--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Con men and tricksters run the world…" description: "\"“Con men and tricksters run the world. Rascals rule. And do you know why? because they are hungier than we are. because they know what they want. becau..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/paul-auster-351_rascals_con-men-and-tricksters-run-the-world-ras_354598.jpg" --- # Con men and tricksters run the world. Rascals rule. And do… ![“Con men and tricksters run the world. Rascals rule. And do you know why? because they are hungier than we are. because they know what they want. because they believe in life more than we do.” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/paul-auster-351_rascals_con-men-and-tricksters-run-the-world-ras_354598.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/paul-auster-351_rascals_con-men-and-tricksters-run-the-world-ras_354598.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/paul-auster-351_rascals_con-men-and-tricksters-run-the-world-ras_354598.jpg) > ““Con men and tricksters run the world. Rascals rule. And do you know why? because they are hungier than we are. because they know what they want. because they believe in life more than we do.”” [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People driven by intense desire and clear purpose tend to dominate, often outmaneuvering those who are less ambitious or less certain of their goals. **In simple terms:** Ambition and certainty give power. Key Takeaway Cultivate clear goals and hunger for achievement. Themes ambition power human nature Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - business leadership - politics - personal development Key Concepts psychology motivation social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance ambition with ethical responsibility? - What safeguards prevent power from corrupting? A Different Perspective Ambition can lead to unethical behavior if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Rascals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rascals/) [Tricksters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricksters/) ## Related quotes > [Everything depends on whether we have for opponents those French tricksters or those daring rascals, the English. I prefer the English. Frequently their daring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manfred-von-richthofen/everything-depends-on-whether-we-have-for-opponents-those-french/) [Manfred von Richthofen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manfred-von-richthofen/) > [This is a gathering of Lovers. In this gathering there is no high, no low, no smart, no ignorant, no special assembly, no grand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/this-is-a-gathering-of-lovers-in-this-gathering-there-is-no-high-no/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I am not times fool, nor a god hardened by the millennia; I am not the trickster in the black cape nor the sorrowful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-am-not-times-fool-nor-a-god-hardened-by-the-millennia-i-am-not-the/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [The poor wretches have convinced themselves that they are going to be immortal and live for all time, by worshipping that crucified sophist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian/the-poor-wretches-have-convinced-themselves-that-they-are-going-to-be/) [Lucian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian/) > [He was beautiful, that was always affirmed, but his beauty was hard to fix or to see, for he was always glimmering, flickering, melting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/he-was-beautiful-that-was-always-affirmed-but-his-beauty-was-hard-to/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [Trickster, love will be the end of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/trickster-love-will-be-the-end-of-you/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > [Revolt in whatever way we want, with the spontaneity of the London rioters, with the certainty and willingness to die of religious fundamentalists or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/revolt-in-whatever-way-we-want-with-the-spontaneity-of-the-london/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [The trickster's function is to break taboos, create mischief, stir things up. In the end, the trickster gives people what they really want, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-trickster-s-function-is-to-break-taboos-create-mischief-stir/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The trickster, the riddler, the keeper of balance, he of the many faces who finds life in death and who fears no evil; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/the-trickster-the-riddler-the-keeper-of-balance-he-of-the-many-faces/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [The gods in Yoruba mythology are not remote at all. They're benign, they're malign, they are mischievous, like Eshu for instance, tricksters, rascally, fornicators,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-gods-in-yoruba-mythology-are-not-remote-at-all-they-re-benign/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [To live On means not yours--be brave in silks and laces, Gallant in steeds; splendid in banquets; all Not yours. Given, uninherited, unpaid for;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/to-live-on-means-not-yours-be-brave-in-silks-and-laces-gallant-in/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The art of a news reporter is to learn how to lull a victim, because all good reporters are confidence tricksters in embryo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-tangye/the-art-of-a-news-reporter-is-to-learn-how-to-lull-a-victim-because/) [Derek Tangye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-tangye/) > [The white man is going to keep you integration-minded Negroes cooped up here in America, and when you discover that the white man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-white-man-is-going-to-keep-you-integration-minded-negroes-cooped/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [All gods are tricksters, and war gods worst of any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/all-gods-are-tricksters-and-war-gods-worst-of-any/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [Primitive societies, or social groupings, had shamans, and some of them even more recent in time. Shamans were tricksters. There was a