Errol Morris

Set up an arbitrary set of rules and then follow them slavishly.

War is such a peculiar thing — inaugurated by the whims of few, affecting the fate of many. It is a difficult, if not impossible, thing to understand, yet we feel compelled to describe it as though it has meaning — even virtue. It starts for reasons often hopelessly obscure, meanders on, then stops

The fact that photographs are silent is only one reason why we mistakenly assume they aren’t saying anything.

With a still photograph you have the illusion of a literal description of what was before the camera, but any narrative accompanying the photograph is a reader’s interpretation.

The Anosognosic’s Dilemma: Something’s Wrong but You’ll Never Know What It Is

One of the incredibly deep ironies is that the [Abu Ghraib] photographs could serve as both an exposé and as a cover-up. That they would encourage people not to look any further and make them think they had seen everything.

THE COURT: [Interposing.] Than silly-silly.

Photographs can reveal something to us, and they can also conceal things.

I've been horribly depressed (lately), which, as you know, can be terribly time-consuming. I mean, if you're going to do it right, that is.

Photographs attract false beliefs the way flypaper attracts flies.

If you want to trick someone with a photograph, there are lots of easy ways to do it. You don’t need Photoshop. You don’t need sophisticated digital photo-manipulation. You don’t need a computer. All you need to do is change the caption.

If you asked me what makes the world go round, I would say self-deception. Self-deception allows us to create a consistent narrative for ourselves that we actually believe. I’m not saying that the truth doesn’t matter. It does. But self-deception is how we survive.

Quite often photographs gain power from what is omitted from the frame rather than from what is included.

A trial is not a science fair, but rather a magic show. A show based on appearances and logical fallacies and sleight of hand. It isn’t about proof. It is about convincing the jury.

They say seeing is believing, but the opposite is true. Believing is seeing.