Charles de Lint Quotes

It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.

You're not asking me to guess the mind of Matrim Cauthon, are you?" Elayne asked. "I'm convinced that Mat only acts simple so that people will let him get away with more.

A man has made great progress in cunning when he does not seem too clever to others.

My success has depended wholly on putting things over on people, so I'm not sure that I'm that great a role model. I am, however, an expert on pretending to be an expert on pretending to be an expert.

The cleverest of all the devils is Opportunity.

Cunning is the dwarf of wisdom.

Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.

There is, in short, no great idea that stupidity could not put to its own uses [....] The truth by comparison, has only one appearance and only one path, and is always at a disadvantage.

You have to tease enough misinformation and lack of information to hopefully make people want more.

The secret of the demagogue is to make himself as stupid as his audience so they believe they are clever as he.

Putin knows how to run the KGB playbook. I mean, he knows how to work people.

Sometimes you have to show them what they want to see in order to get them to show you who they really are.

CUNNING, n. The faculty that distinguishes a weak animal or person from a strong one. It brings its possessor much mental satisfaction and great material adversity. An Italian proverb says: "The furrier gets the skins of more foxes than asses."

So, that’s what they wanted: lies. Beautiful lies. That’s what they needed. People were fools. It was going to be easy for me.

A hare is not caught with a drum.

The true axis of evil in America is the brilliance of our marketing combined with the stupidity of our people.

Took awhile, got the jokers out of the deck now, I'm holdin all the cards and niggas wanna play chess now

For when I fool the people I fear, I fool myself as well.

You don't get on by being original. You don't get on by being bright. You don't get on by being strong. You get on by being a subtle crook.

When you sit face to face with someone who is pleasant, respectful, and polite, you have hard time reminding yourself that nothing he says is true/sincere.

People had figured out all sorts of ways to make things seem different than they truly were.

Pretences go a great way with men that take fair words and magisterial looks for current payment.

Machination is worth more than force.

People can sense you lying on the camera, they can smell it. They know when you're not telling the truth. Then it does become reality-show bullshit.

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who want to be desired, and people who want to be desired so much that they pretend they don't.