Cunning Quotes

“CHORONZON: I am a dire wolf, prey-stalking, lethal prowler.

MORPHEUS: I am a hunter, horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing.

CHORONZON: I am a horsefly, horse-stinging, hunter-throwing.

MORPHEUS: I am a spider, fly-consuming, eight legged.

CHORONZON: I am a snake, spider-devouring, posion-toothed.

MORPHEUS: I am an ox, snake-crushing, heavy-footed.

CHORONZON: I am an anthrax, butcher bacterium, warm-life destroying.

MORPHEUS: I am a world, space-floating, life-nurturing.

CHORONZON: I am a nova, all-exploding... planet-cremating.

MORPHEUS: I am the Universe -- all things encompassing, all life embracing.

CHORONZON: I am Anti-Life, the Beast of Judgment. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds... of everything. Sss. And what will you be then, Dreamlord?

MORPHEUS: I am hope.”
― Neil Gaiman, Preludes & Nocturnes

“Look, it's easy to outsmart a werewolf or a vampire," Jace said. "They're no smarter than anyone else. But faeries live for hundreds of years and they're as cunning as snakes. They can't lie, but they love to engage in creative truth-telling. They'll find out whatever it is you want most in the world and give it to you—with a sting in the tail of the gift that will make you regret you ever wanted it in the first place."
He sighed. "They're not really about helping people. More about harm disguised as help.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

“One must be cunning and wicked in this world.”
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

“Cunning grows in deceit at seeing itself discovered, and tries to deceive with truth itself.”
― Balthasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom

“It is not the homeless, mentally ill or extremely cunning people that we have to be afraid of. When someone loses everything that meant something to them is when people should get very afraid. A person that has nothing to lose is the scariest person on earth.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“The prudent man always studies seriously and earnestly to understand whatever he professes to understand, and not merely to persuade other people that he understands it; and though his talents may not always be very brilliant, they are always perfectly genuine. He neither endeavours to impose upon you by the cunning devices of an artful impostor, nor by the arrogant airs of an assuming pedant, nor by the confident assertions of a superficial and imprudent pretender. He is not ostentatious even of the abilities which he really possesses. His conversation is simple and modest, and he is averse to all the quackish arts by which other people so frequently thrust themselves into public notice and reputation.”
― Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments

“See not the face..
but only the eyes,
of the poker face.”
― Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity

“Rabbits need dignity and, above all, the will to accept their fate.”
― Richard Adams, Watership Down

“Oh Satan you're a wily one.”
― craig ferguson

“Don't step on shits, don't be part of shits, don't shit on others as you escape from other bullshits." ~ Angelica Hopes, an excerpt from If I Could Tell You”
― Angelica Hopes

“I have a cunning plan.”
― Richard Curtis, Blackadder the Third (The Award-Winning BBC Comedy)

“Would you like to sit?" Kellen asked her.
"You'd better do it soon," Owen whispered close to her ear, "or I'm going to bend you over that table and break the club's no-penetration-in-the-lounge rule.”
― Olivia Cunning, Touch Me

“He has an old man's caution and a young man's ambition, and has never lacked for cunning.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

“Thus far I had outwitted him, and I triumphed over it. Who can blame slaves for being cunning? They are constantly compelled to resort to it. It is the only weapon of the weak and oppressed against the strength of their tyrants.”
― Harriet Ann Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

“Teddy risked a look backward and nodded as he handed Henry his hat. The two men shook hands and then walked past each other Teddy moving in the direction of Henry's room and Henry the hat pulled down over his face toward the Cutting carriage that was waiting by the curb.”
― Anna Godbersen, Rumors

“It does that to you, being a detective. You look at blank space and see gears turning, motives and cunning; nothing looks innocent any more. Most times when you prove away the gears, the blank space looks lovely, peaceful. But that arm: innocent, it looked just as dangerous.”
― Tana French, The Secret Place

“Fools pay attention to words in a fight, he said once. Warriors take advantage of them.”
― Sabaa Tahir, A Torch Against the Night

