quotations about rumors
He who unveils rumors enjoys greater prestige than a simple public entertainer.
JEAN-NOEL KAPFERER
Rumors: Uses, Interpretations, and Images
The flying rumours gather'd as they roll'd,
Scarce any tale was sooner heard than told;
And all who told it added something new,
And all who heard it made enlargements too.
ALEXANDER POPE
Temple of Fame
Rumors are often recycled. People rely on those narrative templates that have proved to be plausible and durable in the past. Rumors appear, are spread, and then disappear--ignored--until similar circumstances make the stories appropriate once again.
GARY ALAN FINE & BILL ELLIS
The Global Grapevine
News told, rumors heard, truth implied, facts buried.
TOBA BETA
My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut
A rumor always contains information of considerable interest. The teller is therefore the center of attention; and the listener, by his eagerness, magnifies the teller's feelings of importance.
H. G. BARNETT
Innovation
There's a rumor going 'round about you
I'd quite like to find out if it's true
I am free baby, tonight, are you?
There's a rumor going 'round
PEP & RASH
"Rumors"
Rumors are not news; but they sometimes foreshadow news.
ERNEST HAMLIN ABBOTT
The Outlook, September 15, 1915
Rumors are nearly as old as human history, but with the rise of the Internet, they have become ubiquitous. In fact we are now awash in them. False rumors are especially troublesome; they impose real damage on individuals and institutions, and they often resist correction. They can threaten careers, policies, public officials, and sometimes even democracy itself.
CASS R. SUNSTEIN
On Rumors
Rumors are like a big onion--when peeled, all layers, all tears, and nothing there.
RAYMOND LUCZAK
Whispers of a Savage Sort
It was a running joke; everyone was aware of how ridiculous the rumor mill was, and yet they all shamelessly participated in it.
JAMIE MCGUIRE
Beautiful Disaster
I don't have to listen to rumors about a man when I can judge him for myself.
STEPHEN KING
Different Seasons
Rumors can shape the public opinion of a society by affecting and coordinating the individual beliefs of its members.
ZHENG YOU XIA & LAILEI HUANG
"Emergence of Social Rumor: Modeling, Analysis, and Simulations", Computational Science
A rumor which is raised of nothing soon vanishes.
ERASMUS
attributed, Day's Collacon
Malicious rumours can spread confusion. A careless remark can be as a cigarette butt casually tossed into the dumpster, smouldering until it bursts into flame and engulfs a neighborhood.
MARGARET ATWOOD
The Year of the Flood
Rumors are like wind in the belly--all noise and no nourishment.
ANONYMOUS
The Canadian Historical Review, vol. 23
When a man is in trouble, any rumor is sufficient to complete his ruin.
G. W. CLINTON
attributed, Day's Collacon
The opinions of men depend very much on rumors; and they have a greater dread of an enemy who proclaims himself ready to begin the attack, than of one who merely professes his intention to defend himself against assaults, as they think that there will be then only an equality of danger.
THUCYDIDES
attributed, Day's Collacon
Rumors are like harpoons--once they go in, they're hard to pull out.
ANONYMOUS
U. S. News & World Report, 1996
Where do rumors come from?... I suppose the majority of rumors are a combination of leaked information and the astounding imaginations of numerous storytellers. And, of course, the hope that things aren't really as boring as they seem on the surface.
MAX FREI
The Stranger
A rumor is like a check--never endorse it till you're sure it's genuine.
G. KLEISER
Dictionary of Proverbs