William Goldman Quotes

We avenge intellect when we dupe a fool, and it is a victory not to be despised for a fool is covered with steel and it is often very hard to find his vulnerable part.

You should always try to deceive your enemy.

If you are trying to fool a farsighted or dimwitted person, a veiled facial disguise might be enough.

Be not caught by the cunning of those who appear in a disguise.

And if, to be sure, sometimes you need to conceal a fact with words, do it in such a way that it does not become known, or, if it does become known, that you have a ready and quick defense.

One may outwit another, but not all the others.

I keep my eyes clear and I hit 'em where they ain't.

Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

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

Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects, and discovering other people's weaknesses.

To know how to dissimulate is the knowledge of kings.

Tactics are manipulative.

Fraud is the homage that force pays to reason.

The art of pleasing is the art of deception.

I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should seem a fool, but be wise.

Frank and explicit – that is the right line to take when you want to conceal your own mind and to confuse the minds of others.

All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

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

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

I'm smarter than the average; I just act dumb. That's what gets people's attention; you act dumb, you get people's attention.

I run my routes like a crossover dribble. It's about taking angles, faking one way but going the other, and being savvy. And then, instead of running to the basket, I'm running away from the defender.

Confuse the enemy. Keep him in the dark on your intentions. Sometimes what seems a victory isn't really a victory and sometimes a defeat isn't really a defeat. Whether in attacking, counterattacking, or defensive tactics, the idea of attacking should remain central, to always keep the initiative.

You think him to be your dupe; if he feigns to be so who is the greater dupe, he or you?

The cleverest trick of the Devil is that nobody believes in him. It. Her. Well, we have been very stupid.

We avenge intelligence when we deceive a fool, and the victory is worth the trouble