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Deceit: Quotations from Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations
There seems to be a constant decay of all our ideas; even of those which are struck deepest, and in minds the most retentive, so that if they be not sometimes renewed by repeated exercises of the senses, or reflection on those kinds of objects which at first occasioned them, the print wears out, and at last there remains nothing to be seen.— LOCKE — Human Understanding. Bk. II. Ch. 10.
All that's bright must fade, - The brightest still the fleetest; All that's sweet was made But to be lost when sweetest.— MOORE — National Airs. Indian Air.
In the sweetest bud The eating canker dwells.— Shakespeare — Two Gentlemen of Verona. Act I. Act I. Sc. 1. L. 42.
The ripest fruit first falls, and so doth he; His time is spent.— Shakespeare — Richard II. Act II. Sc. 1. L. 153.
I shall be like that tree, -I shall die at the top.— SWIFT — Scott's Life of Swift.
Fires that shook me once, but now to silent ashes fall'n away. Cold upon the dead volcano sleeps the gleam of dying day.— TENNYSON — Locksley Hall. Sixty Years After. St. 21.
God is not averse to deceit in a holy cause.— ÆSCHYLUS — Frag. Incert. II.
Think'st thou there are no serpents in the world But those who slide along the grassy sod, And sting the luckless foot that presses them? There are who in the path of social life Do bask their spotted skins in Fortune's sun, And sting the soul.— JOANNA BAILLIE — De Montfort. Act I. Sc. 2.
What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among women.— SIR THOMAS BROWNE — Urn-Burial. Ch. V.
If the world will be gulled, let it be gulled. S.— BURTON — Anatomy of Melancholy. Pt. III. Sec. IV. Memb. 1.
Subsec. 2 Quoth Hudibras, I smell a rat; Ralpho, thou dost prevaricate.— BUTLER — Hudibras. Pt. I. Canto I. L. 821.
Think not I am what I appear.— BYRON — The Bride of Abydos. Canto I. Sc. 12.
But every thyng which schyneth as the gold, Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told.— CHAUCER — Canterbury Tales.
Chanounes Yemanne's Tale. Preamble. L. 17,362. Appearances to save, his only care; So things seem right, no matter what they are. C.— CHURCHILL — Rosciad. L. 299.
Yet still we hug the dear deceit.— NATHANIEL COTTON — Visions in Verse.
Content. Vision IV. Stamps God's own name upon a lie just made, To turn a penny in the way of trade.— COWPER — Table Talk. L. 421.
Transforms old print To zigzag manuscript, and cheats the eyes Of gallery critics by a thousand arts.— COWPER — The Task. Bk. II. The Time Piece. L. 363.
Nothing is more easy than to deceive one's self, as our affections are subtle persuaders.
Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, Is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, Utters another.— HOMER — The Iliad. Bk. IX. L. 386.
Bryant's trans. Perhaps it was right to dissemble your love, But why did you kick me down stairs?— J. P. KEMBLE — The Panel. Act I. Sc. 1.
Trust him not with your secrets, who, when left alone in your room, turns over your papers.— LAVATER — Aphorisms. No. 439.
It is in vain to find fault with those arts of deceiving, wherein men find pleasure to be deceived.— LOCKE — Human Understanding. Bk. III. Ch. X. 34.
He seemed For dignity compos'd and high exploit: But all was false and hollow. S.— MILTON — Paradise Lost. Bk. II. L. 110.
Perfidious Albion.— NAPOLEON — Exclamation on leaving England for St. Helena.
With one hand he put A penny in the urn of poverty, And with the other took a shilling out.— POLLOK — Course of. Time. Bk. VIII. L. 632.
Shut, shut the door, good John! fatigu'd I said; Tie up the knocker, say I'm sick, I'm dead.— POPE — Prologue to the Satires. L. 1.
Of Adam's first wife, Lilith, it is told (The witch he loved before the gift of Eve) That ere the snakes, her sweet tongue could deceive And her enchanted hair was the first gold- And still she sits, young while the earth is old And, subtly of herself contemplative, Draws men to watch the bright net she can weave, Till heart and body and life are in its hold.— DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI — Lilith.
O, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive. ScoTT-Marmion. Canto VI. St. 17. And here we wander in illusions; Some blessed power deliver us from hence!— Shakespeare — Comedy of Errors. Act IV. Sc. 3. L. 42.
All that glisters is not gold; Often have you heard that told; Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold.— Shakespeare — Merchant of Venice. Act II. Sc. 7. L. 65.
An evil soul producing holy witness Is like a villain with a smiling cheek; A goodly apple rotten at the heart: O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!— Shakespeare — Merchant of Venice. Act I. Sc. 3. L. 100.
A quicksand of deceit. C.— Shakespeare — Henry VI. Pt. III. Act V. Sc. 4. L. 26.
Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me, For making him egregiously an ass.— Shakespeare — Othello. Act II. Sc. 1. L. 317.
Oh, that deceit should steal such gentle shapes, And with a virtuous vizard hide foul guile.— Shakespeare — Richard III. Act II. Sc. 2. L. 27.
O, that deceit should dwell In such a gorgeous palace!— Shakespeare — Romeo and Juliet. Act III. Sc. 2. L. 84.
The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray us In deepest consequence.— Shakespeare — Macbeth. Act I. Sc. 3. L. 124.
The world is still deceiv'd with ornament, In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt, But, being season'd with a gracious voice, Obscures the show of evil? In religion, What damned error, but some sober brow Will bless it and approve it with a text, Hiding the grossness with fair ornament?— Shakespeare — Merchant of Venice. Act III. Sc. 2. L. 74.
They fool me to the top of my bent. I will come by and by..— Shakespeare — Hamlet. Act III. Sc. 2. L. 401.
When I was stamp'd, some coiner with his tools Made me a counterfeit.— Shakespeare — Cymbeline. Act II. Sc. 5. L. 5.
Who makes the fairest show means most deceit.— Shakespeare — Pericles. Act I. Sc. 4. L. 75.
Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile, And cry, "Content" to that which grieves my heart; And wet my cheeks with artificial tears, And frame my face to all occasions.— Shakespeare — Henry VI. Pt. III. Act III. Sc. 2. L. 182.
Dies iste, quem tamquam extremum reformidas, æterni natalis est. This day, which thou fearest as thy last, is the birthday of eternity.— SENECA — Epistolæ Ad Lucilium. CII.
Eripere vitam nemo non homini potest; At nemo mortem; mille ad hanc aditus patent. Any one may take life from man, but no one death; a thousand gates stand open to it.— SENECA — Phœnissæ. CLII.
Incertum est quo te loco mors expectet: itaque tu illam omni loco expecta. It is uncertain in what place death may await thee; therefore expect it in any place.— SENECA — Epistolæ Ad Lucilium. XXVI.
Interim pœna est mori, Sed sæpe donum; pluribus veniæ fuit. Sometimes death is a punishment; often a gift; it has been a favor to many.— SENECA — Hercules Oetæus. 930.
Bis emori est alterius arbitrio mori. To die at the command of another, is to die twice.— SYRUS — Maxims.
Honesta mors turpi vitâ potior. An honorable death is better than a dishonorable life.— TACITUS — Agricola. XXXIII.
Usque adeone mori miserum est? Is it then so sad a thing to die?— VIRGIL — Eneid. XII. 646.
Improbi hominis est mendacio fallere. It is the act of a bad man to deceive by falsehood.— CICERO — Oratio Pro Murena. XXX.
Irrepit in hominum mentes dissimulatio. Dissimulation creeps gradually into the minds of men. S.— CICERO — De Oratore. III. 53.
Pia fraus. A pious fraud.— OVID — Metamorphoses. IX. 711.
Incedis per ignes Suppositos cineri doloso. You tread on smoldering fires covered by deceitful ashes.— HORACE — Carmina. II. 1. 7.
