---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The division between art and deviousness…"
description: "\"The division between art and deviousness and crime is sometimes as thin as a cigarette paper.\" — Robertson Davies"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/robertson-davies-834_art_the-division-between-art-and-deviousness_1441778.png"
---

#  The division between art and deviousness and crime is…

![“The division between art and deviousness and crime is sometimes as thin as a cigarette paper.” quote by Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/robertson-davies-834_art_the-division-between-art-and-deviousness_1441778.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/robertson-davies-834_art_the-division-between-art-and-deviousness_1441778.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/robertson-davies-834_art_the-division-between-art-and-deviousness_1441778.png)

> “The division between art and deviousness and crime is sometimes as thin as a cigarette paper.”

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

## About This Quote

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

Art, deception, and crime blur lines, making moral boundaries fragile.

**In simple terms:** Art and crime can be indistinguishable.

Key Takeaway

Question moral distinctions in creative acts.

Themes

ethics art crime

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- literary analysis
- legal ethics
- null

Key Concepts

moral ambiguity creative deception

Questions to Reflect On

- When does artistic expression cross ethical lines?
- How can society discern intent?

A Different Perspective

Artistic freedom can be misused for harmful deception.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Deviousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-deviousness-5161861/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Cigarette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette/) [Cigarette Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette-paper-5161863/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Deviousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deviousness-46220/) [Deviousness Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deviousness-crime-5161862/) [Division](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division/) [Division Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division-art-935816/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/)

## Related quotes

> [We wanted to step off our island and add the color of the third world. We got gold cigarette paper and stuck it around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/we-wanted-to-step-off-our-island-and-add-the-color-of-the-third-world/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [I don't make a division between an art film and commercial art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wright/i-don-t-make-a-division-between-an-art-film-and-commercial-art/)

[Joe Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wright/)

> [The business of proving evolution has reached a stage when it is futile for biologists to work merely to discover more and more evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-business-of-proving-evolution-has-reached-a-stage-when-it-is/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [All our parents have levels of deviousness. We're driven to write about this discrepancy between the bright shining selves they invented and the monsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-du-plessix-gray/all-our-parents-have-levels-of-deviousness-we-re-driven-to-write/)

[Francine du Plessix Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-du-plessix-gray/)

> [Such letters...from the FDA, are, filled with objectively demonstrable lies, practiced deceptions and deviousness, red herrings, directed misinformation, misdirected information, etc. ...Once FDA-NCI-AMA-ACS...concedes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-burk/such-letters-from-the-fda-are-filled-with-objectively-demonstrable/)

[Dean Burk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-burk/)

> [Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness-and-duplicity-since-the-dawn/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [If all boys could be made to know that with every breath of cigarette smoke they inhale imbecility and exhale manhood ... and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-maxim/if-all-boys-could-be-made-to-know-that-with-every-breath-of-cigarette/)

[Hudson Maxim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-maxim/)

> [They represent tomorrow's cigarette business. . . As this 14-24 age group matures, they will account for a key share of the total cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-reynolds/they-represent-tomorrow-s-cigarette-business-as-this-14-24-age-group/)

[R. J. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-reynolds/)

> [“When I was young” … “Before I was twenty, I mean, I used to think that life was a thing that kept gaining impetus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/when-i-was-young-before-i-was-twenty-i-mean-i-used-to-think-that-life/)

[Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/)

> [If the fact that people make poor decisions is reason enough for the government to second-guess their decisions about dangerous activities such as smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-sullum/if-the-fact-that-people-make-poor-decisions-is-reason-enough-for-the/)

[Jacob Sullum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-sullum/)

> [Since I don't smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/since-i-don-t-smoke-i-decided-to-grow-a-mustache-it-is-better-for-the/)

[Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/)

> [We have too many preacherettes preaching too many sermonettes to too many Christianettes smoking cigarettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/we-have-too-many-preacherettes-preaching-too-many-sermonettes-to-too/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

[Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/)

> [Books were always important. I have to thank my father, he filled my life with books. He didn't write but he always read. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/books-were-always-important-i-have-to-thank-my-father-he-filled-my/)

[Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/)

> [“Yeah,' I said and started smoking another cigarette. Unless I inform you otherwise, I'm always smoking another cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/yeah-i-said-and-started-smoking-another-cigarette-unless-i-inform-you/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

## More by Robertson Davies

> [“...the irrational will have its say, perhaps because 'irrational' is the wrong word for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-irrational-will-have-its-say-perhaps-because-irrational-is-the/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [If you're going to do something that looks evil, don't smear it with icing and pretend it's good; just bloody well do it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-you-re-going-to-do-something-that-looks-evil-don-t-smear-it-with/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/extraordinary-people-survive-under-the-most-terrible-circumstances/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [If I had to describe my remarks this evening frankly as if I were in police court and on oath, so to speak I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-i-had-to-describe-my-remarks-this-evening-frankly-as-if-i-were-in/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other nation in history, love to abase themselves and proclaim their unworthiness, and seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-people-of-the-united-states-perhaps-more-than-any-other-nation-in/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [I don't suppose God laughs at the people who think He doesn't exist. He's above jokes. But the devil isn't. That's one of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/i-don-t-suppose-god-laughs-at-the-people-who-think-he-doesn-t-exist/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/inactivity-and-deprivation-of-all-accustomed-stimulus-is-not-rest-it/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [“My lifelong involvement with Mrs Dempster began at 5:58 o'clock p.m. on 27 December 1908, at which time I was ten years and seven months old.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/my-lifelong-involvement-with-mrs-dempster-began-at-5-58-o-clock-p-m/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/in-a-government-like-ours-the-crown-is-the-abiding-and-unshakable/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [The art of the quoter is to know when to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-art-of-the-quoter-is-to-know-when-to-stop/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [There can be no doubt that Samuel Marchbanks is one of the choice and master spirits of this age. If there were such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-samuel-marchbanks-is-one-of-the-choice-and/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Nobody who looks as though he enjoyed life is ever called distinguished, though he is a man in a million.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/nobody-who-looks-as-though-he-enjoyed-life-is-ever-called/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [They're all so highly educated, you know. Education is a great shield against experience. It offers so much, ready-made and all from the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/they-re-all-so-highly-educated-you-know-education-is-a-great-shield/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [Students today are a pretty solemn lot. One of the really notable achievements of the twentieth century has been to make the young old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/students-today-are-a-pretty-solemn-lot-one-of-the-really-notable/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

[Explore all 357 Robertson Davies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

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

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

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

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The division between art and deviousness and crime is sometimes as thin as a cigarette paper.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robertson Davies"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-division-between-art-and-deviousness-and-crime-is-sometimes-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-division-between-art-and-deviousness-and-crime-is-sometimes-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/robertson-davies-834_art_the-division-between-art-and-deviousness_1441778.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/robertson-davies-834_art_the-division-between-art-and-deviousness_1441778.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/robertson-davies-834_art_the-division-between-art-and-deviousness_1441778.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The division between art and deviousness and crime is sometimes as thin as a cigarette paper.” — Robertson Davies",
                "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": "Robertson Davies",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The division between art and deviousness...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-division-between-art-and-deviousness-and-crime-is-sometimes-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-division-between-art-and-deviousness-and-crime-is-sometimes-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
