--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can forgive a fool because he only…" description: "\"You can forgive a fool because he only runs in one direction and doesn't deceive anybody. It's the deceivers who make you feel bad.\" — Charles Bukowski" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/charles-bukowski-73_deceiver_you-can-forgive-a-fool-because-he-only-r_1434574.jpg" --- # You can forgive a fool because he only runs in one… ![“You can forgive a fool because he only runs in one direction and doesn't deceive anybody. It's the deceivers who make you feel bad.” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/charles-bukowski-73_deceiver_you-can-forgive-a-fool-because-he-only-r_1434574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/charles-bukowski-73_deceiver_you-can-forgive-a-fool-because-he-only-r_1434574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/charles-bukowski-73_deceiver_you-can-forgive-a-fool-because-he-only-r_1434574.jpg) > “You can forgive a fool because he only runs in one direction and doesn't deceive anybody. It's the deceivers who make you feel bad.” [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It suggests forgiving a simple who is harmless, while warning that deceitful people cause emotional harm, emphasizing the impact of intent on forgiveness. **In simple terms:** Forgive harmless fools; beware deceitful ones. Key Takeaway Forgive based on intent, not just action. Themes forgiveness trust intentionality Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace interactions - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology of deceit relationship dynamics emotional health Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate harmless mistakes from harmful deceit? - What boundaries protect you from repeated deception? A Different Perspective Deceivers may manipulate forgiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anybody Deceivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anybody-deceivers-5116674/) [Deceive Anybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive-anybody-5116676/) [Deceiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiver/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Fool Runs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-runs-5116675/) [Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive/) [Forgive Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-fool-1164216/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [One direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-direction/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [They's a heap more to God's will than death, disapoint-ment, and like thet. Hit's God's will for us to be good and do good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-ann-burns/they-s-a-heap-more-to-god-s-will-than-death-disapoint-ment-and-like/) [Olive Ann Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-ann-burns/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Self-esteem is reliance on one's power to think. It cannot be replaced by one's power to deceive. The self-confidence of a scientist and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/self-esteem-is-reliance-on-one-s-power-to-think-it-cannot-be-replaced/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [ It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver. \[Fr., Car c'est double plaisir de tromper le trompeur.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/it-is-double-pleasure-to-deceive-the-deceiver-fr-car-c-est-double/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) > [Those who trust others will find that not everyone is necessarily sincere, but they will be sincere themselves. Those who suspect others will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/those-who-trust-others-will-find-that-not-everyone-is-necessarily/) [Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/) > [Reciting poetry isn't acting, it's memory work. Actor's are deceivers. People who pretend to be something else for a living aren't right in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetty-king/reciting-poetry-isn-t-acting-it-s-memory-work-actor-s-are-deceivers/) [Hetty King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hetty-king/) > [It is a curious paradox that precisely in proportion to our own intellectual weakness will be our credulity, to those mysterious powers assumed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-a-curious-paradox-that-precisely-in-proportion-to-our-own/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is possible to live the Christian life just on the surface, knowing only enough to carry on an intelligent conversation in the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/it-is-possible-to-live-the-christian-life-just-on-the-surface-knowing/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [Alas, how quickly the gratitude owed to the dead flows off, how quick to be proved a deceiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/alas-how-quickly-the-gratitude-owed-to-the-dead-flows-off-how-quick/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [I'm a deceiver bound up in chains. Painting my face to hide my pain God save me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zion-y-lennox/i-m-a-deceiver-bound-up-in-chains-painting-my-face-to-hide-my-pain/) [Zion Y Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zion-y-lennox/) > [Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more, men were deceivers ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/sigh-no-more-ladies-sigh-no-more-men-were-deceivers-ever/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-nibley/the-worst-sinners-according-to-jesus-are-not-the-harlots-and/) [Hugh Nibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-nibley/) > [God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/god-is-not-a-deceiver-that-he-should-offer-to-support-us-and-then/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [The Jews belong to a dark and repulsive force. One knows how numerous this clique is, how they stick together and what power they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-jews-belong-to-a-dark-and-repulsive-force-one-knows-how-numerous/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Drink was the most fearsome of deceivers ... for it promised one thing and came through with quite another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-boyle/drink-was-the-most-fearsome-of-deceivers-for-it-promised-one-thing/) [Kay Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-boyle/) ## More by Charles Bukowski > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [well, death says, as he walks by, I'm going to get you anyhow no matter what you've been: writer, cab-driver, pimp, butcher, sky-diver, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/well-death-says-as-he-walks-by-i-m-going-to-get-you-anyhow-no-matter/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. 