---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Should anyone attempt to deceive you by…"
description: "\"Should anyone attempt to deceive you by false expressions, and not be a true friend at heart, act in the same manner, and thus art will defeat art. [If..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/cato-the-younger-21592_art_should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by_3021301.jpg"
---

#  Should anyone attempt to deceive you by false expressions…

![“Should anyone attempt to deceive you by false expressions, and not be a true friend at heart, act in the same manner, and thus art will defeat art. &#91;If you would catch a man let him think he is catching you.&#93;” quote by Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/cato-the-younger-21592_art_should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by_3021301.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/cato-the-younger-21592_art_should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by_3021301.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/cato-the-younger-21592_art_should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by_3021301.jpg)

> “Should anyone attempt to deceive you by false expressions, and not be a true friend at heart, act in the same manner, and thus art will defeat art. \[If you would catch a man let him think he is catching you.\]”

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Deceitful expressions betray true friendship; respond similarly, letting art defeat art.

**In simple terms:** False expressions betray friendship; respond in kind.

Key Takeaway

Guard against insincerity.

Themes

ethics trust artifice

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- business negotiations
- social media

Key Concepts

political discourse personal relationships

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you handle false friends?
- When is honesty more important than loyalty?

A Different Perspective

Reciprocity may perpetuate deceit.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [True friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-friend/)

## Related quotes

> [“She cared about him too much to deceive him with the false promise of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alexander/she-cared-about-him-too-much-to-deceive-him-with-the-false-promise-of/)

[Felix Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alexander/)

> [“My dear Usbek, when women feel, as they lose their attractiveness, that their end is coming in advance, they would like to go backwards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/my-dear-usbek-when-women-feel-as-they-lose-their-attractiveness-that/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [There are different levels of fame. There are the polite fans who quietly and respectfully approach you and ask for an autograph - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/there-are-different-levels-of-fame-there-are-the-polite-fans-who/)

[Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/)

> [My experience protesting with Mojave Dolphins, and the other wonderful animal activists, can be described in a few words: inspiring, motivational and purposeful. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille/my-experience-protesting-with-mojave-dolphins-and-the-other-wonderful/)

[Camille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille/)

> [The testing process usually happens when we least expect it, thereby catching you off guard and giving you no chance to display anything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-testing-process-usually-happens-when-we-least-expect-it-thereby/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [“When you slice the truth too thin, you deceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-wilks/when-you-slice-the-truth-too-thin-you-deceive/)

[Eileen Wilks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-wilks/)

> [“In my opinion, a lie is a physical act, verbal statement, or omission, deliberately designed to deceive another of the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/in-my-opinion-a-lie-is-a-physical-act-verbal-statement-or-omission/)

[David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/)

> [No, it's not that they're bad. It's that they're obliged to pretend they're good. They've been brought up to deceive and be cunning, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/no-it-s-not-that-they-re-bad-it-s-that-they-re-obliged-to-pretend/)

[Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/)

> [Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-so-easy-as-to-deceive-oneself-for-what-we-wish-we-readily/)

[Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/)

> [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“Looks sure can be deceiving: not every ‘ugly’ person is a ‘bad’ person (or is guilty of whatever it is that they are accused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/looks-sure-can-be-deceiving-not-every-ugly-person-is-a-bad-person-or/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [A woman one loves rarely suffices for all our needs, so we deceive her with another whom we do not love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-woman-one-loves-rarely-suffices-for-all-our-needs-so-we-deceive-her/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## More by Cato the Younger

> [Blessed be they as virtuous, who when they feel their virile members swollen with lust, visit a brothel rather than grind at some husband's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/blessed-be-they-as-virtuous-who-when-they-feel-their-virile-members/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [The cabbage surpasses all other vegetables. If, at a banquet, you wish to dine a lot and enjoy your dinner, then eat as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/the-cabbage-surpasses-all-other-vegetables-if-at-a-banquet-you-wish/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [Bitter are the roots of study, but how sweet their fruit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/bitter-are-the-roots-of-study-but-how-sweet-their-fruit/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [Wise men are more dependent on fools than fools on wise men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/wise-men-are-more-dependent-on-fools-than-fools-on-wise-men/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [Consider it the greatest of all virtues to restrain the tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/consider-it-the-greatest-of-all-virtues-to-restrain-the-tongue/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [I know not what treason is, if sapping and betraying the liberties of a people be not treason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/i-know-not-what-treason-is-if-sapping-and-betraying-the-liberties-of/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [Regard not dreams, since they are but the images of our hopes and fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/regard-not-dreams-since-they-are-but-the-images-of-our-hopes-and-fears/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [Consider in silence whatever any one says: speech both conceals and reveals the inner soul of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/consider-in-silence-whatever-any-one-says-speech-both-conceals-and/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [A honest man is seldom a vagrant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/a-honest-man-is-seldom-a-vagrant/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [Do not expect good from another's death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/do-not-expect-good-from-another-s-death/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [This is my firm persuasion, that since the human soul exerts itself with so great activity, since it has such a remembrance of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/this-is-my-firm-persuasion-that-since-the-human-soul-exerts-itself/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [Don't promise twice what you can do at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/don-t-promise-twice-what-you-can-do-at-once/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [I will begin to speak, when I have that to say which had not better be unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/i-will-begin-to-speak-when-i-have-that-to-say-which-had-not-better-be/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [By Liberty I understand the Power which every Man has over his own Actions, and his Right to enjoy the Fruits of his Labour,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/by-liberty-i-understand-the-power-which-every-man-has-over-his-own/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

> [I would not be beholden to a tyrant, for his acts of tyranny. For it is but usurpation in him to save, as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/i-would-not-be-beholden-to-a-tyrant-for-his-acts-of-tyranny-for-it-is/)

[Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

[Explore all 29 Cato the Younger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Should anyone attempt to deceive you by false expressions, and not be a true friend at heart, act in the same manner, and thus art will defeat art. [If you would catch a man let him think he is catching you.]",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cato the Younger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by-false-expressions-and-not-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by-false-expressions-and-not-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/cato-the-younger-21592_art_should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by_3021301.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/cato-the-younger-21592_art_should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by_3021301.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/cato-the-younger-21592_art_should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by_3021301.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Should anyone attempt to deceive you by false expressions, and not be a true friend at heart, act in the…” — Cato the Younger",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Cato the Younger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Should anyone attempt to deceive you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by-false-expressions-and-not-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/should-anyone-attempt-to-deceive-you-by-false-expressions-and-not-be/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
