--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes the devil you knew was goddamn…" description: "\"“Sometimes the devil you knew was goddamn worse than the one you only pretended to know.”\" — Scott Warren" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/scott-warren-87262_devil_sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn_185650.jpg" --- # Sometimes the devil you knew was goddamn worse than the… ![“Sometimes the devil you knew was goddamn worse than the one you only pretended to know.” quote by Scott Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/scott-warren-87262_devil_sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn_185650.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/scott-warren-87262_devil_sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn_185650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/scott-warren-87262_devil_sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn_185650.jpg) > ““Sometimes the devil you knew was goddamn worse than the one you only pretended to know.”” [Scott Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-warren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The familiar evil can be more damaging than an unknown threat because it erodes trust and expectations. **In simple terms:** Known devil can be worse than imagined one. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant of hidden dangers in familiar places. Themes trust deception familiarity danger Mood cautious serious Type warning philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace dynamics - political environments Key Concepts psychology of betrayal risk assessment unknown vs known Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize subtle threats from trusted sources? - What safeguards can protect against familiar harm? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on unknown threats can blind us to real risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Devil Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil-knew-1973480/) [Goddamn Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goddamn-worse-1973482/) [Pretended Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretended-know-1973483/) [Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse/) [Worse Pretended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-pretended-1973481/) ## Related quotes > [The Internet is great for things, like finding the answers to things you pretended to know or stalking people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-sipos/the-internet-is-great-for-things-like-finding-the-answers-to-things/) [Shaun Sipos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-sipos/) > [Funny how you told me that you loved me..n the other day you pretended not to know me.wow!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika/funny-how-you-told-me-that-you-loved-me-n-the-other-day-you-pretended/) [Bhumika](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika/) > [“We walked through the streets with our protectors. We wore our dresses. We gave up our education because that was the price of safety.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-redwine/we-walked-through-the-streets-with-our-protectors-we-wore-our-dresses/) [C.J. Redwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-redwine/) > [“Perhaps his next task should be to concoct an eighth deadly sin. Or he could work toward finding even a dozen. The devil knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-enoch/perhaps-his-next-task-should-be-to-concoct-an-eighth-deadly-sin-or-he/) [Suzanne Enoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-enoch/) > [“choose between the devil she knew and the devil she didn’t, she would rather choose the one who – so far, at least –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-eaton/choose-between-the-devil-she-knew-and-the-devil-she-didn-t-she-would/) [Jillian Eaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-eaton/) > [The devil knew what he did when he made men politic; he crossed himself by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-devil-knew-what-he-did-when-he-made-men-politic-he-crossed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The devil you knew was always preferable to the devil you didn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-devil-you-knew-was-always-preferable-to-the-devil-you-didn-t/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I shoot the man who told me my womanism is of the devil As if he knew the demons that trouble me These demons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-v-sawyerr/i-shoot-the-man-who-told-me-my-womanism-is-of-the-devil-as-if-he-knew/) [Hannah V. Sawyerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-v-sawyerr/) > [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Being fed up of someone can be even worse than disliking them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-fed-up-of-someone-can-be-even-worse-than-disliking-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We come to know best what men are, in their worse jeopardizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-daniel/we-come-to-know-best-what-men-are-in-their-worse-jeopardizes/) [Samuel Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-daniel/) > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [... there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/there-are-far-far-worse-things-in-the-living-world-than-dying/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [“This was going to be worse than the time I table danced in the diner in high school!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bryson/this-was-going-to-be-worse-than-the-time-i-table-danced-in-the-diner/) [Kathy Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bryson/) ## More by Scott Warren > [“That little shit. If we pull through this I’ll nail his dick to the wall with those logs so hard I’ll make the Reformation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-warren/that-little-shit-if-we-pull-through-this-i-ll-nail-his-dick-to-the/) [Scott Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-warren/) > [“If this book is the same weight as any given duck, it is purely a matter of coincidence. This book is not a witch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-warren/if-this-book-is-the-same-weight-as-any-given-duck-it-is-purely-a/) [Scott Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-warren/) [Explore all 3 Scott Warren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-warren/) ## More Devil quotes > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Beauty is not only a terrible thing, it is also a mysterious thing. There God and the Devil strive for mastery, and the battleground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/beauty-is-not-only-a-terrible-thing-it-is-also-a-mysterious-thing/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [The devil has been defeated, stop trying to defeat him. What we have left is the fight of faith, and it's a good fight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-oyakhilome/the-devil-has-been-defeated-stop-trying-to-defeat-him-what-we-have/) [Chris Oyakhilome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-oyakhilome/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [And so it is, that both the Devil and the angelic Spirit present us with objects of desire to awaken our power of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/and-so-it-is-that-both-the-devil-and-the-angelic-spirit-present-us/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Remember that Abraham Lincoln was a Whig far longer than he was a Republican. As a whole, the Whigs looked upon banks and corporations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-c-guelzo/remember-that-abraham-lincoln-was-a-whig-far-longer-than-he-was-a/) [Allen C. Guelzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-c-guelzo/) > [Wine is the first weapon that devils use in attacking the young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/wine-is-the-first-weapon-that-devils-use-in-attacking-the-young/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [This is the gift of your species and this is the danger, because you do not choose to control your imaginings. You imagine wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-is-the-gift-of-your-species-and-this-is-the-danger-because-you/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [If it was a sin for you to choose me . . . then I would go to the Devil himself and bless him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/if-it-was-a-sin-for-you-to-choose-me-then-i-would-go-to-the-devil/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”—Charles Baudelaire “The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-greatest-trick-the-devil-ever-pulled-was-convincing-the-world-he/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) [Browse all 4,283 Devil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes the devil you knew was goddamn worse than the one you only pretended to know.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Warren" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-warren/sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn-worse-than-the-one-you-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Devil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-warren/sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn-worse-than-the-one-you-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/scott-warren-87262_devil_sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn_185650.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/scott-warren-87262_devil_sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn_185650.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/scott-warren-87262_devil_sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn_185650.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes the devil you knew was goddamn worse than the one you only pretended to know.” — Scott Warren", "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": "Scott Warren", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-warren/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes the devil you knew was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-warren/sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn-worse-than-the-one-you-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-warren/sometimes-the-devil-you-knew-was-goddamn-worse-than-the-one-you-only/#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 } } ] } ```