Deceit Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old deceit quotes, deceit sayings, and deceit proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Phineas T. Barnum
He seemed For dignity compos'd and high exploit: But all was false and hollow. John Milton
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. Mark Twain
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
Deceit is in haste, but honesty can wait a fair leisure Proverb
Deceive the rich and powerful if you will, but don't insult them. Japanese Proverb
Lying and stealing are next door neighbors. Arabic Proverb
It contains a misleading impression, not a lie. It was being economical with the truth. Robert Armstrong
A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent. William Blake
With lies you may go ahead in the world, but you can never go back. Proverb
You may tell the greatest lies and wear a brilliant disguise, but you can't escape the eyes of the one who sees right through you. Tom Robbins
Habitual liars invent falsehoods not to gain any end or even to deceive their hearers, but to amuse themselves. It is partly practice and partly habit. It requires an effort in them to speak truth. William Hazlitt
O, what a tangled web we weave; When first we practice to deceive! Sir Walter Scott
Yeah, it never fails to amaze me how a single lie can undo an entire lifetime of good. Sherrilyn Kenyon
False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Plato
I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you. Friedrich Nietzsche
We pay a person the compliment of acknowledging his superiority whenever we lie to them. Samuel Butler
Like all valuable commodities, truth is often counterfeited. James Cardinal Gibbons
A lie which is a half truth is ever the blackest of lies. Alfred Lord Tennyson
When it comes to controlling human beings there is no better instrument than lies. Because, you see, humans live by beliefs. And beliefs can be manipulated. Michael Ende
Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest. Benjamin Franklin
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
It is twice the pleasure to deceive the deceiver. Jean de la Fontaine
Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects, and discovering the weaknesses of others. William Hazlitt
No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities. Christian Nevell Bovee
We are easily fooled by that which we love. Moliere
Our distrust of another justifies his deceit La Rochefoucauld
It is a pity that we so often succeed our endeavors to deceive each other. Empress Irene
The cunning man uses deceit, but the more cunning man shuns deception Adam Ferguson
We never deceive for a good purpose; knavery adds malice to falsehood. La Bruyere
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act George Orwell
It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Noel Coward
One deceit needs many others, and so the whole house is built in the air and must soon come to the ground Baltasar Gracian
Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. Bible
Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. Bible
Skilled in every trick, a worthy heir of his paternal craft, he would make black look like white, and white look black. Ovid
The most deceitful persons spend their lives in blaming deceit, so as to use it on some great occasion to promote some great interest. Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Trust not in him that seems a saint. Thomas Fuller
Nothing is more easy than to deceive one's self, as our affections are subtle persuaders. Demosthenes
False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us while we walk in the sunshine, but leaving us the instant we cross into the shade. Christian N Bovee
A deception that elevates us is dearer than a host of low truths. Marina Tsvetaeva
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 Southey
Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another. Homer
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
The art of pleasing is the art of deception. Marquis De Vauvenargues
Persistent distrust is the flame of deceit. Be as good as your word or be singed by the heat. Wes Fessler
With affection beaming in one eye, and calculation shining out of the other. Charles Dickens
When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance. Oscar Wilde
None are deceived but they that confide. Benjamin Franklin
The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly deceived. Oscar Wilde