--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a matter of fact, yeah, they were…" description: "\"“As a matter of fact, yeah, they were foolproof. The problem is that you don't have to protect yourself against fools. You have to protect yourself aga..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/jeffery-deaver-2663_foolproof_as-a-matter-of-fact-yeah-they-were-foolp_384392.jpg" --- # As a matter of fact, yeah, they were foolproof. The… ![“As a matter of fact, yeah, they were foolproof. The problem is that you don't have to protect yourself against fools. You have to protect yourself against people like me.” quote by Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/jeffery-deaver-2663_foolproof_as-a-matter-of-fact-yeah-they-were-foolp_384392.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/jeffery-deaver-2663_foolproof_as-a-matter-of-fact-yeah-they-were-foolp_384392.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/jeffery-deaver-2663_foolproof_as-a-matter-of-fact-yeah-they-were-foolp_384392.jpg) > ““As a matter of fact, yeah, they were foolproof. The problem is that you don't have to protect yourself against fools. You have to protect yourself against people like me.”” [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often think they need defenses against obvious fools, but real danger comes from clever, deceptive individuals like the speaker. **In simple terms:** Beware cunning people, not just obvious fools. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant against subtle manipulation. Themes trust deception vigilance Mood cautious skeptical Type advice warning When to use this quote - business negotiations - online dating - political discourse - team management Key Concepts psychology social engineering risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify hidden threats? - What safeguards can detect subtle deception? A Different Perspective Even the most careful safeguards can be bypassed by skilled manipulators. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fools/) [Hackers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hackers/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) ## Related quotes > [The gods do not protect fools. Fools are protected by more capable fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-niven/the-gods-do-not-protect-fools-fools-are-protected-by-more-capable/) [Larry Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-niven/) > [A real foolproof way to do it is play your stuff by hook or by crook and build up a grass roots following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-sheik/a-real-foolproof-way-to-do-it-is-play-your-stuff-by-hook-or-by-crook/) [Duncan Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-sheik/) > [I know when a story is finished when there is not a single thing more I can think to do to it. And since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-know-when-a-story-is-finished-when-there-is-not-a-single-thing-more/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [There has never been a failure of a currency board anywhere in the world. These are tough systems, and when I say they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hanke/there-has-never-been-a-failure-of-a-currency-board-anywhere-in-the/) [Steve Hanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hanke/) > [Foolproof systems to not take into account the ingenuity of fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-brown/foolproof-systems-to-not-take-into-account-the-ingenuity-of-fools/) [Gene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-brown/) > [If you believe you have a foolproof system, you've failed to take into consideration the creativity of fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/if-you-believe-you-have-a-foolproof-system-you-ve-failed-to-take-into/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) > [It is impossible to design anything that is foolproof because fools are so ingenious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/it-is-impossible-to-design-anything-that-is-foolproof-because-fools/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [The deadliest foe of democracy is not autocracy but liberty frenzied. Liberty is not foolproof. For its beneficent working it demands self-restraint, a sane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-hermann-kahn/the-deadliest-foe-of-democracy-is-not-autocracy-but-liberty-frenzied/) [Otto Hermann Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-hermann-kahn/) > [So here are some foolproof recipes for those of you who understand the true function of food. Bean Treat: Gingerly pour four fluid oz…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/so-here-are-some-foolproof-recipes-for-those-of-you-who-understand/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [There is a race between mankind and the universe. Mankind is trying to build bigger, better, faster, and more foolproof machines. The universe is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-a-race-between-mankind-and-the-universe-mankind-is-trying-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Nine out of ten businesses fail; so I came up with a foolproof plan - create ten businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/nine-out-of-ten-businesses-fail-so-i-came-up-with-a-foolproof-plan/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [When I finally gathered, invented, stole, simplified, borrowed, and found a publisher for a clutch of reasonably foolproof recipes, I learned I had friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/when-i-finally-gathered-invented-stole-simplified-borrowed-and-found/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [There really is no foolproof or even optimal way of dealing with White House emissaries who tell whoppers on live television. On the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-wemple/there-really-is-no-foolproof-or-even-optimal-way-of-dealing-with/) Erik Wemple > [ Here's a foolproof method for keeping America safe. Always do the exact 180-degree opposite of whatever \[Jimmy\] Carter says, as quickly as possible. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/here-s-a-foolproof-method-for-keeping-america-safe-always-do-the/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [If you're waiting for the perfect moment, you'll never write a thing because it will never arrive. I have no routine. I have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-you-re-waiting-for-the-perfect-moment-you-ll-never-write-a-thing/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More by Jeffery Deaver > [Trying to write books with a subject matter or in a genre or style you're not familiar with is the best way to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/trying-to-write-books-with-a-subject-matter-or-in-a-genre-or-style/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“I realized finally what the problem was,” I told Maree. “It wasn’t him. It was my wife. She was treating him like a normal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/i-realized-finally-what-the-problem-was-i-told-maree-it-wasn-t-him-it/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“But then someday the truth would come out. It always did. Repress what you will, someday the truth comes out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/but-then-someday-the-truth-would-come-out-it-always-did-repress-what/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Stanton clawed his way to the bedside table and managed to grab his knife. He jabbed it into Rhyme. Once, twice. But the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/stanton-clawed-his-way-to-the-bedside-table-and-managed-to-grab-his/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [Hardcover books are fairly expensive these days and to read one requires a significant commitment of time in our busy society. So I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/hardcover-books-are-fairly-expensive-these-days-and-to-read-one/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“You’re sure it was Loving?” “Yes. That’s exactly the kind of strategy he’d choose. There’s no doubt it was him.” I was aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/you-re-sure-it-was-loving-yes-that-s-exactly-the-kind-of-strategy-he/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Maree opened her eyes wide. “Wait, wait . . . I know you.” She regarded me with a frown. I must have blinked in surprise. Had we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/maree-opened-her-eyes-wide-wait-wait-i-know-you-she-regarded-me-with/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-best-way-to-learn-about-writing-is-to-study-the-work-of-other/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“eager’ and ‘anxious’ aren’t the same, or how ‘disinterested’ doesn’t mean ‘uninterested.