Trickery Quotes

“Listen, Peaches, trickery is what humans are all about," said the voice of Maurice. "They're so keen on tricking one another all the time that they elect governments to do it for them.”
― Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

“And not only the pride of intellect, but the stupidity of intellect. And, above all, the dishonesty, yes, the dishonesty of intellect. Yes, indeed, the dishonesty and trickery of intellect.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

“Don't you know girls have to fool people every day of their lives if they want to get anywhere?”
― Salman Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories

“To be honest, one can only feel glad that so many modern iconoclasts consider Christianity to be full of exceptionally hypocritical, religious zealots - it's biblically accurate and a prophecy fulfilled. The old smoke screen is one of Satan's favorite tricks. He conceals the authentic. He has a persistent strategy of targeting those who remind him of Christianity because he fears those who remind him of Christ.”
― Criss Jami, Killosophy

“He always smiles, even when contemplating nothing good.”
― Henryk Sienkiewicz, In Desert and Wilderness

“We are all tricked. We think that religion tells us what to believe; but it doesn't, it is telling us what not to believe. Atheism is not the absence of religion; atheism is the most undiluted form of religion: it tells us not to believe in anything at all. Atheists hate the religious and the religious hate atheists, but this is only a deception! We are all deceived! There is only one boat and we are all in it! All at the same time!”
― C. JoyBell C.

“At times, one can win clever people over to a principle merely by presenting it in the form of an outrageous paradox.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits

“How can I help being a humbug," he said, "when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done?”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wizard Of Oz

“As usual, small towns like this were full of those who needed entertainment and whilst money was difficult to earn, the philosophy of giving the people what they wanted, which Franco lived by, had paid dividends.”
― Christopher Byford, Den of Shadows

“Just taking a few moments to evaluate what’s being said, to identify the motives of whoever’s speaking, and to ask if what they’re saying makes any sense, can help us avoid being manipulated.”
― Vincent H. O'Neil, A Pause in the Perpetual Rotation

“The greatest deceit imaginational is to make the lies of another our truth.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Facts didn't matter to people if they were smiling.”
― Nick Oliveri, Monsters in My Mind

“I could drown in a sea of applause. But without you, it's still just be drowning.”
― Nick Oliveri, The Conjurer

“When I came here, pretending to be Taryn, you said you'd sent me messages,' I say. 'You seemed surprised I hadn't gotten any. What was in them?'

Cardan turns to me, hands clasped behind his back. 'Pleading, mostly. Beseeching you to come back. Several indiscreet promises.' He's wearing that mocking smile, the one he says comes from nervousness.

I close my eyes against frustration great enough to make me scream. 'Stop playing games,' I say. 'You sent me in to exile.'

'Yes,' he says. 'That. I can't stop thinking about what you said to me, before Madoc took you. About it being a trick. You meant marrying you, making you queen, sending you to the mortal world, all of it, didn't you?'

I fold my arms across my chest protectively. 'Of course it was a trick. Wasn't that what you said in return?'

''But that's what you do,' Cardan says. 'You trick people. Nicasia, Madoc, Balekin, Orlagh. Me. I thought you'd admire me a little for it, that I could trick you. I thought you'd be angry, of course, but not quite like this.'

I stare at him, openmouthed. 'What?'

'Let me remind you that I didn't know you'd murdered my brother, the ambassador to the Undersea, until that very morning,' he says. 'My plans were made in haste. And perhaps I was a little annoyed. I thought it would pacify Queen Orlagh, at least until all promises were finalised in the treaty. By the time you guessed the answer, the negotiations would be over. Think of it: I exile Jude Duarte to the mortal world. Until and unless she is pardoned by the crown.' He pauses. 'Pardoned by the crown. Meaning by the King of Faerie. Or its queen. You could have returned any time you wanted.'

Oh.

Oh.

It wasn't an accident, his choice of words. It wasn't infelicitous. It was deliberate. A riddle made just for me.

Maybe I should feel foolish, but instead, I feel furiously angry. I turn away from him and walk, swiftly and completely directionless through the garden. He runs after me, grabbing my arm.

I haul around and slap him. It's a stinging blow, smearing the gold of his cheekbone and causing his skin to redden. We stare at each other for long moments, breathing hard. His eyes are bright with something entirely different from anger.

I am in over my head. I am drowning.”
― Holly Black, The Queen of Nothing

“...tonight let us remember our triumph, our trickery, and our delight in one another.”
― Holly Black, The Queen of Nothing

“When the Devil goeth about like a roaring lion, he goeth about in a shape by which few but savages and hunters are attracted. But, when he is trimmed, smoothed, and varnished, according to the mode; when he is aweary of vice, and aweary of virtue, used up as to brimstone, and used up as to bliss; then, whether he take to the serving out of red tape, or to the kindling of red fire, he is the very Devil.”
― Charles Dickens, Hard Times

“Using trickery on the trickster to mend their ways, is not trickery, but the rightful use of intelligence.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Vatican Virus: The Forbidden Fiction

“If you find yourself in a discussion with someone who’s trying to deceive you, isn't allowing you to speak, or is obviously taking you through a preplanned argument, don’t play their game.”
― Vincent H. O'Neil, The Unused Path: Skills for living an authentic life

“I picked up the glass and swirled it, staring at the dark liquid. The thought of eating and drinking here suddenly filled me with dread. Persephone had tasted the food of the underworld just once, and she was never able to leave. But then, I was never meant to leave here anyway.
"It's not laced with blood or poison." His smile flashed; apparently his amusement at my fears was inexhaustible. "I may be a demon, but I'm not Tantalus or Mithridates."
"That's a pity," I muttered, and sipped my wine. "I wouldn't mind Mithridates. Then I'd get a quick death or a useful immunity.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“The mystery around prophecy is intelligent prediction, chance and those which fulfill themselves.”
― Monaristw

