--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So what did you think the devil would…" description: "\"“So what did you think the devil would look like? If he were red with a tail, horns, and cloven hooves, any fool could say no.”\" — Thomas C. Foster" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/thomas-c-foster-20469_quote_so-what-did-you-think-the-devil-would-lo_1972763.jpg" --- # So what did you think the devil would look like? If he… ![“So what did you think the devil would look like? If he were red with a tail, horns, and cloven hooves, any fool could say no.” quote by Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/thomas-c-foster-20469_quote_so-what-did-you-think-the-devil-would-lo_1972763.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/thomas-c-foster-20469_quote_so-what-did-you-think-the-devil-would-lo_1972763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/thomas-c-foster-20469_quote_so-what-did-you-think-the-devil-would-lo_1972763.jpg) > ““So what did you think the devil would look like? If he were red with a tail, horns, and cloven hooves, any fool could say no.”” [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stereotypical images of evil limit imagination; the devil can be any form beyond clichés. **In simple terms:** The devil isn’t limited to common depictions. Key Takeaway Challenge conventional symbols to see deeper meanings. Themes stereotypes imagination symbolism Mood thoughtful curious Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - reading fiction - film analysis - creative writing - art critique Key Concepts literature mythology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you interpret symbols beyond stereotypes? - What alternative images could represent evil? A Different Perspective May ignore cultural contexts that shape symbols. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) ## Related quotes > [If thou has not seen the devil, look at thine own self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-thou-has-not-seen-the-devil-look-at-thine-own-self/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I could care less about what people think. I'm a Devil Without A Cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-could-care-less-about-what-people-think-i-m-a-devil-without-a-cause/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I don't even own a TV because I think it's the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-diaz/i-don-t-even-own-a-tv-because-i-think-it-s-the-devil/) [Cameron Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-diaz/) > [“I was a fool,' I say, because I might as well admit it. 'I gave up the bird in my hand for two in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/i-was-a-fool-i-say-because-i-might-as-well-admit-it-i-gave-up-the/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [I'd be a fool to say I wasn't interested in playing the Doctor but I honestly haven't heard anything at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rosenthal/i-d-be-a-fool-to-say-i-wasn-t-interested-in-playing-the-doctor-but-i/) [Tom Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rosenthal/) > [It is the part of a fool to say, I should not have thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scipio-africanus/it-is-the-part-of-a-fool-to-say-i-should-not-have-thought/) [Scipio Africanus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scipio-africanus/) > [The fool say there is no God; why? because they are foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clerecup/the-fool-say-there-is-no-god-why-because-they-are-foolish/) Clerecup > [All things and all people in life have to sink or swim on their own merits, not their reputation; that just as a wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/all-things-and-all-people-in-life-have-to-sink-or-swim-on-their-own/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [Just as a wise man can say something foolish, a fool can say something wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/just-as-a-wise-man-can-say-something-foolish-a-fool-can-say-something/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [It takes a courageous fool to say things that have not been said and to do things that have not been done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-takes-a-courageous-fool-to-say-things-that-have-not-been-said-and/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [A lot of people like to fool you and say that you're not smart if you never went to college, but common sense rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/a-lot-of-people-like-to-fool-you-and-say-that-you-re-not-smart-if-you/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [You thought you could fool me with what you say but just remember, actions speak louder than words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-thought-you-could-fool-me-with-what-you-say-but-just-remember/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any fool can say he is wise but only someone wise can admit he is a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reed/any-fool-can-say-he-is-wise-but-only-someone-wise-can-admit-he-is-a/) [Michael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reed/) > [A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/a-wise-man-speaks-because-he-has-something-to-say-a-fool-because-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [A fool will say, I have no friend, And I get no thanks for my good deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wisdom-of-sirach-20-16/a-fool-will-say-i-have-no-friend-and-i-get-no-thanks-for-my-good-deeds/) Wisdom Of Sirach 20:16 ## More by Thomas C. Foster > [“I can’t go as far as Barthes in killing off the author, but I’m with him on the importance of the reader. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/i-can-t-go-as-far-as-barthes-in-killing-off-the-author-but-i-m-with/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“of his need to assert responsibility for his own life. It may be that Adela does panic in the face of Nothingness, only recovering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/of-his-need-to-assert-responsibility-for-his-own-life-it-may-be-that/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“When it's over, we may feel wooed, adored, appreciated, or abused, but it will have been an affair to remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/when-it-s-over-we-may-feel-wooed-adored-appreciated-or-abused-but-it/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“The novels we read allow us to encounter possible persons, versions of ourselves hat we would never see, never permit ourselves to see, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-novels-we-read-allow-us-to-encounter-possible-persons-versions-of/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“Education is mostly about institutions and getting tickets stamped; learning is what we do for ourselves. When we're lucky, they go together. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/education-is-mostly-about-institutions-and-getting-tickets-stamped/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“The novels we read allow us to encounter possible persons, visions of ourselves that we would never see, never permit ourselves to become, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-novels-we-read-allow-us-to-encounter-possible-persons-visions-of/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“we accept fictions as fictions, as things that might be true in their world, if not quite in ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/we-accept-fictions-as-fictions-as-things-that-might-be-true-in-their/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“We sometimes hear of the death of literature or of this or that genre, but literature doesn't die, just as it doesn't 'progress' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/we-sometimes-hear-of-the-death-of-literature-or-of-this-or-that-genre/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“corollaries—where have I seen his face, don’t I know that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/corollaries-where-have-i-seen-his-face-don-t-i-know-that/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“Always" and "never" are not words that have much meaning in literary study. For one thing, as soon as something seems to always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/always-and-never-are-not-words-that-have-much-meaning-in-literary/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“What happens if the writer is good is usually not that the work seems derivative or trivial but just the opposite: the work actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/what-happens-if-the-writer-is-good-is-usually-not-that-the-work-seems/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“characters as rich and complex as those we believe ourselves to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/characters-as-rich-and-complex-as-those-we-believe-ourselves-to-be/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“So how do we get from there to a pattern of experience that can stand for the whole of postcolonial Latin America? Ah, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/so-how-do-we-get-from-there-to-a-pattern-of-experience-that-can-stand/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“Every novel is brand-new. It’s never been written before in the history of the world. At the same time, it’s merely the latest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/every-novel-is-brand-new-it-s-never-been-written-before-in-the/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“The process of dehuminazing the locals was under way, and it had very little to do with veracity. The Puritan narratives would continue that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-process-of-dehuminazing-the-locals-was-under-way-and-it-had-very/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) [Explore all 29 Thomas C. Foster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) ## 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 > [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": "“So what did you think the devil would look like? 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