Literary notes about Deceive (AI summary)
The word "deceive" in literature is used in a remarkably multifaceted way, serving as both a moral marker and a commentary on human fallibility. Authors have wielded the term to reflect on the ethics of misleading others—as in Estella’s dubious challenge in Dickens’ narrative [1] or the calculated falsehoods in strategic contexts noted by Sunzi [2]—while also highlighting the subtleties of self-deception, a theme echoed across texts from Nietzsche to Rousseau [3, 4]. At times, "deceive" underscores the vulnerability of the human senses, as when Hawthorne hints at the allure of sensory misdirection [5], and in other instances it lays bare the intricacies of personal relationships, where truth and betrayal intermingle [6, 7]. Whether employed to critique dishonest practices, warn against self-deception, or explore the complexity of personal and political intrigues, the term has been adapted by diverse authors—from Plato’s philosophical inquiries [8, 9] to the ironic observations found in proverbs [10]—demonstrating its enduring role in reflecting the multifarious nature of human understanding.
- “Do you want me then,” said Estella, turning suddenly with a fixed and serious, if not angry, look, “to deceive and entrap you?”
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, [Literally, "to deceive their eyes and ears.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - 33 Ye fancy that ye will have a long rest ere your second birth takes place,—but do not deceive yourselves!
— from The Twilight of the Idols; or, How to Philosophize with the Hammer. The Antichrist by Nietzsche - “Do not deceive yourself.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Odors, being a sort of element combined of the sensual and the spiritual, are apt to deceive us in this manner.
— from Mosses from an old manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Of course I believe every word you say, and I know perfectly well that you neither did or ever can deceive me in any way, and yet, I don’t love you.
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - “Now it is you who are telling lies and seeking to deceive me, Mademoiselle; or else you have never been in love, and know nothing about it.
— from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin - And he can paint any other artist, although he knows nothing of their arts; and this with sufficient skill to deceive children or simple people.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - The gods are not magicians who transform themselves, neither do they deceive mankind in any way.
— from The Republic by Plato - Good words and bad deeds deceive both wise and simple.
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs
