John W. Gardner Quotes

I've never gone for the smooth, suave Latin or French lover. That usually makes me think they're trying to pull one over on me.

The idea of being charming and really nasty at the same time is a really difficult thing to do.

She was such a beautiful and sweet creature... and so full of tricks.

But when the fox hath once got in his nose, He'll soon find means to make the body follow.

My young friend supposes his ingenuousness is merely a ruse.

He looked up at me with angelic eyes. "Doing what?" "You know what. You're luring me in. You know I can't resist-

Yes, I know I've played these women, but I'm not really conniving at all.

You cannot play naive if you're not.

I can remember being eight, and I like writing about that age of innocence when children still have a sense of wonder.

The greatest cunning is to have none at all.

It's the word 'artful'; it's such a great word, with its dark and its light side, its art and its cunning, the craft and the crafty of it - I've been preoccupied with the word 'artful' and the twin notions of 'cornucopia' and 'pickpocket' it suggests for quite some time.

Everyone that ever met me has been in love with me.

I'm not pretending to be ingenuous; I know what I'm doing.

I'm a young correspondent, so sometimes I'm just young. Sometimes I'm just straightforward.

He [Jack Kemp] is dumber than he looks and even more two faced than I depict him!

… a little intriguer—plausible, but not trustworthy.

You can't fool children.

Look at me! I'm sweet and lovable!

For the task assigned them Men aren't smart enough or sly Any rogue can blind them With a clever lie.

I'm like a stuffed toy. You've never met me, but if you did, you'd just want to take me home and put me in your child's room.

Now I will show myselfTo have more of the serpent than the dove;That is--more knave than fool.

There are a great many simpletons who know themselves to be so, and who make a very cunning use of their own simplicity.

A man cannot become a child again, or he becomes childish.

Winning children (who appear so guileless) are children who have discovered how effective charm and modesty and a delicately calculated spontaneity are in winning what they want.

The cleverest of all the devils is Opportunity.