---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was the passions about whose origin we…"
description: "\"It was the passions about whose origin we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.\" — Oscar Wilde"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/oscar-wilde-16_deceived_it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-w_3072642.jpg"
---

#  It was the passions about whose origin we deceived…

![“It was the passions about whose origin we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/oscar-wilde-16_deceived_it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-w_3072642.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/oscar-wilde-16_deceived_it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-w_3072642.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/oscar-wilde-16_deceived_it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-w_3072642.jpg)

> “It was the passions about whose origin we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.”

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People often deceive themselves about the origins of their passions, which then dominate them.

**In simple terms:** Self‑deception about motives leads to strong, hidden drives.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and examine the true roots of your passions.

Themes

self‑deception passion control truth

Mood

introspective thoughtful

Type

dramatic philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- political intrigue
- creative work
- inner conflict

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy self‑awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- What passions might you be misattributing?
- How does self‑deception affect your decisions?

A Different Perspective

Acknowledging hidden motives can be uncomfortable and destabilizing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/)

## Related quotes

> [It was the passions about whose origin we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us. Our weakest motives were those of whose nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-we-deceived-ourselves-that/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Being tyrannized by Levana had a way of making allies of enemies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/being-tyrannized-by-levana-had-a-way-of-making-allies-of-enemies/)

[Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/)

> [“Those who don't know history are destined to be tyrannized by it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/those-who-don-t-know-history-are-destined-to-be-tyrannized-by-it/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [You become tyrannized by this notion that women must not only be treated equally, but they must never fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/you-become-tyrannized-by-this-notion-that-women-must-not-only-be/)

[David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/)

> [We are tyrannized by our options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-are-tyrannized-by-our-options/)

[Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/)

> [Art springs from life but it doesn't mean we have to be tyrannized by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-kahn/art-springs-from-life-but-it-doesn-t-mean-we-have-to-be-tyrannized-by/)

[Scott Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-kahn/)

> [The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly deceived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-secret-of-life-is-to-appreciate-the-pleasure-of-being-terribly/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The secret to life is to enjoy the pleasure of being terribly, terribly deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-secret-to-life-is-to-enjoy-the-pleasure-of-being-terribly/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Life is the art of being well deceived, and to succeed, it must be habitual and uninterrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-is-the-art-of-being-well-deceived-and-to-succeed-it-must-be/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [It is in the brain, and the brain only, that the great sins of the world take place also. You, Mr. Gray, you yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-in-the-brain-and-the-brain-only-that-the-great-sins-of-the/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Secret to remain young is to have an inordinate passion for pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/secret-to-remain-young-is-to-have-an-inordinate-passion-for-pleasure/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Mundus vult decipi: the world wants to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/mundus-vult-decipi-the-world-wants-to-be-deceived/)

[Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/)

> [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/)

[Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/)

> [You have been deceived by your own cold heart - a curse upon your house and all within it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beauty-and-the-beast/you-have-been-deceived-by-your-own-cold-heart-a-curse-upon-your-house/)

Beauty And The Beast

## More by Oscar Wilde

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

[Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

## More Deceived quotes

> [You have been deceived by your own cold heart - a curse upon your house and all within it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beauty-and-the-beast/you-have-been-deceived-by-your-own-cold-heart-a-curse-upon-your-house/)

Beauty And The Beast

> [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/)

[Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/)

> [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Mundus vult decipi: the world wants to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/mundus-vult-decipi-the-world-wants-to-be-deceived/)

[Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/)

> [When self-interest inclines a man to print, he should consider that the purchaser expects a pennyworth for his penny, and has reason to asperse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/when-self-interest-inclines-a-man-to-print-he-should-consider-that/)

[William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/)

> [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Self-deceit is a sure defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/self-deceit-is-a-sure-defeat/)

[Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/)

> [We have been deceived into believing prayer is all about persuading God to release His power. We no longer need to beg or plead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wommack/we-have-been-deceived-into-believing-prayer-is-all-about-persuading/)

[Andrew Wommack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wommack/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [The intention of never deceiving often exposes us to deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-intention-of-never-deceiving-often-exposes-us-to-deception/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [“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/)

> [In the long run it makes little difference how cleverly others are deceived; if we are not doing what we are best equipped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-brande/in-the-long-run-it-makes-little-difference-how-cleverly-others-are/)

[Dorothea Brande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-brande/)

> [The man who while he gives thinks of what he will get in return, deserves to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-man-who-while-he-gives-thinks-of-what-he-will-get-in-return/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [“The marquis de Carabas was not a good man, and he knew himself well enough to be perfectly certain that he was not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-marquis-de-carabas-was-not-a-good-man-and-he-knew-himself-well/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

Browse all 605 Deceived quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It was the passions about whose origin we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Oscar Wilde"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-we-deceived-ourselves-that-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Deceived"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-we-deceived-ourselves-that-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/oscar-wilde-16_deceived_it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-w_3072642.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/oscar-wilde-16_deceived_it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-w_3072642.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/oscar-wilde-16_deceived_it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-w_3072642.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was the passions about whose origin we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.” — Oscar Wilde",
                "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": "Oscar Wilde",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It was the passions about whose...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-we-deceived-ourselves-that-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-the-passions-about-whose-origin-we-deceived-ourselves-that-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
