--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All is artifice in my world, Constantine…" description: "\"All is artifice in my world, Constantine. Even me. Especially me. He taught me to be a duchess, to be an impregnable fortress, to be the guardian of my..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/mary-balogh-914_artifice_all-is-artifice-in-my-world-constantine_486043.png" --- # All is artifice in my world, Constantine. Even me… ![“All is artifice in my world, Constantine. Even me. Especially me. He taught me to be a duchess, to be an impregnable fortress, to be the guardian of my own heart, But he admitted that he could not teach me how or when to allow the fortress to be breached or my heart to be unlocked. It would simply…” quote by Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/mary-balogh-914_artifice_all-is-artifice-in-my-world-constantine_486043.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/mary-balogh-914_artifice_all-is-artifice-in-my-world-constantine_486043.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/mary-balogh-914_artifice_all-is-artifice-in-my-world-constantine_486043.png) > “All is artifice in my world, Constantine. Even me. Especially me. He taught me to be a duchess, to be an impregnable fortress, to be the guardian of my own heart, But he admitted that he could not teach me how or when to allow the fortress to be breached or my heart to be unlocked. It would simply happen, he said. he promised it would, in fact. But how is love to find me, even assuming it is looking?” [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character reflects on being taught to protect herself emotionally, yet lacks guidance on vulnerability, questioning how love will find her. **In simple terms:** Self‑protection vs. openness. Key Takeaway Learn to balance self‑defence with openness to love. Themes self‑protection vulnerability love trust personal growth Mood hopeful introspective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationship building - self‑reflection - emotional healing - trust exercises Key Concepts psychology emotional intelligence literary metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What walls must you lower? - Can vulnerability coexist with strength? A Different Perspective Love cannot be forced; timing and openness matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artifice/) [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Constantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constantine/) [Duchess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duchess/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Find me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find-me/) [Fortresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortresses/) [Guardian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guardian/) [Guardian Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guardian-heart-3630116/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Love Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-assuming-2283335/) [My heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-heart/) [Promised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promised/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Duchess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-duchess-4169379/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Constantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-constantine-983050/) ## Related quotes > [Constantine, the Emperor, saw something in the religion of Christ's people which awakened his interest, and now we see him uniting religion to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-truett/constantine-the-emperor-saw-something-in-the-religion-of-christ-s/) [George W Truett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-truett/) > [There is a time when fear is good and ought to remain seated as a guardian of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/there-is-a-time-when-fear-is-good-and-ought-to-remain-seated-as-a/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [“We made love outdoors Without a roof, I like most, Without stove, to make love, assuming the weather be fair and balmy, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/we-made-love-outdoors-without-a-roof-i-like-most-without-stove-to/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“He had always felt that he lived on the edges of life, Constantine realized, watching everyone else living, sometimes helping them do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/he-had-always-felt-that-he-lived-on-the-edges-of-life-constantine/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [For want of a Pilate of their own, some Christians would accept a Constantine or whomever might be the current incarnation of Caesar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/for-want-of-a-pilate-of-their-own-some-christians-would-accept-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The Emperor Constantine, who lifted Christianity into power, murdered his wife Fausta, and his eldest son Crispus, the same year that he convened the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-emperor-constantine-who-lifted-christianity-into-power-murdered/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Nothing but the cross of Christ can so startle the spiritual nature from its torpor, as to make it an effectual counterpoise to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hopkins/nothing-but-the-cross-of-christ-can-so-startle-the-spiritual-nature/) [Mark Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hopkins/) > [“I do not know how to live in a world where everyone is right and everyone is wrong. Constantine was a good man, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/i-do-not-know-how-to-live-in-a-world-where-everyone-is-right-and/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“And Constantine thought: So this is how it is, at the end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/and-constantine-thought-so-this-is-how-it-is-at-the-end/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [“Sometimes, if you close your eyes and keep still, you can be invisible. Ostriches know this." - Constantine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-delano/sometimes-if-you-close-your-eyes-and-keep-still-you-can-be-invisible/) [Jamie Delano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-delano/) > [But the severe rules of discipline which the prudence of the bishops had instituted were relaxed by the same prudence in favour of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-severe-rules-of-discipline-which-the-prudence-of-the-bishops/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Jesus himself, and most of the message of the Gospels, is a message of service to the poor, a critique of the rich and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/jesus-himself-and-most-of-the-message-of-the-gospels-is-a-message-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [An absolute monarch, who is rich without patrimony, may be charitable without merit; and Constantine too easily believed that he should purchase the favour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/an-absolute-monarch-who-is-rich-without-patrimony-may-be-charitable/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [King Constantine IX of Regia had been killed three times and was bored with it. He wanted a bath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/king-constantine-ix-of-regia-had-been-killed-three-times-and-was/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“Constantine would have been proud of the new Gods that were formed as you will see why later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-holder/constantine-would-have-been-proud-of-the-new-gods-that-were-formed-as/) [Raymond Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-holder/) ## More by Mary Balogh > [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“Ah, but dreams cannot be captured with promises," he said. "Like water, they elude our grasp. But water is the staff of life. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/ah-but-dreams-cannot-be-captured-with-promises-he-said-like-water/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“What sort of man could you love for a lifetime?" he asked her. She was silent for a while. He guessed that she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/what-sort-of-man-could-you-love-for-a-lifetime-he-asked-her-she-was/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“Even at its darkest moment, life was a precious gift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/even-at-its-darkest-moment-life-was-a-precious-gift/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“Sometimes children do not realize by how fragile a thread their security hangs. Perhaps it is as well they do not - most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/sometimes-children-do-not-realize-by-how-fragile-a-thread-their/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“Would she be able to bear never seeing him again? Never in this life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/would-she-be-able-to-bear-never-seeing-him-again-never-in-this-life/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“Sometimes love was to be grasped in any form and in any manner it was offered. And sometimes love must be given in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/sometimes-love-was-to-be-grasped-in-any-form-and-in-any-manner-it-was/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“When we last out at ourselves for having lost control, we are reminded that we never can be in total control, that all life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/when-we-last-out-at-ourselves-for-having-lost-control-we-are-reminded/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“Love does not deck the beloved in chains. It just is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/love-does-not-deck-the-beloved-in-chains-it-just-is/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“This is your home,’ he said. ‘You are mistress of Finchley Park, Vanessa. You may do whatever you wish.’ Her smile broadened. ‘Within reason,’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/this-is-your-home-he-said-you-are-mistress-of-finchley-park-vanessa/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“She bit her lower lip hard and blinked her eyes. There was such wistfulness and longing in his voice. Oh, she was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/she-bit-her-lower-lip-hard-and-blinked-her-eyes-there-was-such/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“following spring to find himself a”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/following-spring-to-find-himself-a/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“But that is what life is all about, he said. "It is about dreaming and making those dreams come true with effort and determination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/but-that-is-what-life-is-all-about-he-said-it-is-about-dreaming-and/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“One could not change the past anyway. Why let it blight the present and the future?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/one-could-not-change-the-past-anyway-why-let-it-blight-the-present/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [I prefer to believe the opposite - that there is always an indestructible beauty at the heart of darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/i-prefer-to-believe-the-opposite-that-there-is-always-an/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) [Explore all 298 Mary Balogh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) ## More Artifice quotes > [I did plays in college, and I have half of a play. But I'm kind of stuck. I keep revisiting it so maybe it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/i-did-plays-in-college-and-i-have-half-of-a-play-but-i-m-kind-of/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [To the extent that I've ever understood postmodernism - and I'm sure there are people out there who do, but I'm not one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-erickson/to-the-extent-that-i-ve-ever-understood-postmodernism-and-i-m-sure/) [Steve Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-erickson/) > [Films are artifice. We're telling stories on film. At the same time, when it works, there is a real tough immediacy and spontaneity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcgann/films-are-artifice-we-re-telling-stories-on-film-at-the-same-time/) [Paul McGann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcgann/) > [Holidays are in no sense an alternative to the congestion and bustle of the cities and work. Quite the contrary. People look to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/holidays-are-in-no-sense-an-alternative-to-the-congestion-and-bustle/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [But since the Modernists (as they are commonly and rightly called) employ a very clever artifice, namely, to present their doctrines without order and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-x/but-since-the-modernists-as-they-are-commonly-and-rightly-called/) [Pope Pius X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-x/) > [Being blond is definitely a different state of mind. I can't really put my finger on it, but the artifice of being blond has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/being-blond-is-definitely-a-different-state-of-mind-i-can-t-really/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Cupid is naked and does not like artifices contrived by beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/propertius/cupid-is-naked-and-does-not-like-artifices-contrived-by-beauty/) [Propertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/propertius/) > [The girl in the mirror caught my eye briefly...It is an uncanny feeling, that rare occasion when one catches a glimpse of oneself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/the-girl-in-the-mirror-caught-my-eye-briefly-it-is-an-uncanny-feeling/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Each day is a miracle that intoxicates me. I want more. I greet every morning like a new pleasure. 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Would you make no distinction between hypocrisy and devotion? Would you give them the same names, and respect the mask as you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/what-would-you-make-no-distinction-between-hypocrisy-and-devotion/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Art lies by its own artifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/art-lies-by-its-own-artifice/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) [Browse all 166 Artifice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artifice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All is artifice in my world, Constantine. Even me. Especially me. He taught me to be a duchess, to be an impregnable fortress, to be the guardian of my own heart, But he admitted that he could not teach me how or when to allow the fortress to be breached or my heart to be unlocked. It would simply happen, he said. he promised it would, in fact. 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