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People with no morals often considered themselves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I like to change liquor stores frequently because the clerks got to know your habits if you went in night and day and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-like-to-change-liquor-stores-frequently-because-the-clerks-got-to/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“I was like a turd that drew flies instead of like a flower that butterflies and bees desired. I wanted to live alone,I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-like-a-turd-that-drew-flies-instead-of-like-a-flower-that/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [It's 4:30 in the morning, it's always 4:30 in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/it-s-4-30-in-the-morning-it-s-always-4-30-in-the-morning/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I had no feeling for the things so many others needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-no-feeling-for-the-things-so-many-others-needed/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“I am sick with caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-sick-with-caring/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I went home each night dizzy and sick. He was murdering me with the sound of his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-went-home-each-night-dizzy-and-sick-he-was-murdering-me-with-the/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“the nights you fight best are when all the weapons are pointed at you, when all the voices hurl their insults while the dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-nights-you-fight-best-are-when-all-the-weapons-are-pointed-at-you/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) [Explore all 1,492 Charles Bukowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) ## More Deceiver quotes > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [The Jews belong to a dark and repulsive force. One knows how numerous this clique is, how they stick together and what power they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-jews-belong-to-a-dark-and-repulsive-force-one-knows-how-numerous/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/god-is-not-a-deceiver-that-he-should-offer-to-support-us-and-then/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-nibley/the-worst-sinners-according-to-jesus-are-not-the-harlots-and/) [Hugh Nibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-nibley/) > [Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more, men were deceivers ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/sigh-no-more-ladies-sigh-no-more-men-were-deceivers-ever/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I'm a deceiver bound up in chains. Painting my face to hide my pain God save me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zion-y-lennox/i-m-a-deceiver-bound-up-in-chains-painting-my-face-to-hide-my-pain/) [Zion Y Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zion-y-lennox/) > [Alas, how quickly the gratitude owed to the dead flows off, how quick to be proved a deceiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/alas-how-quickly-the-gratitude-owed-to-the-dead-flows-off-how-quick/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [It is possible to live the Christian life just on the surface, knowing only enough to carry on an intelligent conversation in the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/it-is-possible-to-live-the-christian-life-just-on-the-surface-knowing/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [It is a curious paradox that precisely in proportion to our own intellectual weakness will be our credulity, to those mysterious powers assumed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-a-curious-paradox-that-precisely-in-proportion-to-our-own/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Reciting poetry isn't acting, it's memory work. Actor's are deceivers. People who pretend to be something else for a living aren't right in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetty-king/reciting-poetry-isn-t-acting-it-s-memory-work-actor-s-are-deceivers/) [Hetty King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hetty-king/) > [Those who trust others will find that not everyone is necessarily sincere, but they will be sincere themselves. Those who suspect others will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/those-who-trust-others-will-find-that-not-everyone-is-necessarily/) [Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/) > [ It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver. \[Fr., Car c'est double plaisir de tromper le trompeur.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/it-is-double-pleasure-to-deceive-the-deceiver-fr-car-c-est-double/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) > [Self-esteem is reliance on one's power to think. It cannot be replaced by one's power to deceive. The self-confidence of a scientist and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/self-esteem-is-reliance-on-one-s-power-to-think-it-cannot-be-replaced/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Drink was the most fearsome of deceivers ... for it promised one thing and came through with quite another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-boyle/drink-was-the-most-fearsome-of-deceivers-for-it-promised-one-thing/) [Kay Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-boyle/) > [It is twice the pleasure to deceive the deceiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/it-is-twice-the-pleasure-to-deceive-the-deceiver/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) [Browse all 83 Deceiver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiver/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can forgive a fool because he only runs in one direction and doesn't deceive anybody. 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