Deceived Quote by Colette
““Those two are trying to hide,’ Chéri thought. ‘They’re deceiving someone somewhere. The whole world’s busy deceiving and being deceived. But I . . .’ He did not finish the sentence, but a repugnance made him jump to his feet, an action that meant, ‘But I am chaste.’ A faint ray of light, flickering uncertainly over stagnant, hitherto unfeeling regions of his inmost being, was enough to suggest that chastity and loneliness are one and the same misfortune.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier, 1913
The passage reflects a character’s awareness of pervasive deceit, contrasting it with personal chastity and loneliness, suggesting both are linked to misfortune.
In simple terms: Awareness of deceit versus personal purity leads to loneliness.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how isolation can stem from moral choices.
Themes
deceit
chastity
loneliness
misfortune
self‑awareness
Mood
reflective
melancholic
thoughtful
Type
literary
philosophical
psychological
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- social trust
- self‑reflection
- moral decision making
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
moral philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does personal purity affect your social connections?
- Can honesty exist in a deceitful world?
A Different Perspective
Chastity may not protect one from loneliness; societal deception can affect even the pure.
![“87.—Men would not live long in society were they not the dupes of each other. [A maxim, adds Aimé Martin, "Which may enter into the code of a vulgar rogue, but one is astonished to find it in a moral treatise." Yet we have scriptural authority for it: "Deceiving and being deceived."—2 TIM. iii. 13.]” quote by François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1b5/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_deceiving_87-men-would-not-live-long-in-society-we_757979.jpg)
![“[Julie] had lived a great deal among lies, before plumping for a small life of her own, a sincere and restricted life from which all pretense, even in matters sensual, was banished. How many crazy decisions and allegiances to successive aspects fo the truth! Had she not, one day when her costume…” quote by Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/860/colette-11008_hair-cut_julie-had-lived-a-great-deal-among-lies_802843.jpg)
