--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Addicts are brilliant liars, Inspector…" description: "\"“Addicts are brilliant liars, Inspector. They lie to themselves and then to everyone else. They’re in denial about their problem, and they are experts ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/fiona-barton-14833_quote_addicts-are-brilliant-liars-inspector-th_1253210.jpg" --- # Addicts are brilliant liars, Inspector. They lie to… ![“Addicts are brilliant liars, Inspector. They lie to themselves and then to everyone else. They’re in denial about their problem, and they are experts at finding excuses and other people to blame,” quote by Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/fiona-barton-14833_quote_addicts-are-brilliant-liars-inspector-th_1253210.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/fiona-barton-14833_quote_addicts-are-brilliant-liars-inspector-th_1253210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/fiona-barton-14833_quote_addicts-are-brilliant-liars-inspector-th_1253210.jpg) > ““Addicts are brilliant liars, Inspector. They lie to themselves and then to everyone else. They’re in denial about their problem, and they are experts at finding excuses and other people to blame,”” [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addicts deceive themselves and others, creating excuses and blaming others to avoid confronting their addiction. **In simple terms:** Addicts lie to hide their problem and shift blame. Key Takeaway Recognize denial and seek honest self‑assessment. Themes addiction denial self‑deception responsibility Mood reflective empathetic Type advice psychological When to use this quote - counseling sessions - support groups - self‑help programs - rehab treatment Key Concepts Psychology of addiction defense mechanisms personal accountability Questions to Reflect On - What steps can break the cycle of denial? - How does blaming others hinder healing? A Different Perspective Denial can be a strong barrier to recovery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicts/) [Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [I was one of the most brilliant liars as a child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tea-leoni/i-was-one-of-the-most-brilliant-liars-as-a-child/) [Tea Leoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tea-leoni/) > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [Then there are the addicts, the hunger addicts, the rage addicts, the poverty addicts , and power addicts, and the pure addicts who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeet-thayil/then-there-are-the-addicts-the-hunger-addicts-the-rage-addicts-the/) [Jeet Thayil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeet-thayil/) > [Frankly I'm not great with heroin addicts. I tried heroin, but it was by accident. I'm not great with that level of substance abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/frankly-i-m-not-great-with-heroin-addicts-i-tried-heroin-but-it-was/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [“As each day passed the community became more and more indoctrinated into the world of psychobabble. It was used to keep patients in subservient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-d-stephanie-schoenberger/as-each-day-passed-the-community-became-more-and-more-indoctrinated/) M.D Stephanie Schoenberger > [“Can I tell you the truth? I mean this isn’t the TV news is it? Here's what I think the truth is: We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/can-i-tell-you-the-truth-i-mean-this-isn-t-the-tv-news-is-it-here-s/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“replicates the feeling provided by an illegal drug that addicts will kill to possess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/replicates-the-feeling-provided-by-an-illegal-drug-that-addicts-will/) [Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/) > [Ambition is a drug that makes its addicts potential madmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/ambition-is-a-drug-that-makes-its-addicts-potential-madmen/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [I found myself being more and more involved with people who were rejected by society - with drug addicts, alcoholism, battered this, battered that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/i-found-myself-being-more-and-more-involved-with-people-who-were/) [Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/) > [There are criminals who are drug users, but most addicts are criminals only by virtue of prohibition or from resorting to crime to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-sugerman/there-are-criminals-who-are-drug-users-but-most-addicts-are-criminals/) Danny Sugerman > [When people who believe themselves to be addicts or alcoholics come under great stress or trauma, they mentally give themselves permission to drink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/when-people-who-believe-themselves-to-be-addicts-or-alcoholics-come/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [Addicts have incredible energy, it's just all directed toward one goal. But what incredible luck and grace addicts have. You hear about it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bucky-sinister/addicts-have-incredible-energy-it-s-just-all-directed-toward-one-goal/) [Bucky Sinister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bucky-sinister/) ## More by Fiona Barton > [The emotions, responsibilities - and the pain - of motherhood are unique to each of us with children. Ask any woman, and she will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/the-emotions-responsibilities-and-the-pain-of-motherhood-are-unique/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [When you start writing fiction, you have to learn to invent, and it's very hard at the beginning to stop relying on facts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/when-you-start-writing-fiction-you-have-to-learn-to-invent-and-it-s/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [For most of us, our protective lies or omissions are so insignificant that being found out would be only mildly embarrassing. But for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/for-most-of-us-our-protective-lies-or-omissions-are-so-insignificant/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [As a journalist, your words are regularly read by lots of people, but they're not your words: they're someone else's. You're quoting people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/as-a-journalist-your-words-are-regularly-read-by-lots-of-people-but/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [When you are a journalist, you are always looking for the next story. It might come from