It is in the ability to deceive oneself that the greatest talent is shown.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?
—Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American Head of State
The certain way to be cheated is to fancy one’s self more cunning than others.
—Pierre Charron (1541–1603) French Preacher, Philosopher
Cheat me in the price, but not in the goods.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
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
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
It is very noble hypocrisy not to talk of one’s self.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
The crafty person is always in danger; and when they think they walk in the dark, all their pretenses are transparent.
—John Tillotson
I became a virtuoso of deceit. It wasn’t pleasure I was after, it was knowledge. I consulted the strictest moralists to learn how to appear, philosophers to find out what to think and novelists to see what I could get away with. And, in the end, I distilled everything down to one wonderfully simple principle: win or die.
—Christopher Hampton (b.1946) British Playwright, Screenwriter
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
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
Unlike grown ups, children have little need to deceive themselves.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will.
—Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) British Head of State, Military Leader
The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.
—Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Italian Polymath, Painter, Sculptor, Inventor, Architect
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
The easiest person to deceive is one’s own self.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–73) British Novelist, Poet, Politician
All war is based on deception.
—Sun Tzu (fl. c.544–496 BCE) Chinese General, Military Theorist
Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-born British Philosopher
Life is the art of being well deceived.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English 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
Deceive not thy physician, confessor, nor lawyer.
—George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh Anglican Poet, Orator, Clergyman
To know how to disguise is the knowledge of kings.
—Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642) French Cardinal, Statemesan
It is twice the pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
The people of the world having once been deceived, suspect deceit in truth itself.
—The Hitopadesha Indian Collection of Fables
We often shed tears that deceive ourselves after deceiving others.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Everyone is born sincere and die deceivers.
—Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues (1715–47) French Moralist, Essayist, Writer
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
To give up pretensions is as blessed a relief as to get them ratified.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
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