--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Deceiving world, that with alluring…" description: "\"Deceiving world, that with alluring toysHast made my life the subject of thy scorn,And scornest now to lend thy fading joys,T'outlength my life, whom f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/robert-greene-498_alluring_deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toysh_1756279.png" --- # Deceiving world, that with alluring toysHast made my life… ![“Deceiving world, that with alluring toysHast made my life the subject of thy scorn,And scornest now to lend thy fading joys,T'outlength my life, whom friends have left forlorn;How well are they that die ere they be born,And never see thy sleights, which few men shunTill unawares they helpless are…” quote by Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/robert-greene-498_alluring_deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toysh_1756279.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/robert-greene-498_alluring_deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toysh_1756279.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/robert-greene-498_alluring_deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toysh_1756279.png) > “Deceiving world, that with alluring toysHast made my life the subject of thy scorn,And scornest now to lend thy fading joys,T'outlength my life, whom friends have left forlorn;How well are they that die ere they be born,And never see thy sleights, which few men shunTill unawares they helpless are undone!” [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem warns that seductive distractions can lead to ruin, and that those who ignore warning signs become helpless victims. **In simple terms:** Distractions can destroy lives if ignored. Key Takeaway Beware alluring temptations and heed warnings. Themes temptation danger awareness Mood cautionary melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal finance - relationships - career decisions - media consumption Key Concepts seduction self‑deception vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What distractions have you ignored? - How do you recognize genuine risk? A Different Perspective Not all temptations are harmful; some can inspire growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alluring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alluring/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Deceiving World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving-world-1650912/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fading/) [Fading Joys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fading-joys-1650915/) [Forlorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forlorn/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Scorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scorn/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Thy Scorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thy-scorn-1650913/) [Thy Sleights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thy-sleights-1650914/) [Undone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undone/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“How readily and thinly we procure these fictional selves, deceiving the world and what we might have become if only we hadn't got in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/how-readily-and-thinly-we-procure-these-fictional-selves-deceiving/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/deceiving-others-that-is-what-the-world-calls-a-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Procrastination is something you do yourself. You know: "I gotta sharpen these pencils before I start. I got 20 pencils, they're looking kinda dull."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/procrastination-is-something-you-do-yourself-you-know-i-gotta-sharpen/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [I am like a mariner born and bred on board a buccaneer brig whose soul has become so inured to storm and strife that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-am-like-a-mariner-born-and-bred-on-board-a-buccaneer-brig-whose/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [Just as meekness is in all our virtues, so is pride in all our sins. Whatever its momentary and alluring guise, pride is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/just-as-meekness-is-in-all-our-virtues-so-is-pride-in-all-our-sins/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [“The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. Many politicians promise green, green grass by blending niceties with delusion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/the-grass-always-seems-greener-on-the-other-side-of-the-fence-many/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Depression is so treacherous - it can be so alluring as well as punishing. After all, it's yours and yours alone - no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-jefferson/depression-is-so-treacherous-it-can-be-so-alluring-as-well-as/) [Margo Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-jefferson/) > [“I didn't want to be someone pretending to be a woman; I wanted to know what it was like to be a sexual woman...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-angelina-birch/i-didn-t-want-to-be-someone-pretending-to-be-a-woman-i-wanted-to-know/) [Jessica Angelina Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-angelina-birch/) > [When I was a kid, I always had a big thing for Dannii Minogue. Initially I liked Kylie, but I quickly moved on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-buchan/when-i-was-a-kid-i-always-had-a-big-thing-for-dannii-minogue/) [Andrew Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-buchan/) > [“Modesty has, and will remain, an alluring trait because where egoism falters, humility conquers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-paula/modesty-has-and-will-remain-an-alluring-trait-because-where-egoism/) [Andy Paula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-paula/) > [Soft addictions are an alluring, seductive aspect of our culture - they are easy to attain and socially acceptable, they are even encouraged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-wright/soft-addictions-are-an-alluring-seductive-aspect-of-our-culture-they/) [Judith Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-wright/) > [“Nothing overdone, nothing racy, which made her all the more alluring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/nothing-overdone-nothing-racy-which-made-her-all-the-more-alluring/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [Mars tugs at the human imagination like no other planet. With a force mightier than gravity, it attracts the eye to its shimmering red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-noble-wilford/mars-tugs-at-the-human-imagination-like-no-other-planet-with-a-force/) [John Noble Wilford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-noble-wilford/) > [Don't yield to that alluring witch, laziness, or else be prepared to surrender all that you have won in your better moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/don-t-yield-to-that-alluring-witch-laziness-or-else-be-prepared-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) ## More by Robert Greene > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I'm afraid I'm just too intense to have soft ideas, you know, about what to read when you're trying to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-afraid-i-m-just-too-intense-to-have-soft-ideas-you-know-about/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right. They set traps, asking you to do things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-me-spell-it-out-with-the-psychotic-boss-nothing-you-do-is-ever/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Evil or manipulative people don't need a book, they just do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/evil-or-manipulative-people-don-t-need-a-book-they-just-do-it-anyway/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Remember: