Jonathan Stroud Quotes

Do not try to entrap others with your haughty knowledge. To your wide surprise, they will entrap you with their lengthy ignorance.

The easiest way to be cheated is to believe yourself to be more cunning than others.

Once you begin to fall off the track and believe you breathe different air to everyone else, you're doomed; you're finished.

It is the fool who thinks he cannot be fooled.

People deal with models like they are children. They think they can pull one over on you. It's actually funny. I'm always like, I'm about to pull something on you, and you're so focused on thinking I'm dumb, you're not even going to know.

Pleasure is the carrot dangled to lead the ass to market; or the precipice.

I did not know anybody cared any longer about these sorts of things. Now I have a hold on the fools.

Ignorance and confidence is a lethal cocktail.

Some people would do anything just to get a break; that's where the bad guys get you.

It is foolish for anyone to be complacent.

The biggest victories can lead to the greatest foolishness.

Fortune, by being too lavish of her favours on a man, only makes a fool of him.

Arrogance rides triumphantly through the gates, barely glancing at the old woman about to cut the rope and spring shut the trap.

I often had no scruples about deceiving nitwits and scoundrels and fools when I found it necessary. ...We avenge intelligence when we deceive a fool, and... deceiving a fool is an exploit worthy of an intelligent man. What has infused my very blood with an unconquerable hatred of the whole tribe of fools from the day of my birth is that I become a fool myself when I am in their company.

Old birds like Orlovius are wonderfully easy to lead by the beak, because a combination of decency and sentimentality is exactly equal to being a fool.

Never saw the branch you are sittin on, unless they are trying to hang you from it.

Those who think themselves secure are more exposed to danger than any others. The armor-bearer of sin is self-confidence .

Ordinary fools are all right; you can talk to them, and try to help them out. But pompous fools-guys who are fools and are covering it all over and impressing people as to how wonderful they are with all this hocus pocus-THAT, I CANNOT STAND! An ordinary fool isn't a faker; an honest fool is all right. But a dishonest fool is terrible!

If you tell them what they want to hear, they don't bother to try to see.

Those carried away by power are soon carried away.

Knaves starve not in the land of fools.

Credulity is always a ridiculous, often a dangerous failing: it has made of many a clever man, a fool; and of many a good man, a knave.

What has been the effect of [religious] coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.

I feel like the American people are being lied to and manipulated. President Bush is trying to force 9/11 and Saddam together.

You know my beautiful speech has made you see me in a whole new and even more attractive light. You totally think I'm secretly deep now. And you are right. It is true. I have deeps.