--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any skilled con artist knows the key to…" description: "\"“Any skilled con artist knows the key to deceiving your mark is to get them to believe your scheme was their idea. Translation: The key to getting peop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/john-mark-comer-22484_art_any-skilled-con-artist-knows-the-key-to_1461136.jpg" --- # Any skilled con artist knows the key to deceiving your… ![“Any skilled con artist knows the key to deceiving your mark is to get them to believe your scheme was their idea. Translation: The key to getting people to follow you is to convince them they aren’t following anyone at all.” quote by John Mark Comer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/john-mark-comer-22484_art_any-skilled-con-artist-knows-the-key-to_1461136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/john-mark-comer-22484_art_any-skilled-con-artist-knows-the-key-to_1461136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/john-mark-comer-22484_art_any-skilled-con-artist-knows-the-key-to_1461136.jpg) > ““Any skilled con artist knows the key to deceiving your mark is to get them to believe your scheme was their idea. Translation: The key to getting people to follow you is to convince them they aren’t following anyone at all.”” [John Mark Comer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mark-comer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explains that manipulation works by making people think ideas are theirs, leading to blind obedience **In simple terms:** Manipulation succeeds when ideas feel self‑generated. Key Takeaway Encourage critical thinking and autonomy. Themes leadership psychology ethics Mood cautionary thought‑provoking serious Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - leadership training - educational workshops - personal decision‑making Key Concepts influence self‑determination group dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can we detect subtle manipulation? - What safeguards promote independent thought? A Different Perspective Risk of oversimplifying complex influence processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Con artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/con-artist/) [Trick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trick/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things about the con artist lifestyle is that all the romance is sort of sloppy and fast and loose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/one-of-the-things-about-the-con-artist-lifestyle-is-that-all-the/) [Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/) > [When I was 23, I moved to Australia to be with this 43-year-old con artist I fell in love with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-leggero/when-i-was-23-i-moved-to-australia-to-be-with-this-43-year-old-con/) [Natasha Leggero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-leggero/) > [In 2007 I took a two-year break from shooting the BBC series 'Hustle,' in which I played a big-time con artist. I'd been making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-lester/in-2007-i-took-a-two-year-break-from-shooting-the-bbc-series-hustle/) [Adrian Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-lester/) > [I think, basically, if you talk to anybody, you can gauge an idea of what it's like to feel deceived. 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I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/i-operate-under-the-assumption-that-people-don-t-notice-the-good-in/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“From now on, consider yourself a con artist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carsten-jensen/from-now-on-consider-yourself-a-con-artist/) [Carsten Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carsten-jensen/) > [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) ## More by John Mark Comer > [“In his commencement address at Kenyon College, the novelist and social critic David Foster Wallace eloquently said, “In the day-to-day trenches of adult life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mark-comer/in-his-commencement-address-at-kenyon-college-the-novelist-and-social/) [John Mark Comer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mark-comer/) > [“Often what we believe about God says more about us than it does about God. 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