Fronti nulla fides. Trust not to outward show.— JUVENAL — Satiræ. II. 8.
Calvo turpius est nihil comato. There is nothing more contemptible than a bald man who pretends to have hair.— MARTIAL — Epigrammata. X. 83. 12.
Cætera fortunæ, non mea, turba fuit. The rest of the crowd were friends of my fortune, not of me.— OVID — Tristium. I. 5. 34.
Furtum ingeniosus ad omne, Qui facere assueret, patriæ non degener artis, Candida de nigris, et de candentibus atra. Skilled in every trick, a worthy heir of his paternal craft, he would make black look white, and white look black.— OVID — Metamorphoses. XI. 313.
C. Impia sub dulci melle venena latent. Deadly poisons are concealed under sweet honey.— OVID — Amorum. I. 8. 104.
Fronte politus Astutam vapido servas sub pectore vulpem Though thy face is glossed with specious art, thou retainest the cunning fox beneath thy vapid breast.— PERSIUS — Satiræ. V. 116.
Habent insidias hominis blanditiæ mali. The smooth speeches of the wicked are full of treachery.— PHEDRUS — Fabulæ. I. 19. 1.
Non semper ea sunt quæ videntur; decipit Frons prima multos. Things are not always what they seem; first appearances deceive many.— PHÆDRUS — Fabulæ. IV. 2. 16.
Alterâ manu fert lapidem, alterâ panem ostendat. He carries a stone in one hand, and offers bread with the other.— PLAUTUS — Aulularia. II. 2. 18.
Erras, me decipere haud potes. No, you can't deceive me.— PLAUTUS — Mercator. V. 2. 90.
Nemo omnes, neminem omnes fefellerunt. No one has deceived the whole world, nor has the whole world ever deceived any one. PLINY the Younger-Panegyricus.
Car c'est double plaisir de tromper le trompeur. It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.— LA FONTAINE — Fables. II. 15.
Il faut distinguer entre parler pour tromper et se taire pour être impénétrable. We must distinguish between speaking to deceive and being silent to be reserved.— VOLTAIRE — Essai sur les Mœurs. Ch. CLXIII.
Le bruit est pour le fat, la plainte pour le sot; L'honnête homme trompé s'éloigne et ne dit mot. The silly when deceived exclaim loudly; the fool complains; the honest man walks away and is silent. C.— LA NOUE — La Coquette Corrigée. I. 3.
L'hypocrisie est un hommage que le vice rend à la vertu. Hypocrisy is the homage which vice renders to virtue.— LA ROCHEFOUCAULD — Maximes. 218.
On est aisément dupé par ce qu'on aime. We are easily fooled by that which we love.— MOLIÈRE — Le Tartuffe. IV. 3.
On ne trompe point en bien; la fourberie ajoute la malice au mensonge. We never deceive for a good purpose; knavery adds malice to falsehood.— LA BRUYÈRE — Les Caractères. XI.
Pour tromper un rival l'artifice est permis; On peut tout employer contre ses ennemis. Artifice is allowable in deceiving a rival; we may employ everything against our enemies.— RICHELIEU — Les Tuileries.
Savoir dissimuler est le savoir des rois. To know how to dissemble is the knowledge of kings.— RICHELIEU — Miranne.
Vous le croyez votre dupe: s'il feint de l'être, qui est plus dupe, de lui ou de vous? You think him to be your dupe; if he feigns to be so who is the greater dupe, he or you?— LA BRUYÈRE — Les Caractères. V.
Man wird nie betrogen, man betrügt sich selbst. We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.— GOETHE — Sprüche in Prosa. III.
DEVIL (THE). Wir betrügen und schmeicheln niemanden durch so feine Kunstgriffe als uns selbst. We deceive and flatter no one by such delicate artifices as we do our own selves.— SCHOPENHAUER — Die Welt als Wille.
I. 350. Non mancano pretesti quando si vuole. Pretexts are not wanting when one wishes to use them.— GOLDONI — La Villeggiatura. I. 12.