If fallacies come knocking at my door,
I'd rather feed, and shelter full a score,
Than hide behind the black portcullis, doubt,
And run the risk of barring one Truth out.

And if pretension for a time deceive,
And prove me one too ready to believe,
Far less my shame, than if by stubborn act,
I brand as lie, some great colossal Fact.

" - Meaning and context.">
Credulity
“

If fallacies come knocking at my door,
I'd rather feed, and shelter full a score,
Than hide behind the black portcullis, doubt,
And run the risk of barring one Truth out.

And if pretension for a time deceive,
And prove me one too ready to believe,
Far less my shame, than if by stubborn act,
I brand as lie, some great colossal Fact.

— Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "

If fallacies come knocking at my door,
I'd rather feed, and shelter full a score,
Than hide behind the black portcullis, doubt,
And run the risk of barring one Truth out.

And if pretension for a time deceive,
And prove me one too ready to believe,
Far less my shame, than if by stubborn act,
I brand as lie, some great colossal Fact.

" in the context of "Credulity" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Ella Wheeler Wilcox" (Poetry quotes, New Thought Pastels (1913)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

About Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (5 November 1850 – 30 October 1919) was an American poet.