Deception Quotes To Help You Navigate The Lies of Life
August 17, 2022 5:00 AM EST
Deception is one word that can have a big difference in life.
As you’ll see from these deception quotes, lies are powerful and can have a long-lasting impact.
Deception is really just a fancy word for lying.
There are a lot of other words that we use in place of “lie” such as “fib” or “misleading”.
Those words seem to be a little softer and gentler than just calling it what it is—a lie.
While we tend to think of deception as something we do to other people, there are plenty of times when people struggle with deceiving themselves as well.
The lies you tell yourself or others are powerful and can have a long-lasting impact on life.
Don’t forget to also check out these liar quotes for when you’ve been deceived.
Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.
Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.
Deception quotes about lying
1. “It is in the ability to deceive oneself that the greatest talent is shown.” ― Anatole France
![deception quotes about it is in the ability to deceive oneself that the greatest talent is shown](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-1.jpg)
2. “I’m not upset that you lied to me. I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”- Friedrich Nietzsche
![deception quotes about I’m not upset that you lied to me. I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-2.jpg)
3. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain
![deception quotes about if you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-3.jpg)
You will also enjoy our article on Russ quotes.
4. “Anything is better than lies and deceit!” – Leo Tolstoy
![deception quotes about anything is better than lies and deceit](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-4.jpg)
5. “A lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies.” – Alfred Tennyson
![deception quotes about a lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-5.jpg)
6. “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” – Abraham Lincoln
![deception quotes about no man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-6.jpg)
7. “No one believes a liar. Even when she’s telling the truth.” – Sara Shepard
![deception quotes about no one believes a liar. Even when she's telling the truth](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-7.jpg)
8. “Hard truths can be dealt with, triumphed over, but lies will destroy your soul.” – Patricia Briggs
![deception quotes about hard truths can be dealt with, triumphed over, but lies will destroy your soul](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-8.jpg)
9. “For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth.” – Bo Bennett
![deception quotes for every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-9.jpg)
10. “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” – Winston Churchill
![deception quotes about a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-10.jpg)
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of lies quotes for healing and moving on.
Self-deception quotes
11. “The worst of all deceptions is self-deception.” – Plato
![deception quotes the worst of all deceptions is self-deception](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-11.jpg)
12. “We lie best when we lie to ourselves.” – Stephen King
![deception quotes about we lie best when we lie to ourselves](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-12.jpg)
13. “Avoidance of self-deception is a matter of integrity not comfort.” – Orrin Woodward
![deception quotes about avoidance of self-deception is a matter of integrity not comfort](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-13.jpg)
14. “When we successfully deceive others, they are not aware of it; the same is true with self-deception.” – Mardy Grothe
![deception quotes about when we successfully deceive others, they are not aware of it](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-14.jpg)
15. “Cheating in school is a form of self-deception. We go to school to learn. We cheat ourselves when we coast on the efforts and scholarship of someone else.” — James E. Faust
![deception quotes about cheating in school is a form of self-deception](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-15.jpg)
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of cheating quotes that will empower you during this difficult time.
16. “If it is necessary sometimes to lie to others, it is always despicable to lie to oneself.” – W. Somerset Maugham
![deception quotes about f it is necessary sometimes to lie to others](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-16.jpg)
17. “Self-deception helps us deceive.” – David Livingstone
![deception quotes about self-deception helps us deceive](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-17.jpg)
18. “Self-deception can be more comforting than self-knowledge. We like to fool ourselves.” – Russ Roberts
![deception quotes about self-deception can be more comforting than self-knowledge](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-18.jpg)
19. “Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein
![deception quotes about nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-19.jpg)
20. “Self-deception is nature; hypocrisy is art.” – Mason Cooley
![deception quotes about self-deception is nature; hypocrisy is art](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-20.jpg)
Deception quotes to help you understand it
21. “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
![deception quotes to help you understand it](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-21.jpg)
22. “The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.” – Leonardo da Vinci
![deception quotes about the greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-22.jpg)
23. “An offended heart is the breeding ground of deception.” – John Bevere
![deception quotes about an offended heart is the breeding ground of deception](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-23.jpg)
24. “The essence of lying is in deception, not in words.” – John Ruskin
![deception quotes about the essence of lying is in deception, not in words](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-24.jpg)
25. “Politicians are masters of the art of deception.” – Martin L. Gross
![deception quotes about politicians are masters of the art of deception](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-25.jpg)
26. “While all deception requires secrecy, all secrecy is not meant to deceive.” – Sissela Bok
![deception quotes about while all deception requires secrecy, all secrecy is not meant to deceive](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-26.jpg)
27. “People always overdo the matter when they attempt deception.” – Charles Dudley Warner
![deception quotes about people always overdo the matter when they attempt deception](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-27.jpg)
28. “It’s a sad day when the leaders of the free world engage in such deception and trickery. I voted against this unnecessary war and will continue to argue that the best way to support our troops is to bring them home.” – Major Owens
![deception quotes that the best way to support our troops is to bring them home](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-28.jpg)
29. “The point of painting is not really deception or imitation.” – A.S. Byatt
![deception quotes about the point of painting is not really deception or imitation](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-29.jpg)
30. “It’s the great deception in modern culture: Bad things call for noble names to cloak their evil outcomes.” – Greg Gutfeld
![deception quotes about bad things call for noble names to cloak their evil outcomes](https://everydaypower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Deception-Quotes-To-Help-You-Navigate-The-Lies-of-Life-30.jpg)
Thought-provoking deception quotes
31. “Deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.” – Oscar Wilde
32. “Deception may give us what we want for the present, but it will always take it away in the end.” – Rachel Hawthrone
33. “Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools that don’t have brains enough to be honest.” – Benjamin Franklin
34. “Deceivers are the most dangerous members of society. They trifle with the best affections of our nature and violate the most sacred obligations.” – George Crabble
35. “The reason we bitterly hate those who deceive us is that they think they are cleverer than we are.” – François de La Rochefoucauld
36. “It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.” – Noel Coward
37. “People always overdo the matter when they attempt deception.” – Charles Dudley Warner
38. “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
39. “Reality is easy. It’s deception that’s the hard work.” – Lauryn Hill
40. “We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
More deception quotes
41. “All war is based on deception.” – Sun Tzu
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of Sun Tzu quotes from the iconic warrior and philospher.
