# "Don't believe what you read and only half of what you see." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 24, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428 "2015-11-24T14:55:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/1 "2015-11-24T14:55:30Z")
Many variations of this “old saw” appear with a search for examples. Maybe we can collect some favorites, or, better still, come up with some of our own. All seriousness aside! 🙂 – One instance from [believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see | Encyclopedia.com](http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-blvnthngfwhtyhrndnlyhlffw.html) > [@](#): > > \*\*believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see \*\* – a warning against over-reliance on one’s own experience recorded from the mid 19th century; a related Middle English saying warns that you should not believe everything that is said or that you hear, and a letter of the late 18th century has, ‘You must not take everything to be true that is told to you.’ ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/2 "2015-11-24T15:11:04Z")
“90% of everything is bullshit” ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/3 "2015-11-24T15:32:43Z")
“73% of all statistics are made up on the spot” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/4 "2015-11-24T15:36:27Z")
“Hello,” he lied. ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/5 "2015-11-24T15:58:30Z")
“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” - Twain/Disraeli/Other, Not Specified ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/6 "2015-11-24T16:14:56Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Many variations of this “old saw” appear with a search for examples. > > Maybe we can collect some favorites, or, better still, come up with some of our own. > > All seriousness aside! 🙂 > > – One instance from [believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see | Encyclopedia.com](http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-blvnthngfwhtyhrndnlyhlffw.html) People say believe ha-alf of what you hear, and certainly none of what you see. But if it’s true, please tell me dear, 'cuz you mean that much to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/7 "2015-11-24T17:05:04Z")
“If you open your mind too much, your brain will fall out.” ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/8 "2015-11-24T17:10:12Z")
50% of the people will believe this, 50% of the people won’t. The other 30% don’t really care. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/9 "2015-11-24T17:25:45Z")
Who do you believe, me or your lying eyes? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/10 "2015-11-24T17:41:21Z")
It _has_ to be true if its on the TV. Its, like, the law or something. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/11 "2015-11-24T18:33:01Z")
[“I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t believed it.”](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marshallmc379058.html)- Marshall McLuhan ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/12 "2015-11-24T18:54:54Z")
“Half of what you read is bull, and the other half is shit.” ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/13 "2015-11-25T03:17:59Z")
“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” – Bilbo ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/14 "2015-11-25T05:41:22Z")
Knoll’s Law of Media Accuracy: Everything you read in the newspapers is absolutely true except for the rare story of which you happen to have firsthand knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-believe-what-you-read-and-only-half-of-what-you-see/738428/15 "2015-11-25T10:13:15Z")
[The Daily Mail Song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI) Beautiful. “Brussels politicians want to stop us drinking English ale, it’s absolutely true because I read it in the Daily Mail.”