The crafty person is always in danger; and when they think they walk in the dark, all their pretenses are transparent.
—John Tillotson
Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
We like to be deceived.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
Everyone is born sincere and die deceivers.
—Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues (1715–47) French Moralist, Essayist, Writer
We often shed tears that deceive ourselves after deceiving others.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked, and being really good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Every cloud has a silver lining.
—Common Proverb
Men still have to be governed by deception.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
The natural man has a difficult time getting along in the world. Half the people think he is a scoundrel because he is not a hypocrite.
—E. W. Howe (1853–1937) American Novelist, Editor
Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don’t have brains enough to be honest.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
I have always considered it as treason against the great republic of human nature, to make any man’s virtues the means of deceiving him.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another.
—Homer (751–651 BCE) Ancient Greek Poet
No man was ever so much deceived by another as by himself.
—George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick (1746–1816) British Nobleman, Politician
He who has made it a practice to lie and deceive his father, will be the most daring in deceiving others.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet
It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?
—Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American Head of State
Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Man’s mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.
—Desiderius Erasmus (c.1469–1536) Dutch Humanist, Scholar
Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well. He has changed his market-cart into a chariot of the sun.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.
—B. C. Forbes (1880–1954) Scottish-born American Journalist, Publisher
The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.
—Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Italian Polymath, Painter, Sculptor, Inventor, Architect
Cheat me in the price, but not in the goods.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
It is twice the pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
It is very noble hypocrisy not to talk of one’s self.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
You are never so easily fooled as when trying to fool someone else.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities.
—Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American Writer, Aphorist
We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects, and discovering the weaknesses of others.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
Who had deceived thee so often as thyself?
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Deceivers are the most dangerous members of society.—They trifle with the best affections of our nature, and violate the most sacred obligations.
—George Crabbe
Half the work that is done in this world is to make things appear what they are not.
—Elias Root Beadle (1812–65) American Clergyman
All deception in the course of life is indeed nothing else but a lie reduced to practice, and falsehood passing from words into things.
—Robert South (1634–1716) English Theologian, Preacher
For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright, who art as black as hell, as dark as night.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
The craftiest trickery are too short and ragged a cloak to cover a bad heart.
—Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801) Swiss Theologian, Poet
Whenever, therefore, people are deceived and form opinions wide of the truth, it is clear that the error has slid into their minds through the medium of certain resemblances to that truth.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
Deceive not thy physician, confessor, nor lawyer.
—George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh Anglican Poet, Orator, Clergyman
If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
Life is the art of being well deceived.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
All war is based on deception.
—Sun Tzu (fl. c.544–496 BCE) Chinese General, Military Theorist
It is in the ability to deceive oneself that the greatest talent is shown.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
It seems to me that there are two kinds of trickery: the “fronts” people assume before one another’s eyes, and the “front” a writer puts on the face of reality.
—Francoise Sagan (1935–2004) French Novelist, Playwright, Short-Story Writer
The art of pleasing is the art of deception.
—Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues (1715–47) French Moralist, Essayist, Writer
The great advantages of simulation and dissimulation are three. First to lay asleep opposition and to surprise. For where a man’s intentions are published, it is an alarum to call up all that are against them. The second is to reserve a man’s self a fair retreat: for if a man engage himself, by a manifest declaration, he must go through, or take a fall. The third is, the better to discover the mind of another. For to him that opens himself, men will hardly show themselves adverse; but will fair let him go on, and turn their freedom of speech to freedom of thought.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will.
—Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) British Head of State, Military Leader
The art of using deceit and cunning grow continually weaker and less effective to the user.
—John Tillotson
To give up pretensions is as blessed a relief as to get them ratified.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
The people of the world having once been deceived, suspect deceit in truth itself.
—The Hitopadesha Indian Collection of Fables
Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-born British Philosopher