--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I would like nothing more than to…" description: "\"“And I would like nothing more than to think I was some criminal mastermind, and was able to fool Marcus, but the truth is I wasn’t even saying things ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/ellie-fox-35255_crime-fiction_and-i-would-like-nothing-more-than-to-th_2823637.jpg" --- # And I would like nothing more than to think I was some… ![“And I would like nothing more than to think I was some criminal mastermind, and was able to fool Marcus, but the truth is I wasn’t even saying things with much conviction. Anyone who cared to see me, would have known I was lying through my teeth, but not him. That night, and after, Marcus saw what…” quote by Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/ellie-fox-35255_crime-fiction_and-i-would-like-nothing-more-than-to-th_2823637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/ellie-fox-35255_crime-fiction_and-i-would-like-nothing-more-than-to-th_2823637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c5/ellie-fox-35255_crime-fiction_and-i-would-like-nothing-more-than-to-th_2823637.jpg) > ““And I would like nothing more than to think I was some criminal mastermind, and was able to fool Marcus, but the truth is I wasn’t even saying things with much conviction. Anyone who cared to see me, would have known I was lying through my teeth, but not him. That night, and after, Marcus saw what he wanted to see. He believed what he wanted to believe. I just used it to my advantage.”” [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator pretends to be a mastermind, exploiting another’s willingness to believe what they want, revealing the power of perception over truth. **In simple terms:** People believe what they want, not what is true. Key Takeaway Question others’ assumptions. Themes deception perception power truth manipulation Mood cautious reflective Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - negotiations - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology social influence ethical ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - When have you used perception to influence? - What are the moral limits of deception? A Different Perspective Manipulation erodes trust; ethical cost is high. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-wanted-1728024/) [Crime fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-fiction/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Fool Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-marcus-3608041/) [Inspirational quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-quotes/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-quotes/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Marcus Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marcus-truth-3608042/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Wanted Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-believed-3608043/) ## Related quotes > [Yeah, I've never been afraid to put my own money up on what I wanted and what I believed in or who I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-gotti/yeah-i-ve-never-been-afraid-to-put-my-own-money-up-on-what-i-wanted/) [Yo Gotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-gotti/) > [They were told what they wanted and they believed it. 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They can try to fool you, with all their heart, but in the end, they’re just fooling themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/but-that-s-the-thing-about-narcissists-they-can-try-to-fool-you-with/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [Scandinavian crime fiction has become a great success all across the world and rightfully so. Sjowall and Wahloo ushered in a whole generation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilla-l-ckberg/scandinavian-crime-fiction-has-become-a-great-success-all-across-the/) [Camilla Lackberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilla-l-ckberg/) > [“You spill a lot of beans in historical fiction. Crime fiction is about spilling no beans at all. You spill the least beans you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/you-spill-a-lot-of-beans-in-historical-fiction-crime-fiction-is-about/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“At that exact moment, 6-0-0, the sun climbed over the skyline of oaks, revealing its full summer angry-god self. Its reflection flared across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/at-that-exact-moment-6-0-0-the-sun-climbed-over-the-skyline-of-oaks/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [There is sometimes a feeling in crime fiction that good writing gets in the way of story. I have never felt that way. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/there-is-sometimes-a-feeling-in-crime-fiction-that-good-writing-gets/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [“Payne sought clarification. “Vertical or horizontal?” “Horizontal, of course.” “Sorry but I can’t help you.” “Will you pipe down for a minute? Naturally she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-lynskey/payne-sought-clarification-vertical-or-horizontal-horizontal-of/) [Ed Lynskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-lynskey/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“We saved the lives of a whole family that night. 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I felt like a boy trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/i-stood-there-staring-at-the-sleeping-man-snoring-peacefully-in-my/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [“When you realize you don’t matter, the world becomes inconsequential and claustrophobic. You feel trapped inside your body, and your mind. Nothing can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/when-you-realize-you-don-t-matter-the-world-becomes-inconsequential/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [“I glanced at Marcus’s grave, and my gaze wandered to the blood-red rose. It wasn’t blood-red, or beautiful anymore. Mud and murk had spoiled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/i-glanced-at-marcus-s-grave-and-my-gaze-wandered-to-the-blood-red/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [“They want to kill your power to dream, to want happiness. But you can’t let that stop you. You can’t let them win. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/they-want-to-kill-your-power-to-dream-to-want-happiness-but-you-can-t/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [“Some things in life you can’t get away from. You can’t outrun fate. Your feet can try but you’ll still be in the universe’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/some-things-in-life-you-can-t-get-away-from-you-can-t-outrun-fate/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [“All the time, I lay in bed, I kept hearing Ian’s words. “Not easy selling your soul to the devil, is it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/all-the-time-i-lay-in-bed-i-kept-hearing-ian-s-words-not-easy-selling/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [“The water under the bridge looked strangely enticing. For a mortuary, it was oddly breathtaking. I felt in tune with all the beings lying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/the-water-under-the-bridge-looked-strangely-enticing-for-a-mortuary/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) [Explore all 13 Ellie Fox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) ## More Crime fiction quotes > [“We saved the lives of a whole family that night. 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You spill the least beans you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/you-spill-a-lot-of-beans-in-historical-fiction-crime-fiction-is-about/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [ The built-in form is a window frame. You can use this genre \[crime fiction\] to go where you want to go, and explore what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/the-built-in-form-is-a-window-frame-you-can-use-this-genre-crime/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“Humanity thrown together in the equivalent of a Petri dish under a microscope bred malignant organisms as often as benign.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-v-lawson/humanity-thrown-together-in-the-equivalent-of-a-petri-dish-under-a/) [B.V. Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-v-lawson/) > [“Life isn’t fair. 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I've written nonfiction things of that nature, but I'm probably best known for crime fiction and, to some extent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-been-writing-since-1973-i-ve-written-nonfiction-things-of-that/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-focus-will-always-be-crime-but-it-might-not-always-be-fiction-nor/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) [Browse all 189 Crime fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And I would like nothing more than to think I was some criminal mastermind, and was able to fool Marcus, but the truth is I wasn’t even saying things with much conviction. 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