---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are not setting a trap, then you…"
description: "\"If you are not setting a trap, then you are probably walking into one. It is the mark of the master to do both at once.\" — Jedediah Berry"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/jedediah-berry-26678_mark_if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-a_3213613.png"
---

#  If you are not setting a trap, then you are probably…

![“If you are not setting a trap, then you are probably walking into one. It is the mark of the master to do both at once.” quote by Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/jedediah-berry-26678_mark_if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-a_3213613.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/jedediah-berry-26678_mark_if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-a_3213613.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/jedediah-berry-26678_mark_if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-a_3213613.png)

> “If you are not setting a trap, then you are probably walking into one. It is the mark of the master to do both at once.”

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

## About This Quote

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

Avoiding traps requires setting your own; mastery involves both creating and evading traps.

**In simple terms:** Set traps to avoid being trapped; mastery is dual.

Key Takeaway

Balance proactive and defensive strategies.

Themes

strategy awareness mastery risk dual approach

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- business negotiations
- personal safety
- competitive sports
- cybersecurity

Key Concepts

game theory psychology control anticipation

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it better to avoid setting traps?
- How do you recognize a trap you set?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on traps can cause paranoia.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [I don't like spiders; setting a trap is the art of low creatures! Who shall ever lay a trap shall be the meanest being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/i-don-t-like-spiders-setting-a-trap-is-the-art-of-low-creatures-who/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Percy looked at Coach Hedge and Frank. “A trap?” “Probably,” Frank said. “She’s not mortal,” Hedge said, sniffing the air. “Probably some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/percy-looked-at-coach-hedge-and-frank-a-trap-probably-frank-said-she/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Debt is a trap which man sets and baits himself, and then deliberately gets into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/debt-is-a-trap-which-man-sets-and-baits-himself-and-then-deliberately/)

[Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/)

> [Let him who is without guilt cast the first stone. A trap. Because then he will be no longer without guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/let-him-who-is-without-guilt-cast-the-first-stone-a-trap-because-then/)

[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/)

> [Each time this identity announces itself, someone or something cries: Look out for the trap, youre caught. Take off, get free, disengage yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/each-time-this-identity-announces-itself-someone-or-something-cries/)

[Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/)

> [“Don’t blame the hunter if you aren’t paying attention enough to spot the traps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-t-escurel/don-t-blame-the-hunter-if-you-aren-t-paying-attention-enough-to-spot/)

[T.T. Escurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-t-escurel/)

> [When I did 'Parent Trap,' I was ten. I was thrown off by the whole fame thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-lohan/when-i-did-parent-trap-i-was-ten-i-was-thrown-off-by-the-whole-fame/)

[Lindsay Lohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-lohan/)

> [Reason is a terrible trap because you will be satisfied with answers. And if you are satisfied with answers, you'll never come to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/reason-is-a-terrible-trap-because-you-will-be-satisfied-with-answers/)

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

> [There's nothing better than a party that turns into a death trap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-t-davies/there-s-nothing-better-than-a-party-that-turns-into-a-death-trap/)

[Russell T Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-t-davies/)

> [It's easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you've heard everything before and that you have nothing left to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/it-s-easy-to-fall-into-the-trap-of-feeling-like-you-ve-heard/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Music, first of all, is completely about abstraction, which is exactly what architecture is not. In a way, it has been incredibly constructive to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/music-first-of-all-is-completely-about-abstraction-which-is-exactly/)

[Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/)

> [You think this is a trap then?" the Count asked. "I always think everything is a trap until proven otherwise," the Prince answered. "Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-think-this-is-a-trap-then-the-count-asked-i-always-think/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

> [The real trap of fame is its irresistibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-bengis/the-real-trap-of-fame-is-its-irresistibility/)

[Ingrid Bengis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-bengis/)

> [Having to be different is the same trap as having to be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/having-to-be-different-is-the-same-trap-as-having-to-be-the-same/)

[Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/)

> [There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-is-no-trap-so-deadly-as-the-trap-you-set-for-yourself/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

