---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can lie to yourself and fool yourself…"
description: "\"You can lie to yourself and fool yourself and rationalize that the choice you're making is what is right and what is true and what leads to liberation,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yoursel_814400.jpg"
---

#  You can lie to yourself and fool yourself and rationalize…

![“You can lie to yourself and fool yourself and rationalize that the choice you're making is what is right and what is true and what leads to liberation, when it's actually only the fulfillment of desire.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yoursel_814400.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yoursel_814400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yoursel_814400.jpg)

> “You can lie to yourself and fool yourself and rationalize that the choice you're making is what is right and what is true and what leads to liberation, when it's actually only the fulfillment of desire.”

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## About This Quote

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

Rationalizing desires as truth masks true motivations, hindering genuine freedom.

**In simple terms:** Beware of self‑deception.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic truth beyond desire.

Themes

self‑awareness freedom desire truth

Mood

introspective cautious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal decisions
- political choices
- consumer behavior
- relationship dynamics

Key Concepts

cognitive bias psychology spirituality

Questions to Reflect On

- What desires are truly aligned with your values?
- How do you differentiate desire from illusion?

A Different Perspective

Desire can be a legitimate guide if examined critically.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choice Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice-making/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Dharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dharma/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Liberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberation/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/)

## Related quotes

> [“To seek the truth while living a lie is to fool oneself . . . and a complete waste of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-ruyle/to-seek-the-truth-while-living-a-lie-is-to-fool-oneself-and-a/)

[Gene Ruyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-ruyle/)

> [It takes a wise man to handle a lie, a fool had better remain honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-douglas/it-takes-a-wise-man-to-handle-a-lie-a-fool-had-better-remain-honest/)

[Norman Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-douglas/)

> [A lie may fool someone else, but it tells you the truth: you're weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/a-lie-may-fool-someone-else-but-it-tells-you-the-truth-you-re-weak/)

[Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/)

> [I've heard lots of people lie to themselves but they never fool anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-ve-heard-lots-of-people-lie-to-themselves-but-they-never-fool-anyone/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [They'll kill you in a minute rather than deal with truth. It's more convenient because then they can forget about it and rationalize your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/they-ll-kill-you-in-a-minute-rather-than-deal-with-truth-it-s-more/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Human beings, when they encounter that which can't be understood, either run away from it, run towards it blindly, or just rationalize it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/human-beings-when-they-encounter-that-which-can-t-be-understood/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Honestly admitting what you lost and not trying to rationalize it or push it off is an important step in self-assessment and mindfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/honestly-admitting-what-you-lost-and-not-trying-to-rationalize-it-or/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It is acceptance of the will of God - waiting, if necessary, forever, happily rising above your desires and above your frustrations to always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-acceptance-of-the-will-of-god-waiting-if-necessary-forever/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everything knows what is best for itself. That is what the Sanskrit word dharma means. Dharma means the best of all possible actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everything-knows-what-is-best-for-itself-that-is-what-the-sanskrit/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Dharma is the Truth that all of existence is. It does not disagree with anything. It is the perception of existence in its purest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/dharma-is-the-truth-that-all-of-existence-is-it-does-not-disagree/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Eternity gives life to all and sustains all, transforms all on the wheel of dharma - until all attain perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/eternity-gives-life-to-all-and-sustains-all-transforms-all-on-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Success is not success in an individual endeavor. Success is simply to practice the dharma impeccably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/success-is-not-success-in-an-individual-endeavor-success-is-simply-to/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Dharma is another name for existence. It is existence in its purest form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/dharma-is-another-name-for-existence-it-is-existence-in-its-purest/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [When you understand dharma, when you see its perfect perfection, shining both in and beyond all things, you will be freed from all misunderstandings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-you-understand-dharma-when-you-see-its-perfect-perfection/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Naturally, to follow dharma, we have to find out what it is. You have to struggle with it. The answer will not come easily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/naturally-to-follow-dharma-we-have-to-find-out-what-it-is-you-have-to/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## More by Frederick Lenz

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

[Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You can lie to yourself and fool yourself and rationalize that the choice you're making is what is right and what is true and what leads to liberation, when it's actually only the fulfillment of desire.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frederick Lenz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yourself-and-rationalize-that-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yourself-and-rationalize-that-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yoursel_814400.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yoursel_814400.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yoursel_814400.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You can lie to yourself and fool yourself and rationalize that the choice you're making is what is right and…” — Frederick Lenz",
                "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": "Frederick Lenz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You can lie to yourself and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yourself-and-rationalize-that-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-lie-to-yourself-and-fool-yourself-and-rationalize-that-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```