--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They who once engage in iniquitous…" description: "\"They who once engage in iniquitous designs miserably deceive themselves when they think that they will go so far and no farther; one fault begets anoth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/robert-southey-4115_begets_they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-desig_1121178.jpg" --- # They who once engage in iniquitous designs miserably… ![“They who once engage in iniquitous designs miserably deceive themselves when they think that they will go so far and no farther; one fault begets another, one crime renders another necessary; and thus they are impelled continually downward into a depth of guilt, which at the commencement of their…” quote by Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/robert-southey-4115_begets_they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-desig_1121178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/robert-southey-4115_begets_they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-desig_1121178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/robert-southey-4115_begets_they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-desig_1121178.jpg) > “They who once engage in iniquitous designs miserably deceive themselves when they think that they will go so far and no farther; one fault begets another, one crime renders another necessary; and thus they are impelled continually downward into a depth of guilt, which at the commencement of their career they would have died rather than have incurred.” [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bad deeds create a chain of escalating wrongdoing, leading to deeper guilt and inevitable downfall. **In simple terms:** Wrong actions cause more wrongs and increasing guilt. Key Takeaway Avoid harmful choices early. Themes morality consequences guilt Mood reflective somber Type cautionary ethical When to use this quote - career start - legal decisions - personal relationships - financial dealings Key Concepts ethical decay self‑deception cumulative harm Questions to Reflect On - What patterns of escalation have you observed? - How can early accountability prevent later guilt? A Different Perspective Even with awareness, people may rationalize continued misdeeds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begets/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Commencement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commencement/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Deceive Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive-think-2858384/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Depth Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth-guilt-3034648/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Faults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faults/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Guilt Commencement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt-commencement-3034652/) [Miserably Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserably-deceive-3034650/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [None more deceive themselves than they who think their religion is true and genuine, thought it refines not their spirits and reforms not their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/none-more-deceive-themselves-than-they-who-think-their-religion-is/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [“The easiest person in the world to deceive is yourself. 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It's holy flame forever burneth; from Heaven it came, to Heaven returneth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/love-is-indestructible-it-s-holy-flame-forever-burneth-from-heaven-it/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [Live as long as you may, the first twenty years are the longest half of your life. 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Those who are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-heckman/cognitive-and-character-skills-work-together-as-dynamic-complements/) [James Heckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-heckman/) > [Suspicion on one side breeds suspicion on the other, and new weapons beget counter-weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/suspicion-on-one-side-breeds-suspicion-on-the-other-and-new-weapons/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Energy begets energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/energy-begets-energy/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [War destroys. War obliterates. War is ruination. And war begets more war. 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It's natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munshi-premchand/trust-begets-trust-and-untrust-begets-untrust-it-s-natural/) [Munshi Premchand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munshi-premchand/) [Browse all 257 Begets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They who once engage in iniquitous designs miserably deceive themselves when they think that they will go so far and no farther; one fault begets another, one crime renders another necessary; and thus they are impelled continually downward into a depth of guilt, which at the commencement of their career they would have died rather than have incurred.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Southey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-designs-miserably-deceive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Begets" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-designs-miserably-deceive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/robert-southey-4115_begets_they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-desig_1121178.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/robert-southey-4115_begets_they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-desig_1121178.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de8/robert-southey-4115_begets_they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-desig_1121178.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They who once engage in iniquitous designs miserably deceive themselves when they think that they will go so…” — Robert Southey", "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 Southey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "They who once engage in iniquitous...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-designs-miserably-deceive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/they-who-once-engage-in-iniquitous-designs-miserably-deceive/#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 } } ] } ```