## More by Jedediah Berry

> [Woe to he who checkmates his opponents at last, only to discover they have been playing cribbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/woe-to-he-who-checkmates-his-opponents-at-last-only-to-discover-they/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“All the world's a rube, and he who tries to prove otherwise will be the first to wake onstage, victim of our just ridicule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/all-the-world-s-a-rube-and-he-who-tries-to-prove-otherwise-will-be/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [She was beautiful, in the quiet way that lonely, unnoticed people are beautiful to those who notice them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/she-was-beautiful-in-the-quiet-way-that-lonely-unnoticed-people-are/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“A hat is a snake is a lamp is a child is an insect is a clothesline hung with telephones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/a-hat-is-a-snake-is-a-lamp-is-a-child-is-an-insect-is-a-clothesline/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“There is no better way to understand your own motives and dispositions than by finding someone to act as your opposite.       T”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/there-is-no-better-way-to-understand-your-own-motives-and/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [The world is unkind to the shoeless and frolicsome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/the-world-is-unkind-to-the-shoeless-and-frolicsome/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“It is not enough to say that you have had a hunch. Once written down, most such inklings reveal themselves for what they are:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/it-is-not-enough-to-say-that-you-have-had-a-hunch-once-written-down/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“The expert detective’s pursuit will go unnoticed, but not because he is unremarkable. Rather, like the suspect’s shadow, he will appear as though he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/the-expert-detective-s-pursuit-will-go-unnoticed-but-not-because-he/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [A train will bring you back to the place you came from, but it will not return you home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/a-train-will-bring-you-back-to-the-place-you-came-from-but-it-will/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [Love is the same as being lost,' says Jacques to the dark. 'Except you don't care that you're lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/love-is-the-same-as-being-lost-says-jacques-to-the-dark-except-you/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“A blatant falsification, brought to dwell perpetually in the Agency archives, a stain in the shape of words!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/a-blatant-falsification-brought-to-dwell-perpetually-in-the-agency/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [I was to be buried inside my own creation, the better to keep its secrets. I will not tell you more, for your sake.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/i-was-to-be-buried-inside-my-own-creation-the-better-to-keep-its/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“The coded message is a lifeless thing, mummified and entombed. To the would-be cryptologist we must offer the same advice we would give the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/the-coded-message-is-a-lifeless-thing-mummified-and-entombed-to-the/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“Unwin was tired, too. He had worn himself down—to nothing, nearly—with his cuts and corrections, his erasures and emendations. He was awake now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/unwin-was-tired-too-he-had-worn-himself-down-to-nothing-nearly-with/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

> [“On Memory: Imagine a desk covered with papers. That is everything you are thinking about. Now imagine a stack of file drawers behind it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/on-memory-imagine-a-desk-covered-with-papers-that-is-everything-you/)

[Jedediah Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

[Explore all 21 Jedediah Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/)

## More Mark quotes

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

> [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/)

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

> [My first big show was with Tim McGraw and Mark Chesnutt, and that was overwhelming. There was probably 25,000 people there. I was nervous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/my-first-big-show-was-with-tim-mcgraw-and-mark-chesnutt-and-that-was/)

[Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/)

> [Jesus taught that the mark of the Christian is the observable love shown among all true believers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/jesus-taught-that-the-mark-of-the-christian-is-the-observable-love/)

[Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/)

> [“Scattered among these things are reminders that sound once existed: a metronome, a drumming pad, a guitar pick, a trumpet mouthpiece, a music stand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-o-brien/scattered-among-these-things-are-reminders-that-sound-once-existed-a/)

[Geoffrey O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-o-brien/)

> [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [O! many a shaft, at random sent, Finds mark the archer little meant! And many a word, at random spoken, May soothe or wound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/o-many-a-shaft-at-random-sent-finds-mark-the-archer-little-meant-and/)

[Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/)

> [I look upon The Animals, they were a great band initially, we left our mark, but thing was it was a band that couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-burdon/i-look-upon-the-animals-they-were-a-great-band-initially-we-left-our/)

[Eric Burdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-burdon/)

> [I admire Mark Zuckerberg... for not selling out, for wanting to make a company. I admire that a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-admire-mark-zuckerberg-for-not-selling-out-for-wanting-to-make-a/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [But it is the mark of all movements, however well-intentioned, that their pioneers tend, by much lashing of themselves into excitement, to lose sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/but-it-is-the-mark-of-all-movements-however-well-intentioned-that/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [You're never too young or too old to make your own kind of mark in your own kind of time. You're never the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-mosbacher/you-re-never-too-young-or-too-old-to-make-your-own-kind-of-mark-in/)

[Georgette Mosbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-mosbacher/)

> [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

Browse all 3,012 Mark quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you are not setting a trap, then you are probably walking into one. It is the mark of the master to do both at once.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jedediah Berry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-are-probably-walking-into-one/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mark"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-are-probably-walking-into-one/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/jedediah-berry-26678_mark_if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-a_3213613.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/jedediah-berry-26678_mark_if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-a_3213613.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b2/jedediah-berry-26678_mark_if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-a_3213613.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you are not setting a trap, then you are probably walking into one. It is the mark of the master to do…” — Jedediah Berry",
                "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": "Jedediah Berry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-berry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you are not setting a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-are-probably-walking-into-one/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-berry/if-you-are-not-setting-a-trap-then-you-are-probably-walking-into-one/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