tradition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/primitive-societies-or-social-groupings-had-shamans-and-some-of-them/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) ## More by Paul Auster > [“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-that-he-was-nowhere-and-this/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“No es que escribir me produzca un gran placer, pero es mucho peor si no lo hago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-es-que-escribir-me-produzca-un-gran-placer-pero-es-mucho-peor-si/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-see-the-interesting-thing-about-books-as-opposed-say-to-films-is/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I'm not a man deeply interested in technology. It eludes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-not-a-man-deeply-interested-in-technology-it-eludes-me/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The joke is the purest, most essential form of storytelling. Every word has to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-joke-is-the-purest-most-essential-form-of-storytelling-every-word/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“What people saw when he appeared before them, then, was not really him, but a person he had invented, an artificial creature he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/what-people-saw-when-he-appeared-before-them-then-was-not-really-him/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-long-as-there-s-one-person-to-believe-it-there-s-no-story-that-can/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/writing-has-always-had-a-tactile-quality-for-me-it-s-a-physical/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The ideal reader's the same, and I suppose this person has never had a face or a gender or an age. It's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-ideal-reader-s-the-same-and-i-suppose-this-person-has-never-had-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear. An inventor survives in his inventions, an architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/most-lives-vanish-a-person-dies-and-little-by-little-all-traces-of/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“and cut down many trees. When the Humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-cut-down-many-trees-when-the-humans/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) [Explore all 582 Paul Auster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More Rascals quotes > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In a democracy you cannot stop public access to that art that will most misinform the people. You cannot stop people from being misinformed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/in-a-democracy-you-cannot-stop-public-access-to-that-art-that-will/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [The Jews belong to a dark and repulsive force. One knows how numerous this clique is, how they stick together and what power they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-jews-belong-to-a-dark-and-repulsive-force-one-knows-how-numerous/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [In order to become a great man, one must first be a great rascal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/in-order-to-become-a-great-man-one-must-first-be-a-great-rascal/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Few human creatures would consent to be changed into any of the lower animals for a promise of the fullest allowance of a beast's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/few-human-creatures-would-consent-to-be-changed-into-any-of-the-lower/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Rascals, do you want to live forever?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-ii-holy-roman-emperor/rascals-do-you-want-to-live-forever/) [Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-ii-holy-roman-emperor/) > [I listen to everything. My I-Pod's really diverse-from guitar instrumentals to Rascal Flatts to Usher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/i-listen-to-everything-my-i-pod-s-really-diverse-from-guitar/) [Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/) > [Every rascal is not a thief, but every thief is a rascal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-rascal-is-not-a-thief-but-every-thief-is-a-rascal/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [ Just take them rascals \[rapists, killers, child abusers\] out in the swamp / Put 'em on their knees and tie 'em to a stump… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-daniels/just-take-them-rascals-rapists-killers-child-abusers-out-in-the-swamp/) [Charlie Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-daniels/) > [Democracy is a system that gives people a chance to elect rascals of their own choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-larson/democracy-is-a-system-that-gives-people-a-chance-to-elect-rascals-of/) [Doug Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-larson/) > [The first clergyman was the first rascal who met the first fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-first-clergyman-was-the-first-rascal-who-met-the-first-fool/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [You can trace the E Street Band directly back to the Rascals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-van-zandt/you-can-trace-the-e-street-band-directly-back-to-the-rascals/) [Steven Van Zandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-van-zandt/) > [If the wicked flourish and the fittest survive, Nature must be the god of rascals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-the-wicked-flourish-and-the-fittest-survive-nature-must-be-the-god/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues, freebooters; all Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw. They will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/power-will-go-to-the-hands-of-rascals-rogues-freebooters-all-indian/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [It's past parsons to console us: No, nor no doctor fetch for me: I can die without my bolus; Two of a trade, lass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/it-s-past-parsons-to-console-us-no-nor-no-doctor-fetch-for-me-i-can/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) [Browse all 75 Rascals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rascals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Con men and tricksters run the world. Rascals rule. 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