--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nature never deceives us; it is always we…" description: "\"Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves\" — Jean-Jacques Rousseau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_deceive_nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we_2996986.png" --- # Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive… ![“Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves” quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_deceive_nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we_2996986.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_deceive_nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we_2996986.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_deceive_nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we_2996986.png) > “Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves” [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human self‑deception blinds us to nature’s truths, leading to false judgments. **In simple terms:** We lie to ourselves, not nature. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions. Themes self‑deception perception truth Mood introspective critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - decision making - critical thinking Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify facts beyond personal bias? - What habits reveal self‑deception? A Different Perspective Nature is objective; we project our biases onto it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive/) [Deceives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceives/) [Deceives Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceives-deceive-4739483/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Deceives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-deceives-3026288/) ## Related quotes > [Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-we-who-deceive-ourselves/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [When we see an effect happen always in the same manner, we infer that it takes place by a natural necessity; as, for instance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/when-we-see-an-effect-happen-always-in-the-same-manner-we-infer-that/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [A liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a flatterer one who only deceives fools: he who knows how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to-deceive-a-flatterer-one-who/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Reason deceives us; conscience, never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/reason-deceives-us-conscience-never/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [One is never deceived; one deceives oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/one-is-never-deceived-one-deceives-oneself/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [He who imagines he can do without the world deceives himself much; but he who fancies the world cannot do without him is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/he-who-imagines-he-can-do-without-the-world-deceives-himself-much-but/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Everything that deceives also enchants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/everything-that-deceives-also-enchants/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Guard yourself from lying; there is he who deceives and there is he who is deceived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sextus/guard-yourself-from-lying-there-is-he-who-deceives-and-there-is-he/) [Sextus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sextus/) > [“If someone deceives and victimizes another, understand that he would do, at least, the same to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-william-manley/if-someone-deceives-and-victimizes-another-understand-that-he-would/) [D William Manley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-william-manley/) > [The thought of death deceives us; for it causes us to neglect to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-thought-of-death-deceives-us-for-it-causes-us-to-neglect-to-live/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Pretence about anything sometimes deceives the wisest and shrewdest man, but, however cunningly it is hidden, a child of the meanest capacity feels it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/pretence-about-anything-sometimes-deceives-the-wisest-and-shrewdest/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Amusement allures and deceives us and leads us down imperceptibly in thoughtlessness to the grave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-allures-and-deceives-us-and-leads-us-down-imperceptibly-in/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Whoever commits a fraud is guilty not only of the particular injury to him who he deceives, but of the diminution of that confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/whoever-commits-a-fraud-is-guilty-not-only-of-the-particular-injury/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-that-is-excessive-and-followed-only-for-its-own-sake/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“Anyone who believes that new benefits make men of high station forget old injuries deceives himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/anyone-who-believes-that-new-benefits-make-men-of-high-station-forget/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) ## More by Jean-Jacques Rousseau > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Take the course opposite to custom and you will almost always do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-the-course-opposite-to-custom-and-you-will-almost-always-do-well/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given to us by education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/everything-we-do-not-have-at-our-birth-and-which-we-need-when-we-are/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [...in respect of riches, no citizen shall ever be wealthy enough to buy another, and none poor enough to be forced to sell himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/in-respect-of-riches-no-citizen-shall-ever-be-wealthy-enough-to-buy/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Take from the philosopher the pleasure of being heard and his desire for knowledge ceases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-from-the-philosopher-the-pleasure-of-being-heard-and-his-desire/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Men, in general, are not this or that, they are what they are made to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/men-in-general-are-not-this-or-that-they-are-what-they-are-made-to-be/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-would-rather-be-a-man-of-paradoxes-than-a-man-of-prejudices/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“O Fabricius! What would your great soul have thought, if to your own misfortune you had been called back to life and had seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/o-fabricius-what-would-your-great-soul-have-thought-if-to-your-own/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“The sword wears out its sheath, as it is sometimes said. That is my story. My passions have made me live, and my passions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-sword-wears-out-its-sheath-as-it-is-sometimes-said-that-is-my/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Whence do I get my rules of conduct? I find them in my heart. Whatever I feel to be good is good. Whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/whence-do-i-get-my-rules-of-conduct-i-find-them-in-my-heart-whatever/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“If one divided all of human science into two parts - the one common to all men, the other particular to the learned -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/if-one-divided-all-of-human-science-into-two-parts-the-one-common-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The social compact sets up among the citizens as equality of such kind, that they all bind themselves to observe the same conditions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-social-compact-sets-up-among-the-citizens-as-equality-of-such/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I do not know is a phrase which becomes us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-do-not-know-is-a-phrase-which-becomes-us/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“How could I become wicked, when I had nothing but examples of gentleness before my eyes, and none around me but the best people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/how-could-i-become-wicked-when-i-had-nothing-but-examples-of/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) [Explore all 518 Jean-Jacques Rousseau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## More Deceive quotes > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [A woman one loves rarely suffices for all our needs, so we deceive her with another whom we do not love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-woman-one-loves-rarely-suffices-for-all-our-needs-so-we-deceive-her/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Looks sure can be deceiving: not every ‘ugly’ person is a ‘bad’ person (or is guilty of whatever it is that they are accused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/looks-sure-can-be-deceiving-not-every-ugly-person-is-a-bad-person-or/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-so-easy-as-to-deceive-oneself-for-what-we-wish-we-readily/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [No, it's not that they're bad. It's that they're obliged to pretend they're good. They've been brought up to deceive and be cunning, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/no-it-s-not-that-they-re-bad-it-s-that-they-re-obliged-to-pretend/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [“In my opinion, a lie is a physical act, verbal statement, or omission, deliberately designed to deceive another of the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/in-my-opinion-a-lie-is-a-physical-act-verbal-statement-or-omission/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“When you slice the truth too thin, you deceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-wilks/when-you-slice-the-truth-too-thin-you-deceive/) [Eileen Wilks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-wilks/) > [Those who try to achieve success without hard work ultimately deceive themselves-or worse-deceive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/those-who-try-to-achieve-success-without-hard-work-ultimately-deceive/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Even when they are trying to deceive the voters, the Democrats are incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/even-when-they-are-trying-to-deceive-the-voters-the-democrats-are/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Trust the story ... the storyteller may dissemble and deceive, the story can't: the story can only ever be itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-robertson/trust-the-story-the-storyteller-may-dissemble-and-deceive-the-story/) [James Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-robertson/) > [Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-what-a-tangled-web-we-weave-when-first-we-practice-to-deceive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We often shed tears that deceive ourselves after deceiving others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-often-shed-tears-that-deceive-ourselves-after-deceiving-others/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) [Browse all 340 Deceive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we-who-deceive-ourselves/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deceive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we-who-deceive-ourselves/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_deceive_nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we_2996986.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_deceive_nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we_2996986.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_deceive_nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we_2996986.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau", "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": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nature never deceives us; it is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we-who-deceive-ourselves/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we-who-deceive-ourselves/#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 } } ] } ```