42. “Nationalism is power-hunger tempered by self-deception.” – George Orwell
43. “Deception is the knowledge of kings.” – Cardinal Richelieu
44. “Men still have to be governed by deception.” – Georg C. Lichtenberg
45. “Nothing is so boring as having to keep up a deception.” – E. V. Lucas
46. “Only one deception is possible in the infinite sense, self-deception.” – Soren Kierkegaard
47. “Deceit is the false road to happiness; and all the joys we travel through to vice, like fairy banquets, vanish when we touch them.” – Aaron Hill
48. “A man is sometimes better off deceived about the one he loves, than undeceived.” – François de La Rochefoucauld
49. “Self-deceit is a most damaging trait.” – Scott Kahn
50. “We learn to deceive ourselves while we are trying to deceive others.” – Sidney Jourard
Insightful deception quotes
51. “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle
52. “Just because something isn’t a lie does not mean that it isn’t deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction.” ― Criss Jami
53. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.” ― Sun Tzu
54. “Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” ― André Malraux
55. “Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised or a little mistaken.” ― Jane Austen
56. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave…when first we practice to deceive.” ― Walter Scott
57. “Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.” ― Niccolò Machiavelli
58. “In every age it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion, or both to deceive and overawe the People.” ― Eugene Victor Debs
59. “Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.” ― Khaled Hosseini
60. “Never try to do anything that is outside of who you are. A forced smile is a sign of what feels wrong in your heart, so recognize it when it happens. Living a lie will reduce you to one.” ― Ashly Lorenzana
Deception quotes that are full of wisdom
61. “Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.” ― Niccolo Machiavelli
62. “Deception is a developed art of civilization and the most potent weapon in the game of power.” ― Robert Greene
63. “Deceivers are the most dangerous members of society. They trifle with the best affections of our nature, and violate the most sacred obligations.” ― George Crabbe
64. “Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it.” ― Thomas Jefferson
65. “Spin’ is a polite word for deception. Spinners mislead by means that range from subtle omissions to outright lies. Spin paints a false picture of reality by bending facts, mischaracterizing the words of others, ignoring or denying crucial evidence, or just ‘spinning a yarn’ – by making things up.” ― Kathleen Hall Jamieson
66. “The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.” ― Andre Gide
67. “To cheat oneself out of love is the most terrible deception; it is an eternal loss for which there is no reparation, either in time or in eternity.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
68. “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” ― William Shakespeare
69. “If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one’s own self-deception and ignorance.” ― Marcus Aurelius
70. “Don’t tell me of deception; a lie is a lie, whether it be a lie to the eye or a lie to the ear.” ― Samuel Johnson
Deception Quotes To Help You Navigate In Life
71. “Deceiving yourself is a gateway to harming your future self.” ― Angel Moreira
72. “My life has taught me not to trust happiness because it hurts when it deceives.” ― Saida Hoshi
73. “We live in the deception generation right now, where everyone is trying to figure out how mind reading works.” ― Mwanandeke Kindembo
74. “Deception is a tactic: use it. Do whatever it takes to win.” ― Janet Morris
75. “Unfinished promises are the one thing we’ll always have to live with.” ― Emiliano Campuzano
76. “We live in imaginary, virtual worlds created by corporations that profit from our deception.” ― Chris Hedges
77. “I’m really interested in self-deception. Really interested in how people live in bubble universes. How people can fail to see the seemingly obvious.” ― Errol Morris
78. “If your aim in life is pursuing truth, one of the things you might want to study is why deception is so common in life.” ― Eugene Burger
79. “Fake it may be, lies and deceptions, but this is the world in which we find ourselves, and here we must make our little lives.” ― Ian McDonald
80. “Lying is one of the quickest ways to ruin a beautiful relationship.” – Anonymous
What did you learn from these deception quotes?
Which side of the coin do you tend to fall on?
Are you the deceiver or the deceived?
It’s very well possible that you’ve been on both sides.
There is no place for deception in relationships.
And if you’re deceiving yourself in some areas of your life, it’s in your best benefit to face them head-on and start correcting them instead of continuing on the path you’re on.
If you struggle to make a change, keep these deception quotes in mind and use them as an encouragement to rid deception from your life once and for all.
What’s your biggest takeaway from these deception quotes and sayings?
Do you have any other inspirational quotes to add?
Let us know in the comment section below.