your bosses prefer to keep you in dependent positions. It is in their interest that you do not become self-reliant, and so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/remember-your-bosses-prefer-to-keep-you-in-dependent-positions-it-is/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [It's sometimes hard to talk about politics and art. Obviously, I have my core beliefs, but I think art is best when it's troublesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-talk-about-politics-and-art-obviously-i-have/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Your energy, your spirit are important considerations. Feeling petty and frustrated can have reverberating consequences for your ability to think strategically and reach your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/your-energy-your-spirit-are-important-considerations-feeling-petty/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic- as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/fear-creates-its-own-self-fulfilling-dynamic-as-people-give-into-it/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“It is hard for us to imagine now, but our earliest human ancestors who ventured out onto the grasslands of East Africa some six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-is-hard-for-us-to-imagine-now-but-our-earliest-human-ancestors-who/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“Let us call this quality the Original Mind. This mind looked at the world more directly—not through words and received ideas. It was flexible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-us-call-this-quality-the-original-mind-this-mind-looked-at-the/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Explore all 511 Robert Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## More Alluring quotes > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) > [Don't yield to that alluring witch, laziness, or else be prepared to surrender all that you have won in your better moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/don-t-yield-to-that-alluring-witch-laziness-or-else-be-prepared-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Mars tugs at the human imagination like no other planet. With a force mightier than gravity, it attracts the eye to its shimmering red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-noble-wilford/mars-tugs-at-the-human-imagination-like-no-other-planet-with-a-force/) [John Noble Wilford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-noble-wilford/) > [“Nothing overdone, nothing racy, which made her all the more alluring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/nothing-overdone-nothing-racy-which-made-her-all-the-more-alluring/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [Soft addictions are an alluring, seductive aspect of our culture - they are easy to attain and socially acceptable, they are even encouraged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-wright/soft-addictions-are-an-alluring-seductive-aspect-of-our-culture-they/) [Judith Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-wright/) > [“Modesty has, and will remain, an alluring trait because where egoism falters, humility conquers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-paula/modesty-has-and-will-remain-an-alluring-trait-because-where-egoism/) [Andy Paula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-paula/) > [When I was a kid, I always had a big thing for Dannii Minogue. Initially I liked Kylie, but I quickly moved on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-buchan/when-i-was-a-kid-i-always-had-a-big-thing-for-dannii-minogue/) [Andrew Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-buchan/) > [“I didn't want to be someone pretending to be a woman; I wanted to know what it was like to be a sexual woman...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-angelina-birch/i-didn-t-want-to-be-someone-pretending-to-be-a-woman-i-wanted-to-know/) [Jessica Angelina Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-angelina-birch/) > [Depression is so treacherous - it can be so alluring as well as punishing. After all, it's yours and yours alone - no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-jefferson/depression-is-so-treacherous-it-can-be-so-alluring-as-well-as/) [Margo Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-jefferson/) > [“The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. Many politicians promise green, green grass by blending niceties with delusion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/the-grass-always-seems-greener-on-the-other-side-of-the-fence-many/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Just as meekness is in all our virtues, so is pride in all our sins. Whatever its momentary and alluring guise, pride is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/just-as-meekness-is-in-all-our-virtues-so-is-pride-in-all-our-sins/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [I am like a mariner born and bred on board a buccaneer brig whose soul has become so inured to storm and strife that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-am-like-a-mariner-born-and-bred-on-board-a-buccaneer-brig-whose/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [Procrastination is something you do yourself. You know: "I gotta sharpen these pencils before I start. I got 20 pencils, they're looking kinda dull."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/procrastination-is-something-you-do-yourself-you-know-i-gotta-sharpen/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [There is no more alluring airspace in the world than the slit up a China girl's dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-k-gann/there-is-no-more-alluring-airspace-in-the-world-than-the-slit-up-a/) [Ernest K. Gann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-k-gann/) > [And I particularly like the whole thing of being boss. Boss and employee... It's the slave quality that I find very alluring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/and-i-particularly-like-the-whole-thing-of-being-boss-boss-and/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) [Browse all 105 Alluring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alluring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Deceiving world, that with alluring toysHast made my life the subject of thy scorn,And scornest now to lend thy fading joys,T'outlength my life, whom friends have left forlorn;How well are they that die ere they be born,And never see thy sleights, which few men shunTill unawares they helpless are undone!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Greene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toyshast-made-my-life-the-subject/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alluring" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toyshast-made-my-life-the-subject/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/robert-greene-498_alluring_deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toysh_1756279.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/robert-greene-498_alluring_deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toysh_1756279.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/robert-greene-498_alluring_deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toysh_1756279.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Deceiving world, that with alluring toysHast made my life the subject of thy scorn,And scornest now to lend…” — Robert Greene", "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": "Robert Greene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Deceiving world, that with alluring toysHast...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toyshast-made-my-life-the-subject/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/deceiving-world-that-with-alluring-toyshast-made-my-life-the-subject/#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 } } ] } ```