“I'd forgotten how cunning her eyes were, how cold. She'd been made differently, from something harder and stronger than bone and blood. She was as different from the humans around us as I had become.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

“Thanks to the cunning detective work by Oliver Anthony, we now know the precise location of the people destroying this country, because he tells us clearly who and where they are: Rich Men North of Richmond. Therefore, we should storm the wealthy neighborhoods in Dumbarton, Va.”
― Jarod Kintz, Powdered Saxophone Music

“In this world, where the strong prey upon the weak, and the cunning manipulate the naive, it is imperative that you become the master of your own thoughts. Allow yourself to explore the darkest corners of your mind, for it is in these shadows that the seeds of power are sown. Visualize the life you desire, unfettered by moral constraints or social expectations, and embrace the ruthless pursuit of your ambitions.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“Recognize that the world is a stage upon which the drama of power unfolds, and it is through the exercise of your imagination that you can devise strategies and plots to bend others to your will. The more vivid and detailed your mental picture of the life you desire, the more effectively you can wield your cunning and ruthlessness to achieve your goals. Remember, your imagination is your ultimate weapon, and it is by mastering this sovereignty that you will be able to shape the world according to your desires.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“We are old, and cunning, and enjoy using words like blades and claws. Every word from your mouth, every turn of phrase, will be judged- and possibly used against you.' As if to soften the warning, she added. 'Be on your guard, Lady.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

“Be wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves.”
― Dennis Lehane, Gone, Baby, Gone

“Some might be swayed by clever answers, but true accomplishments will always outweigh cunning.”
― Brock Meier, The Stone Cutter: A novel of Petra In Ancient Arabia

“I would always show up on Sunday morning, looking like hell after having partied all through the weekend without sleep. When I arrived, they would prime my inebriated carcass for church and drag me with them. And I’d prime myself by taking some sort of upper.
Sometimes I’d still fall asleep on the pew, but luckily, I was not the only one. After church, I would smile and strut my charm with the doting church mothers. I was so cunning about my addiction that most of them didn’t have a clue, other than the occasional rumor of an arrest, but those could easily be blamed on bad company. When I got home, I would sleep through the rest of the day and night until I finally awoke for school on Monday.”
― Michael J Heil, Pursued: God’s relentless pursuit and a drug addict’s journey to finding purpose

“In the realm of politics and power, a ruler’s most potent weapon lies not in their armies or their wealth, but within the depths of their own mind. It is the human imagination that distinguishes the great from the mediocre, allowing those with the necessary cunning to devise strategies and anticipate the machinations of their adversaries. As such, you must first acknowledge and embrace the sovereignty of your imagination if you are to ascend to the heights of power and influence.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“The sovereignty of imagination is the foundation upon which all great conquests are built. By acknowledging and embracing this power, you will unlock the ability to devise cunning strategies and anticipate the actions of your adversaries. So, grant yourself permission to imagine the life you desire, and begin to sow the seeds of your future empire within the fertile soil of your mind.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“Remember that the threads of your ambition must be anchored in the real world. We know from “The Discourses,” a ruler must be both a lion and a fox, relying on both strength and cunning to navigate the treacherous terrain of power. Be prepared to adapt your strategies as circumstances dictate, and never shy away from employing deception or ruthlessness when they serve your cause.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“I had to take a leaf out of her book. Smile to her face, but hold a knife to her back.”
― Philip Anthony Smith, The Woman He Left Behind

“When, grown older, we look back on the selfishness of the people who’ve been mixed up with our lives, we see it undeniably for what it was, as hard as steel or platinum and a lot more durable than time itself. As long as we’re young, we manage to find excuses for the stoniest indifference, the most blatant caddishness, we put them down to emotional eccentricity or some sort of romantic inexperience. But later on, when life shows us how much cunning, cruelty, and malice are required just to keep the body at ninety-eight point six, we catch on, we know the score, we begin to understand how much swinishness it takes to make up a past. Just take a close look at yourself and the degree of rottenness you’ve come to. There’s no mystery about it, no more room for fairy tales; if you’ve lived this long, it’s because you’ve squashed any poetry you had in you. Life is keeping body and soul together.”
― Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night