autobiography
Denial is a very normal coping mechanism and must be recognized as performing a genuine role in initiating the grieving process. As a protective device, it is designed to buffer the system from the trauma of an event to tragic to deal with all at once. It is important that those in supportive or helping roles recognize the value of this device. While in a state of denial the individual should be tolerated, not berated for his or her apparent unresponsiveness. No attempt should be made to change or modify the behavior of the griever. We certainly must never attempt to destroy someone's hold on denial.... It is important that this response run its course, since it is serving a purpose. All that may be needed is our supportive presence. Words may be nonessential and unimportant. As supporters and observers, perhaps our greatest responsibility is to be prepared to "catch" the individual when he or she collapses into the second stage of the grieving process.
RONALD J. KNAPP
Beyond Endurance
Denial is a common tactic that substitutes deliberate ignorance for thoughtful planning.
CHARLES TREMPER
attributed, The Resilient Enterprise