a phone call from a contact or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/when-you-are-a-journalist-you-are-always-looking-for-the-next-story/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [Garrison Keillor's 'Lake Wobegon' books create a world I can immerse myself in over and over. I love the deadpan humour, the warmth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/garrison-keillor-s-lake-wobegon-books-create-a-world-i-can-immerse/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [The success of 'The Widow' meant there were expectations for the second book from the first word, and it has created a completely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/the-success-of-the-widow-meant-there-were-expectations-for-the-second/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [I know I love a novel with an unreliable narrator, and I think many readers do as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/i-know-i-love-a-novel-with-an-unreliable-narrator-and-i-think-many/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [Over the years, I've interviewed the victims, the guilty, the famous, the important, and the ordinary people affected by tragedy or good fortune. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/over-the-years-i-ve-interviewed-the-victims-the-guilty-the-famous-the/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [Yes, there are bad apples, but I do feel journalists do a good job, often in very difficult circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/yes-there-are-bad-apples-but-i-do-feel-journalists-do-a-good-job/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [Mental health is something that I'm very interested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/mental-health-is-something-that-i-m-very-interested-in/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [I like my villains clever, deep, and driven by pure evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/i-like-my-villains-clever-deep-and-driven-by-pure-evil/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [It's a wonderful experience to be reading a story and think you've got things all figured out, and then suddenly, it all goes upside-down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/it-s-a-wonderful-experience-to-be-reading-a-story-and-think-you-ve/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [A lot of people think journalists are criminals, and there are some who haven't helped us. But the media is essential for democratic society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/a-lot-of-people-think-journalists-are-criminals-and-there-are-some/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [The righting of historic wrongs has chimed with something fundamental in me since I was a young reader. I love the forensic skills, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/the-righting-of-historic-wrongs-has-chimed-with-something-fundamental/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) [Explore all 45 Fiona Barton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) ## More Addicts quotes > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [Then there are the addicts, the hunger addicts, the rage addicts, the poverty addicts , and power addicts, and the pure addicts who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeet-thayil/then-there-are-the-addicts-the-hunger-addicts-the-rage-addicts-the/) [Jeet Thayil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeet-thayil/) > [When people who believe themselves to be addicts or alcoholics come under great stress or trauma, they mentally give themselves permission to drink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/when-people-who-believe-themselves-to-be-addicts-or-alcoholics-come/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [There are criminals who are drug users, but most addicts are criminals only by virtue of prohibition or from resorting to crime to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-sugerman/there-are-criminals-who-are-drug-users-but-most-addicts-are-criminals/) Danny Sugerman > [I found myself being more and more involved with people who were rejected by society - with drug addicts, alcoholism, battered this, battered that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/i-found-myself-being-more-and-more-involved-with-people-who-were/) [Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/) > [Ambition is a drug that makes its addicts potential madmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/ambition-is-a-drug-that-makes-its-addicts-potential-madmen/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [“replicates the feeling provided by an illegal drug that addicts will kill to possess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/replicates-the-feeling-provided-by-an-illegal-drug-that-addicts-will/) [Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/) > [“Can I tell you the truth? I mean this isn’t the TV news is it? Here's what I think the truth is: We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/can-i-tell-you-the-truth-i-mean-this-isn-t-the-tv-news-is-it-here-s/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“As each day passed the community became more and more indoctrinated into the world of psychobabble. It was used to keep patients in subservient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-d-stephanie-schoenberger/as-each-day-passed-the-community-became-more-and-more-indoctrinated/) M.D Stephanie Schoenberger > [Frankly I'm not great with heroin addicts. I tried heroin, but it was by accident. I'm not great with that level of substance abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/frankly-i-m-not-great-with-heroin-addicts-i-tried-heroin-but-it-was/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [Addicts have incredible energy, it's just all directed toward one goal. But what incredible luck and grace addicts have. You hear about it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bucky-sinister/addicts-have-incredible-energy-it-s-just-all-directed-toward-one-goal/) [Bucky Sinister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bucky-sinister/) > [So are you an inmate or a rubbernecker?" she asks. "Rubbernecker," I answer without hesitation. "You?" "I'm a screw. Or on staff, anyway. Used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-beukes/so-are-you-an-inmate-or-a-rubbernecker-she-asks-rubbernecker-i-answer/) [Lauren Beukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-beukes/) [Browse all 151 Addicts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Addicts are brilliant liars, Inspector. They lie to themselves and then to everyone else. 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