--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: …he who seeks to deceive will always find…" description: "\"“…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.”\" — Machiavelli Niccolo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/machiavelli-niccolo-50534_quote_he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find_1010223.jpg" --- # …he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will… ![“…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.” quote by Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/machiavelli-niccolo-50534_quote_he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find_1010223.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/machiavelli-niccolo-50534_quote_he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find_1010223.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/machiavelli-niccolo-50534_quote_he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find_1010223.jpg) > ““…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.”” [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deception thrives when people are willing to be deceived, highlighting mutual responsibility in truth and trust. **In simple terms:** Deceivers succeed when others allow it. Key Takeaway Cultivate critical thinking and skepticism. Themes trust deception responsibility Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political discourse - media consumption - personal relationships Key Concepts political philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster healthy skepticism? - What safeguards protect against manipulation? A Different Perspective Even with awareness, people may still be gullible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Do not allow yourselves to be deceived: Great Minds are Skeptical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/do-not-allow-yourselves-to-be-deceived-great-minds-are-skeptical/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Like an audience entertained by a magician, we allow ourselves to be deceived by those with a stake in persuading us to ignore reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/like-an-audience-entertained-by-a-magician-we-allow-ourselves-to-be/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/one-who-deceives-will-always-find-those-who-allow-themselves-to-be/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [The expert magician seeks to deceive the mind, rather than the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/the-expert-magician-seeks-to-deceive-the-mind-rather-than-the-eye/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/when-a-person-cannot-deceive-himself-the-chances-are-against-his/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [We never deceive for a good purpose: knavery adds malice to falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/we-never-deceive-for-a-good-purpose-knavery-adds-malice-to-falsehood/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Liars share with those they deceive the desire not to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/liars-share-with-those-they-deceive-the-desire-not-to-be-deceived/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Nothing is more easy than to deceive one's self, as our affections are subtle persuaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-more-easy-than-to-deceive-one-s-self-as-our-affections-are/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [It is better to be deceived by one's friends than to deceive them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-better-to-be-deceived-by-one-s-friends-than-to-deceive-them/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The best way in the world to deceive believers is to cloak a message in religious language and declare that it conveys some new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/the-best-way-in-the-world-to-deceive-believers-is-to-cloak-a-message/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) > [I've come to learn that the determined and gifted and genuine sociopath has far more power to deceive than we realize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-ve-come-to-learn-that-the-determined-and-gifted-and-genuine/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [It is quite as ignominious to allow oneself to be deceived as to deceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-queen-of-sweden/it-is-quite-as-ignominious-to-allow-oneself-to-be-deceived-as-to/) [Christina, Queen of Sweden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-queen-of-sweden/) > [It is as easy to unknowingly deceive yourself as it is to deceive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-as-easy-to-unknowingly-deceive-yourself-as-it-is-to-deceive/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It is in the ability to deceive oneself that the greatest talent is shown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-in-the-ability-to-deceive-oneself-that-the-greatest-talent-is/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) ## More by Machiavelli Niccolo > [“...discontented inhabitants who willingly admit a foreign power either through excessive ambition or through fear, as was the case with the Etolians, who admitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/discontented-inhabitants-who-willingly-admit-a-foreign-power-either/) [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) > [“Without an opportunity, their abilities would have been wasted, and without their abilities, the opportunity would have arisen in vain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/without-an-opportunity-their-abilities-would-have-been-wasted-and/) [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) > [“Quod Principi plaevit habet legis vigorem”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/quod-principi-plaevit-habet-legis-vigorem/) [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) > [“Those who believe that where great personages are concerned new favors cause old injuries to be forgotten deceive themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/those-who-believe-that-where-great-personages-are-concerned-new/) [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) > [“These opportunities, then, gave these men the chance they needed, and their great abilities made them recognize it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/these-opportunities-then-gave-these-men-the-chance-they-needed-and/) [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) > [ “...no one should marvel at the ease with which Alexander \[the Great\] kept possession of Asia, or at the difficulties which others, like Pyrrhus… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/no-one-should-marvel-at-the-ease-with-which-alexander-the-great-kept/) [Machiavelli Niccolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) [Explore all 7 Machiavelli Niccolo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/) ## More Deceive quotes > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [A woman one loves rarely suffices for all our needs, so we deceive her with another whom we do not love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-woman-one-loves-rarely-suffices-for-all-our-needs-so-we-deceive-her/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Looks sure can be deceiving: not every ‘ugly’ person is a ‘bad’ person (or is guilty of whatever it is that they are accused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/looks-sure-can-be-deceiving-not-every-ugly-person-is-a-bad-person-or/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-so-easy-as-to-deceive-oneself-for-what-we-wish-we-readily/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [No, it's not that they're bad. It's that they're obliged to pretend they're good. They've been brought up to deceive and be cunning, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/no-it-s-not-that-they-re-bad-it-s-that-they-re-obliged-to-pretend/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [“In my opinion, a lie is a physical act, verbal statement, or omission, deliberately designed to deceive another of the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craig/in-my-opinion-a-lie-is-a-physical-act-verbal-statement-or-omission/) [David Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-craig/) > [“When you slice the truth too thin, you deceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-wilks/when-you-slice-the-truth-too-thin-you-deceive/) [Eileen Wilks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-wilks/) > [Those who try to achieve success without hard work ultimately deceive themselves-or worse-deceive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/those-who-try-to-achieve-success-without-hard-work-ultimately-deceive/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Even when they are trying to deceive the voters, the Democrats are incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/even-when-they-are-trying-to-deceive-the-voters-the-democrats-are/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Trust the story ... the storyteller may dissemble and deceive, the story can't: the story can only ever be itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-robertson/trust-the-story-the-storyteller-may-dissemble-and-deceive-the-story/) [James Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-robertson/) > [Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-what-a-tangled-web-we-weave-when-first-we-practice-to-deceive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We often shed tears that deceive ourselves after deceiving others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-often-shed-tears-that-deceive-ourselves-after-deceiving-others/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) Browse all 340 Deceive quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Machiavelli Niccolo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find-someone-who-will-allow/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deceive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find-someone-who-will-allow/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/machiavelli-niccolo-50534_quote_he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find_1010223.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/machiavelli-niccolo-50534_quote_he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find_1010223.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/machiavelli-niccolo-50534_quote_he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find_1010223.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.” — Machiavelli Niccolo", "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": "Machiavelli Niccolo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-niccolo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“…he who seeks to deceive will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find-someone-who-will-allow/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-niccolo/he-who-seeks-to-deceive-will-always-find-someone-who-will-allow/#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 } } ] } ```