Quotes About Deception

Oh! what lies we women have to tell! When we are mothers, we tell lies to pacify our children; and when we are wives, we tell lies to pacify the fathers of our children. We are never free from this necessity.

He whom I enclose with my name is weeping in this dungeon. I am ever busy building this wall all around; and as this wall goes up into the sky day by day I lose sight of my true being in its dark shadow. I take pride in this great wall, and I plaster it with dust and sand lest a least hole should be left in this name; and for all the care I take I lose sight of my true being. XXX

Clever lies become matters of self-congratulation.

Leemos mal el mundo, y decimos luego que nos engaña.

A man need not necessarily be ugly or poor to be cheated of his wife's love, but he is sure to lose it if he is too gentle.

Be not concerned about her heart, my heart: be content if the music is true, though the words are not to be believed; enjoy the grace that dances like a lily on the rippling, deceiving surface, whatever may lie beneath.

to justify their own spilling of ink they spell the day as night

We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us.

The worst thing, it seemed to her, was to be dealing with one version of a person when quite another version existed out of sight.

I knew then, she said, that he was a liar, that for all his reportage and his honesty he was determined to keep himself untouched, to take without giving, to hoard himself like a greedy child.

Yet I believe, as I say, that it was precisely this underhand act that gave birth to her vitriol, for people are at their least forgiving when they themselves have been underhand, as though they would exact their innocence from you at any price.

Music is a betrayer of secrets; it is more treacherous even than dreams, which at least have the virtue of being private.

it is the very thing you don't see, the thing you take for granted, that deceives you. And how can you even know you have taken something for granted until it is no longer there?

What she couldn't stand, she said, was pretence of any kind, especially the pretence of desire, wherein someone feigned the need to possess her wholly when in fact what he wanted was to use her temporarily.

the problem with being honest, he said, is that you're slow to realize that other people can lie.

Most people need some sort of illusion to help 'em along … but that knocks one pretty hard, doesn't it?

The scariest thing about crazy people is that they can look so normal - Rob Sutter

I gave you so much of myself," I say, "and you wasted me.

I mistook you for a metaphor.

The truth may not be told. Here is an acceptable lie.

I gave you two choices as a test: there are never just two choices. That is a lie to keep you from thinking too deeply.

Negotiating deals among members of Congress is an exercise in wearing masks, scaring up votes, and, oftentimes, bluffing.

When members of a certain party concoct various devious schemes to suppress votes, purposely misinform potential voters, spread vile untrue filth about certain candidates, play the race, gender and religious cards, and literally tamper with vote tallies, then we are not a truly representative government!

The fear of being deceived is the vulgar version of the quest for Truth.