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/eager-and-anxious-aren-t-the-same-or-how-disinterested-doesn-t-mean/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [The recent fascination, I think, reflects the shift in approach by law enforcement officials to embrace technology as wholeheartedly as the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-recent-fascination-i-think-reflects-the-shift-in-approach-by-law/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“DuBois’s observations were back. She’d largely recovered from the Graham ignominy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/dubois-s-observations-were-back-she-d-largely-recovered-from-the/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Maree may have noted that I said “wife” and not “ex,” which imparted some information to her. She was smarter than the package suggested.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/maree-may-have-noted-that-i-said-wife-and-not-ex-which-imparted-some/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“You see tumbleweeds? You see cowpokes? Indians? This isn’t the streets of Laredo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/you-see-tumbleweeds-you-see-cowpokes-indians-this-isn-t-the-streets/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“The young woman shrugged, walked to her computer, picked it up. She flopped down on the couch and scanned through it. This was something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-young-woman-shrugged-walked-to-her-computer-picked-it-up-she/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“The human creature is so astonishing, but count on it before anything else to be just that-a creature. A laughing animal, a dangerous one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-human-creature-is-so-astonishing-but-count-on-it-before-anything/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) [Explore all 154 Jeffery Deaver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) ## More Foolproof quotes > [If you're waiting for the perfect moment, you'll never write a thing because it will never arrive. I have no routine. I have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-you-re-waiting-for-the-perfect-moment-you-ll-never-write-a-thing/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [ Here's a foolproof method for keeping America safe. Always do the exact 180-degree opposite of whatever \[Jimmy\] Carter says, as quickly as possible. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/here-s-a-foolproof-method-for-keeping-america-safe-always-do-the/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [There really is no foolproof or even optimal way of dealing with White House emissaries who tell whoppers on live television. On the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-wemple/there-really-is-no-foolproof-or-even-optimal-way-of-dealing-with/) Erik Wemple > [When I finally gathered, invented, stole, simplified, borrowed, and found a publisher for a clutch of reasonably foolproof recipes, I learned I had friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/when-i-finally-gathered-invented-stole-simplified-borrowed-and-found/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [Nine out of ten businesses fail; so I came up with a foolproof plan - create ten businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/nine-out-of-ten-businesses-fail-so-i-came-up-with-a-foolproof-plan/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [There is a race between mankind and the universe. Mankind is trying to build bigger, better, faster, and more foolproof machines. The universe is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-a-race-between-mankind-and-the-universe-mankind-is-trying-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [So here are some foolproof recipes for those of you who understand the true function of food. Bean Treat: Gingerly pour four fluid oz…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/so-here-are-some-foolproof-recipes-for-those-of-you-who-understand/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [The deadliest foe of democracy is not autocracy but liberty frenzied. Liberty is not foolproof. For its beneficent working it demands self-restraint, a sane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-hermann-kahn/the-deadliest-foe-of-democracy-is-not-autocracy-but-liberty-frenzied/) [Otto Hermann Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-hermann-kahn/) > [It is impossible to design anything that is foolproof because fools are so ingenious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/it-is-impossible-to-design-anything-that-is-foolproof-because-fools/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [If you believe you have a foolproof system, you've failed to take into consideration the creativity of fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/if-you-believe-you-have-a-foolproof-system-you-ve-failed-to-take-into/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) > [Foolproof systems to not take into account the ingenuity of fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-brown/foolproof-systems-to-not-take-into-account-the-ingenuity-of-fools/) [Gene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-brown/) > [There has never been a failure of a currency board anywhere in the world. These are tough systems, and when I say they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hanke/there-has-never-been-a-failure-of-a-currency-board-anywhere-in-the/) [Steve Hanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hanke/) > [I know when a story is finished when there is not a single thing more I can think to do to it. And since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-know-when-a-story-is-finished-when-there-is-not-a-single-thing-more/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [A real foolproof way to do it is play your stuff by hook or by crook and build up a grass roots following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-sheik/a-real-foolproof-way-to-do-it-is-play-your-stuff-by-hook-or-by-crook/) [Duncan Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-sheik/) > [The most foolproof security system is that one which doesnt allow any excuse; otherwise it is futile to expect any security where there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-most-foolproof-security-system-is-that-one-which-doesnt-allow-any/) Mak\_786 Browse all 53 Foolproof quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As a matter of fact, yeah, they were foolproof. The problem is that you don't have to protect yourself against fools. 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