Cardinal Richelieu Quotes

A real diplomat is one who can cut his neighbor's throat without having his neighbor notice it.

Creative betrayal is the essence of successful statesmanship.

We may employ artifice to deceive a rival, anything against our enemies.

Deception is the knowledge of kings.

The practice of politics in the East may be defined by one word: dissimulation

Tactics are manipulative.

Govern the state by being straightforward; wage war by being crafty; win the empire by not meddling.

A prince... must learn from the fox and the lion... One must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves. Those who act simply as lions are stupid. So it follows that a prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honour his word when it places him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made his promise no longer exist.

I wouldn't know how to fool a man any more. My deceiving days seem so long ago.

Dishonesty is so grasping it would deceive God himself, were it possible.

I liked Dallas better because it was more deceptive, you could do more with it.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

Ambition drove many men to become false; to have one thought locked in the breast, another ready on the tongue.

Deceit is the game of petty spirits, and that is by nature a woman's quality.

The art of using deceit and cunning grow continually weaker and less effective to the user.

Cunning leads to knavery. It is but a step from one to the other, and that very slippery. Only lying makes the difference; add that to cunning, and it is knavery.

All warfare is based on deception.

With foxes we must play the fox.

O, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!

Diplomacy is the art of saying “Nice Doggie!” till you can find a rock.

Secrecy is the badge of fraud.

He who would rule must hear and be deaf, see and be blind.

Hide your strength, bide your time.

Whoever said “Keep your enemies close” didn’t have many enemies.

In general, I think it's an advantage politically to keep people guessing.