---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is as impossible for a man to be…"
description: "\"It is as impossible for a man to be cheated by any one but himself, as for a thing to be and not to be at the same time.\" — Ralph Waldo Emerson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_cheated_it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-chea_2458503.png"
---

#  It is as impossible for a man to be cheated by any one but…

![“It is as impossible for a man to be cheated by any one but himself, as for a thing to be and not to be at the same time.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_cheated_it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-chea_2458503.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_cheated_it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-chea_2458503.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_cheated_it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-chea_2458503.png)

> “It is as impossible for a man to be cheated by any one but himself, as for a thing to be and not to be at the same time.”

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## About This Quote

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

Highlights the paradox of self-deception versus external deception, emphasizing internal honesty.

**In simple terms:** Self-deception is impossible.

Key Takeaway

Seek truth within.

Themes

philosophy self-awareness logic

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal journaling
- ethical decision making
- philosophical debates
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

existentialism critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify your own honesty?
- What safeguards prevent self-deception?

A Different Perspective

Self-awareness can be clouded by bias.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cheated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheated/) [Cheated Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheated-thing-630744/) [Cheating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheating/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Impossible Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible-man-315941/) [Man Cheated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-cheated-630743/)

## Related quotes

> [It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-cheated-by-anyone-but-himself/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I am going to help show the American people that they too cannot trust him, that this is a man that does not live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/i-am-going-to-help-show-the-american-people-that-they-too-cannot/)

[Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/)

> [A man is to be cheated into passion, but to be reasoned into truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/a-man-is-to-be-cheated-into-passion-but-to-be-reasoned-into-truth/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Never let a man define who you are. Never borrow someone elses man. If he cheated with you, hell cheat on you. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-pheona/never-let-a-man-define-who-you-are-never-borrow-someone-elses-man-if/)

[Mercy Pheona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-pheona/)

> [Do not make him into a quasi-god. He is a man, nothing more, nothing less. Never let a man define who you are. Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/do-not-make-him-into-a-quasi-god-he-is-a-man-nothing-more-nothing/)

[Kemmy Nola Http://wwwamoreloveforlifecom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/)

> [No man is more cheated than the selfish man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/no-man-is-more-cheated-than-the-selfish-man/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [HE CHEATED AND THE FIRST THING YOU ASK HIM IS DO YOU LOVE HER Why is it the first thing you ask a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muniir-zero/he-cheated-and-the-first-thing-you-ask-him-is-do-you-love-her-why-is/)

[Muniir Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muniir-zero/)

> [“When GOD wants to do an impossible task He takes an impossible man and crushes him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-redpath/when-god-wants-to-do-an-impossible-task-he-takes-an-impossible-man/)

[Alan Redpath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-redpath/)

> [Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to it himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-weiler/nothing-is-impossible-for-the-man-who-doesn-t-have-to-it-himself/)

[A. H. Weiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-weiler/)

> [He is not cheated who knows he is being cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-coke/he-is-not-cheated-who-knows-he-is-being-cheated/)

[Edward Coke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-coke/)

> [If you've been cheated on in a relationship, one of the most difficult things is to eventually learn about the multiple points of deception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-madix/if-you-ve-been-cheated-on-in-a-relationship-one-of-the-most-difficult/)

[Ariana Madix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-madix/)

> [You know you're not sorry if you cheated you're just sorry you got caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-you-re-not-sorry-if-you-cheated-you-re-just-sorry-you-got/)

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

> [I was told for many years the reason my huband cheated on me was because I worked to much. Well in my eye I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-told-for-many-years-the-reason-my-huband-cheated-on-me-was/)

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

> [Three things are men most likely to be cheated in, a horse, a wig, and a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/three-things-are-men-most-likely-to-be-cheated-in-a-horse-a-wig-and-a/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [We met, we talked, we liked, we dated, we committed, we loved, you cheated, we're done, we're deleted. All this time it was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-met-we-talked-we-liked-we-dated-we-committed-we-loved-you-cheated/)

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

## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

[Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## More Cheated quotes

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

> [I loved you, I put my time into you, you failed. like a test, you cheated. you controlled me for to long and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-ann/i-loved-you-i-put-my-time-into-you-you-failed-like-a-test-you-cheated/)

[Zoe Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-ann/)

> [I felt cheated by the way grown-ups told me that the future of the world was bleak when I became a teenager in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/i-felt-cheated-by-the-way-grown-ups-told-me-that-the-future-of-the/)

[Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/)

> [1st time being cheated on that I know of. Worst day of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/1st-time-being-cheated-on-that-i-know-of-worst-day-of-my-life/)

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

> [“I thought if I loved you enough I could change you. I was so stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-thought-if-i-loved-you-enough-i-could-change-you-i-was-so-stupid/)

[Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/)

> [It was like she was cheated. Only nobody had cheated her. So there was nobody to take it out on. However, just the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/it-was-like-she-was-cheated-only-nobody-had-cheated-her-so-there-was/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [We've all had someone break our hearts or have been fired from a job or have been cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/we-ve-all-had-someone-break-our-hearts-or-have-been-fired-from-a-job/)

[Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/)

> [I've never cheated. I've been cheated on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maura-higgins/i-ve-never-cheated-i-ve-been-cheated-on/)

[Maura Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maura-higgins/)

> [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [I tried to hold onto what we had, but you didn't even make an effort. You lied, you cheated, and left me to cry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-tried-to-hold-onto-what-we-had-but-you-didn-t-even-make-an-effort/)

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

> [“If you've treated your girlfriend without respect, taken advantage of her, or cheated on her, your actions have taught her that she has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-shipp/if-you-ve-treated-your-girlfriend-without-respect-taken-advantage-of/)

[Josh Shipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-shipp/)

> [Although all men are born free, slavery has been the general lot of the human race. Ignorant--they have been cheated; asleep--they have been surprised;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/although-all-men-are-born-free-slavery-has-been-the-general-lot-of/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [To be intimate with a married man, when my own father cheated on my mother, is not something I could forgive. I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/to-be-intimate-with-a-married-man-when-my-own-father-cheated-on-my/)

[Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/)

> [“I don’t know how these things died without benefit of a bullet to the brain pan. They seemed to exist in an eternal twilight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-don-t-know-how-these-things-died-without-benefit-of-a-bullet-to-the/)

[Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/)

> [When we see the many grave-stones which have fallen in, which have been defaced by the footsteps of the congregation, which lie buried under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/when-we-see-the-many-grave-stones-which-have-fallen-in-which-have/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

[Browse all 589 Cheated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheated/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is as impossible for a man to be cheated by any one but himself, as for a thing to be and not to be at the same time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-cheated-by-any-one-but-himself-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cheated"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-cheated-by-any-one-but-himself-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_cheated_it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-chea_2458503.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_cheated_it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-chea_2458503.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_cheated_it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-chea_2458503.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is as impossible for a man to be cheated by any one but himself, as for a thing to be and not to be at…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                "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": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is as impossible for a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-cheated-by-any-one-but-himself-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-as-impossible-for-a-man-to-be-cheated-by-any-one-but-himself-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