“One of the most striking proofs of the personal existence of Satan, which our times afford us, is found in the fact, that he has so influenced the minds of multitudes in reference to his existence and doings, as to make them believe that he does not exist; and that the hosts of Demons or Evil Spirits, over whom Satan presides as Prince, are only the phantasies of the brain, some hallucination of mind.”
― William Ramsey, Spiritualism: A Satanic Delusion, and a Sign of the Times

“In its wake, sin will leave all of the resources necessary to perpetuate itself. Therefore, sin may lead you to believe that it has left, yet that is all part of the staying.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“All that glitters is not gold.” But there are a lot of people who make a lot of gold by manufacturing a lot of glitter.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Mr. Bagggins saw then how clever Gandalf had been. The interruptions had really made Beorn more interested in the story, and the story had kept him from sending the dwarves off at once like suspicious beggars. He never invited people into his house, if he could help it. He had very few friends and they lived a good way away; and he never invited more than a couple of these to his house at a time. Now he had got fifteen strangers sitting in his porch!”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

“The trickery approach causes only the risk of failure and collapse of trust.”
― Ehsan Sehgal

“I turned to Lucien, my light radiating so brightly that it bounced off his metal eye. A friend beseeching another for help. I reached a hand toward him.

Beyond us, I could feel Ianthe scrambling to regain control, to find some way to spin it.

Perhaps Lucien could, too. For he took my hand, and then knelt upon one knee in the grass, pressing my fingers to his brow.

Like stalks of wheat in a wind, the others fell to their knees as well.

For in all of her preening ceremonies and rituals, never had Ianthe revealed any sign of power or blessing. But Feyre Cursebreaker, who had let Prythian from tyranny and darkness...

Blessed. Holy. Undimming before evil.

I let my glow spread, until it, too, rippled from Lucien's bowed form.

A knight before his queen.

When I looked to Ianthe and smiled again, I let a little bit of the wolf show.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

“During the Peloponnesian War a brave Athenian soldier fell desperately in love with the daughter of his commander. He asked for her hand in marriage but she had to refuse. Having dedicated her life to the goddess Selene, she had vowed not to marry until an evil power called the Atrox was vanquished. The soldier swore to destroy the dark force and free his beloved from her vow.
He traveled day and night until he came to the western side of the river Oceanus. There he passed through groves of barren willows and poplars until he found the cave that led to Tartarus, the land of the dead. He entered it, and when he reached the impenetrable darkness, demons swarmed around him.
A towering black cloud surged toward him. He knew it was the Atrox. But instead of trembling with fear, he became intoxicated with his own bravery; he alone had the courage to face the Atrox. If he destroyed it, he would not only win his bride, but also become as powerful as any of the immortal gods.
Pride overtook him as he shot his arrow. A terrible scream pierced the misty air. Then the unimaginable happened. The Atrox surrendered to him and humbly offered a gift of gold ankle bands in tribute.
The young man, eager to return to his love and flaunt his victory, clasped the heavy metal bands around his legs, but as he did, flames ravaged his body and the evil he had set out to destroy consumed him. The Atrox had tricked him and given him not ornaments but shackles, condemning him to an eternity of servitude. Demons carried him away from the underworld and cast him out from Earth.
Over the centuries many people have seen the young soldier in the night sky and thought of him only a falling star. He wanders the universe alone, unable to return to Earth unless summoned by his master, the Atrox.”
― Lynne Ewing, Moon Demon

“Evil in its best form, disguised as our fellow human possessed by greed, envy, lust, and power, chase me wherever I go. I’m always on the run, hiding desperately in the dark to protect myself.
Silly of me for not realising that the darkness is the thriving kingdom of the villainous monsters.
I run to the meadows, then into a forest, and then into a land of thorny shrubs.
When I run, I regret being a coward, ashamed of being unable to slay the demon chasing me.
I know how I lost a part of me because of its trickery, yet I run, yet I hide in shame with regret for allowing evil to play its trick on me. I regret being the fool.”
― Udayakumar D.S., FT Legacy 1: Who is Frank Twine?

“Bereaved, she made it home, thanked the neighbor and headed to bed to sob herself to sleep.
Rich’s arrival from work was followed by a rattlesnake response to the two children wandering the house without supervision. Finding Gail in bed, he berated his wife for her selfishness.
Gail announced the miscarriage to Rich. “I hope you’re happy.”
He shrugged and said, “I’m sorry about that. Comm ci comme sa. You win some, you lose a bunch. I guess I’ll go fix spaghetti for the girls.”
She turned over to look him in the eye. “It was a beautiful, perfectly formed little boy,” she said with a tear-streaked face. Rich looked a little stunned at the news.
He heard his wife’s voice dull compared to the coursing blood in his ears. “Yes, he looked like you. His curls, his lashes…” Maybe he would have wanted a son, but the wheels of his mind kept turning. “There’s always another night, another baby to be had when he’s out of college, another son to be born when we’re more financially stable.” “If you wouldn’t have tricked me…”
“Into this pregnancy,” she finished his thought. “And so, you think you have tricked me back.”
― Lynn Byk, The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch

“This sounds admirable! I do so much admire what you are doing. Using this wonderful old house.”
― Elizabeth Tebby Germaine, A MAN WHO SEEMED REAL: A story of love, lies, fear and kindness