--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I take it, no fool ever made a bargain…" description: "\"“I take it, no fool ever made a bargain for his soul with the devil; the fool is too much of a fool, or the devil too much of a devil — I don’t know wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/joseph-conrad-336_nature_i-take-it-no-fool-ever-made-a-bargain-fo_102761.jpg" --- # I take it, no fool ever made a bargain for his soul with… ![“I take it, no fool ever made a bargain for his soul with the devil; the fool is too much of a fool, or the devil too much of a devil — I don’t know which. Or you may be such a thunderingly exalted creature as to be altogether deaf and blind to anything but heavenly sights and sounds. Then the…” quote by Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/joseph-conrad-336_nature_i-take-it-no-fool-ever-made-a-bargain-fo_102761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/joseph-conrad-336_nature_i-take-it-no-fool-ever-made-a-bargain-fo_102761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/joseph-conrad-336_nature_i-take-it-no-fool-ever-made-a-bargain-fo_102761.jpg) > ““I take it, no fool ever made a bargain for his soul with the devil; the fool is too much of a fool, or the devil too much of a devil — I don’t know which. Or you may be such a thunderingly exalted creature as to be altogether deaf and blind to anything but heavenly sights and sounds. Then the earth for you is only a standing place — and whether to be like this is your loss or your gain I won’t pretend to say. But most of us are neither one nor the other. The earth for us is a place to live in, where we must put up with sights, with sounds, with smells, too, by Jove! — breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated.”” [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is a middle ground between lofty idealism and cynical compromise; most people must navigate ordinary, imperfect realities. **In simple terms:** We live amid everyday mess, not pure heaven or devilish bargains. Key Takeaway Accept the ordinary as inevitable. Themes philosophy human nature existentialism balance Mood wry reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - commuting through a noisy city - working in a messy office - dealing with personal setbacks Key Concepts acceptance dualism Practical Applications - Cultivate resilience to everyday irritations - Practice mindfulness to appreciate ordinary moments Questions to Reflect On - How does embracing imperfection affect ambition? - When is compromise a sign of wisdom versus surrender? A Different Perspective May romanticizing the ordinary overlook systemic injustices that need active change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Devil Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil-fool-341027/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Fool Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-devil-341026/) [Fool Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-fool-283084/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Say Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-earth-248766/) ## Related quotes > [“These little things make all the great difference. When they are gone you must fall back upon your own innate strength, upon your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/these-little-things-make-all-the-great-difference-when-they-are-gone/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“I take it, no fool ever made a bargain for his soul with the devil; the fool is too much of a fool, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-take-it-no-fool-ever-made-a-bargain-for-his-soul-with-the-devil-the-2/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [People have discovered that they can fool the devil; but they can't fool the neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/people-have-discovered-that-they-can-fool-the-devil-but-they-can-t/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [“Everything belonged to him--but that was a trifle. The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/everything-belonged-to-him-but-that-was-a-trifle-the-thing-was-to/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The devil is no fool. He can get people feeling about heaven the way they ought to feel about hell. He can make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-devil-is-no-fool-he-can-get-people-feeling-about-heaven-the-way/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [A man, well, he'll walk right into Hell with both eyes open. But even the devil can't fool a dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-hamner-jr/a-man-well-he-ll-walk-right-into-hell-with-both-eyes-open-but-even/) [Earl Hamner, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-hamner-jr/) > [A fool, a fool! I met a fool i' th' forest, A motley fool! a miserable world! As I do live by food, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-fool-a-fool-i-met-a-fool-i-th-forest-a-motley-fool-a-miserable/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The fool who thinks he is wise is just a fool. The fool who knows he is a fool is wise indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-fool-who-thinks-he-is-wise-is-just-a-fool-the-fool-who-knows-he/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [But once a fool always a fool, and the greater the power in his hands the more disastrous is likely to be the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/but-once-a-fool-always-a-fool-and-the-greater-the-power-in-his-hands/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [He who mocks the fool, Is no less a fool himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahj-wilson/he-who-mocks-the-fool-is-no-less-a-fool-himself/) [Tahj Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahj-wilson/) > [Be wise with speed; a fool at forty is a fool indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/be-wise-with-speed-a-fool-at-forty-is-a-fool-indeed/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [I say the whole earth and all the stars in the sky are for religion's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-say-the-whole-earth-and-all-the-stars-in-the-sky-are-for-religion-s/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [“The Earth, dost thou say? What has the Earth ever realized, that drop of frozen mud, whose Time is only a lie in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-de-villiers-de-l-isle-adam/the-earth-dost-thou-say-what-has-the-earth-ever-realized-that-drop-of/) [Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-de-villiers-de-l-isle-adam/) > [“I see a glint in her eye as she looks at me and it makes me smile. Hold our breath? she seems to say.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/i-see-a-glint-in-her-eye-as-she-looks-at-me-and-it-makes-me-smile/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) ## More by Joseph Conrad > [“Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/hunters-for-gold-or-pursuers-of-fame-they-all-had-gone-out-on-that/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Let the earth and the sea each have its own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/let-the-earth-and-the-sea-each-have-its-own/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [He hated all this, and somehow he couldn't get away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/he-hated-all-this-and-somehow-he-couldn-t-get-away/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“A fool, what with sheer fright and fine sentiments, is always safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/a-fool-what-with-sheer-fright-and-fine-sentiments-is-always-safe/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The mind of man is capable of anything-because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-mind-of-man-is-capable-of-anything-because-everything-is-in-it/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Few men realize that their life, the very essence of their character, their capabilities and their audacities, are only the expression of their belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/few-men-realize-that-their-life-the-very-essence-of-their-character/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Perhaps on some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking, swelling, a tremor vast, faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive and wild -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/perhaps-on-some-quiet-night-the-tremor-of-far-off-drums-sinking/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“All that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/all-that-mysterious-life-of-the-wilderness-that-stirs-in-the-forest/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The fascination of the abomination—you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-fascination-of-the-abomination-you-know/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-s-only-those-who-do-nothing-that-make-no-mistakes-i-suppose/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Thieving was not a sheer absurdity. It was a form of human industry, perverse indeed, but still an industry exercised in an industrious world;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/thieving-was-not-a-sheer-absurdity-it-was-a-form-of-human-industry/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I found myself back in the sepulchral city resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-found-myself-back-in-the-sepulchral-city-resenting-the-sight-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Society was calling to its accomplished child to come, to be taken care of, to be instructed, to be judged, to be condemned; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/society-was-calling-to-its-accomplished-child-to-come-to-be-taken/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I was constantly watching myself, my secret self, as dependent on my actions as my own personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-was-constantly-watching-myself-my-secret-self-as-dependent-on-my/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Explore all 645 Joseph Conrad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## More Fool quotes > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [A fool and his money get a lot of publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-bernstein/a-fool-and-his-money-get-a-lot-of-publicity/) [Al Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-bernstein/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I'd be a fool to be in this for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hinn/i-d-be-a-fool-to-be-in-this-for-the-money/) [Benny Hinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hinn/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) [Browse all 5,535 Fool quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I take it, no fool ever made a bargain for his soul with the devil; the fool is too much of a fool, or the devil too much of a devil — I don’t know which. Or you may be such a thunderingly exalted creature as to be altogether deaf and blind to anything but heavenly sights and sounds. Then the earth for you is only a standing place — and whether to be like this is your loss or your gain I won’t pretend to say. But most of us are neither one nor the other. 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