Quotes about Self-deception

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

God knows we are subtle creatures who are more than able to use candour to avoid acknowledging our deceptions of others and ourselves.

Any given man sees only a tiny portion of the total truth, and very often, in fact almost perpetually, he deliberately deceives himself about that little precious fragment as well.

Jeremiah 17:9 says, 'The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?' We can even deceive ourselves into thinking we are Christian or that we are following God. But when adversity comes, the true believer will still weather it standing, though he may go through a fire of doubt. This is God's mercy to us, to strengthen our faith and our hearts. Allow this adversity to bow your knee to God and accept his will.

As a Southerner, coming of age for me included a dawning awareness that we were living with a story that was self-deceiving, a lie. The resulting tension planted something deep in my soul, a nagging sense of betrayal.

Now I was, as they said, become godly; now I was become a right honest man.  But oh! when I understood these were their words and opinions of me, it pleased me mighty well.  For, though as yet I was nothing but a poor painted hypocrite, yet, I loved to be talked of as one that was truly godly. 

Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess.

The fundamental factor of self-deception is this constant desire to be something in this world and in the world hereafter.

men try to cheat themselves into the belief that sin is not quite so sinful as God says it is, and that they are not so bad as they really are.

A form of self-delusion.

Lean into the sharp points and fully experience them. The essence of bravery is being without self-deception. Wisdom is inherent in (understanding) emotions.