--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A liar is a man who does now know how to…" description: "\"A liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a flatterer one who only deceives fools: he who knows how to make skilful use of the truth, and under..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/luc-de-clapiers-2035_cleverness_a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to_1226118.jpg" --- # A liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a… ![“A liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a flatterer one who only deceives fools: he who knows how to make skilful use of the truth, and understands its eloquence, can alone pride himself in cleverness.” quote by Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/luc-de-clapiers-2035_cleverness_a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to_1226118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/luc-de-clapiers-2035_cleverness_a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to_1226118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/luc-de-clapiers-2035_cleverness_a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to_1226118.jpg) > “A liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a flatterer one who only deceives fools: he who knows how to make skilful use of the truth, and understands its eloquence, can alone pride himself in cleverness.” [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote distinguishes true deception, which manipulates truth skillfully, from lying, which merely fails to conceal truth, highlighting the cleverness in adeptly using truth. **In simple terms:** Clever use of truth is a form of deception. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of truth. Themes truth deception intelligence ethics communication Mood cautious thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - debate - political speech - marketing - personal relationships Key Concepts strategic truth moral ambiguity intellectual honesty Questions to Reflect On - When does strategic truth become unethical? - Is cleverness without honesty valuable? A Different Perspective It may justify manipulation under the guise of cleverness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cleverness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleverness/) [Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive/) [Deceives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceives/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Eloquence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eloquence/) [Flatterer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flatterer/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Know Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-deceive-3773223/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Liar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liar/) [Liar Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liar-man-1566181/) [Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [He who does not know how to deceive does not know how to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-trujillo/he-who-does-not-know-how-to-deceive-does-not-know-how-to-rule/) [Rafael Trujillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-trujillo/) > [Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/nature-never-deceives-us-it-is-always-we-who-deceive-ourselves/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [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/) > [A thief is a man in need. A liar is a man in fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/a-thief-is-a-man-in-need-a-liar-is-a-man-in-fear/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [It is fitting that a liar should be a man of good memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/it-is-fitting-that-a-liar-should-be-a-man-of-good-memory/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [“Any man that calls himself honest is a liar. Any man that calls himself a liar is an honest liar”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-spencer/any-man-that-calls-himself-honest-is-a-liar-any-man-that-calls/) [Ruth Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-spencer/) > [Hope deceives more men than cunning does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/hope-deceives-more-men-than-cunning-does/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [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/) > [Reason deceives us more often than does nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/reason-deceives-us-more-often-than-does-nature/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [“We avenge intelligence when we deceive a fool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-casanova-de-seingalt/we-avenge-intelligence-when-we-deceive-a-fool/) [Jacques Casanova De Seingalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-casanova-de-seingalt/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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 Luc de Clapiers > [Great men undertake great things because they are great; fools, because they think them easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/great-men-undertake-great-things-because-they-are-great-fools-because/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [You must rouse into people's consciousness their own prudence and strength, if you want to raise their character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/you-must-rouse-into-people-s-consciousness-their-own-prudence-and/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [To achieve great things we must live as though we were never going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/to-achieve-great-things-we-must-live-as-though-we-were-never-going-to/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [There are those who are so scrupulously afraid of doing wrong that they seldom venture to do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/there-are-those-who-are-so-scrupulously-afraid-of-doing-wrong-that/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-most-absurd-and-reckless-aspirations-have-sometimes-led-to/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [We are very wrong to think that some fault or other can exclude virtue, or to consider the alliance of good and evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-are-very-wrong-to-think-that-some-fault-or-other-can-exclude/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Men are not to be judged by what they do not know, but by what they know, and by the manner in which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/men-are-not-to-be-judged-by-what-they-do-not-know-but-by-what-they/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Men dissimulate their dearest, most constant, and most virtuous inclination from weakness and a fear of being condemned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/men-dissimulate-their-dearest-most-constant-and-most-virtuous/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [To withdraw ourselves from the law of the strong, we have found ourselves obliged to submit to justice. Justice or might, we must choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/to-withdraw-ourselves-from-the-law-of-the-strong-we-have-found/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [None are more liable to mistakes than those who act only on second thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/none-are-more-liable-to-mistakes-than-those-who-act-only-on-second/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [The mind is the soul's eye, not its source of power. That lies in the heart, in other words, in the passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-mind-is-the-soul-s-eye-not-its-source-of-power-that-lies-in-the/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [It is easier to say new things than to reconcile those which have already been said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/it-is-easier-to-say-new-things-than-to-reconcile-those-which-have/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Those who can bear all can dare all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/those-who-can-bear-all-can-dare-all/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [It is of no use to possess a lively wit if it is not of the right proportion: the perfection of a clock is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/it-is-of-no-use-to-possess-a-lively-wit-if-it-is-not-of-the-right/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) [Explore all 190 Luc de Clapiers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) ## More Cleverness quotes > [“Rumi observed, “Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-w-dyer/rumi-observed-sell-your-cleverness-and-purchase-bewilderment/) [Wayne W. Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-w-dyer/) > [“Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/passion-often-makes-a-madman-of-the-cleverest-man-and-renders-the/) [François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [If we fail to appreciate the soul that Easternism gives us, then what we have is a disconnected, Greco-Roman, Western, egocentric, compartmentalized, reductionist, fragmented,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/if-we-fail-to-appreciate-the-soul-that-easternism-gives-us-then-what/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [A fool is a person who guesses and gets it wrong, a clever man is one who guesses, regardless of time period, and gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/a-fool-is-a-person-who-guesses-and-gets-it-wrong-a-clever-man-is-one/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Ultimately, of course, you must decide for yourself whether the subjective psychological effects created by your evolved cognitive biases reflect an objective reality, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-bering/ultimately-of-course-you-must-decide-for-yourself-whether-the/) [Jesse Bering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-bering/) > [Limits have to be set on how far one can simply use the... cleverness that we have to make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/limits-have-to-be-set-on-how-far-one-can-simply-use-the-cleverness/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) > [Sometimes people try way too hard to sound clever on Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-people-try-way-too-hard-to-sound-clever-on-facebook/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many of the greatest men have owed their success to industry rather than to cleverness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/many-of-the-greatest-men-have-owed-their-success-to-industry-rather/) [John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/) > [What a curious picture it is to find man, homo sapiens, of divine origin, we are told, seriously considering going underground to escape the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/what-a-curious-picture-it-is-to-find-man-homo-sapiens-of-divine/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [“Neither the Russians nor the Americans were the cleverest people, or the most experienced, in the world that followed 1945. The French were rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach-2/neither-the-russians-nor-the-americans-were-the-cleverest-people-or/) [T.R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach-2/) > [Where there is simplicity, there are a hundred Angels, but where there is cleverness - there are none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-of-optina/where-there-is-simplicity-there-are-a-hundred-angels-but-where-there/) [Ambrose of Optina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-of-optina/) > [Human integrity is determined by the heart, not by cleverness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/human-integrity-is-determined-by-the-heart-not-by-cleverness/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [In late modernity we grow more and more accustomed to politicians and public figures who are indebted to their appetites for their "values," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/in-late-modernity-we-grow-more-and-more-accustomed-to-politicians-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [The art of investment has one characteristic that is not generally appreciated. A creditable, if unspectacular, result can be achieved by the lay investor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-art-of-investment-has-one-characteristic-that-is-not-generally/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely. The notion that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) [Browse all 406 Cleverness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleverness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a flatterer one who only deceives fools: he who knows how to make skilful use of the truth, and understands its eloquence, can alone pride himself in cleverness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Luc de Clapiers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to-deceive-a-flatterer-one-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cleverness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to-deceive-a-flatterer-one-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/luc-de-clapiers-2035_cleverness_a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to_1226118.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/luc-de-clapiers-2035_cleverness_a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to_1226118.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/luc-de-clapiers-2035_cleverness_a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to_1226118.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a flatterer one who only deceives fools: he who knows how…” — Luc de Clapiers", "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": "Luc de Clapiers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A liar is a man who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to-deceive-a-flatterer-one-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/a-liar-is-a-man-who-does-now-know-how-to-deceive-a-flatterer-one-who/#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 } } ] } ```