best quotations about
Illusions |
| 65 quotes | Visits: 8,512 |
Quotations
 | One of the greatest delusions of the average man is to forget that life is death's prisoner. — Emile M. Cioran, 1911-1995, French-Romanian philosopher 20 likes |
 | The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. — William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, English poet & playwright ‐ As You Like It 17 likes |
 | Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others. — Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881, Russian writer 12 likes |
 | Future, n.That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured. — Ambrose Bierce, 1842–1914, American writer 10 likes |
 | I've always preferred mythology to history. History is truth that becomes an illusion. Mythology is an illusion that becomes reality. — Jean Cocteau, 1889-1963, French artist 10 likes |
 | Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. — Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-Jewish physicist 9 likes |
 | Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires. — Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939, Austrian psychologist, founder of psychoanalysis 9 likes |
 | Man is born without teeth, without hair and without illusions, and so he dies, without hair, without teeth and without illusions. — Alexandre Dumas, 1802-1870, French writer 8 likes |
 | Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. — George Orwell, 1903-1950, British writer 7 likes |
 | Therefore do not deceive yourself! Of all deceivers fear most yourself! — Søren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855, Danish philosopher 7 likes |
 | Like all dreamers I confuse disenchantment with truth. — Jean-Paul Sartre, 1905-1980, French philosopher 6 likes |
 | The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. — George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Irish writer, Nobel 1925 6 likes |
 | When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people. — Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American writer 6 likes |
 | Balance every thought with its opposition. Because the marriage of them is the destruction of illusion. — Aleister Crowley, 1875-1945, British magician & occultist, 6 likes |
 | No battle is ever won ... victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools. — William Faulkner, 1897-1962, American writer, Nobel 1949 6 likes |
 | The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers. — Dave Barry, 1947-, American journalist 6 likes |
 | The illusion which exalts us is dearer to us than ten thousand truths. — Anton Chekhov, 1860-1904, Russian writer 5 likes |
 | If he was indeed mad, his delusions were beautifully organized — Arthur Clarke, 1917-2008, British Sci-Fi writer 5 likes |
 | Vision without execution is just hallucination. — Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American industrialist, founder of FORD 5 likes |
 | Immortality is the condition of a dead man who doesn’t believe he is dead. — H.L. Mencken, 1880-1956, American columnist & cultural critic 4 likes |
| By poeticizing love, we imagine in those we love virtues that they often do not possess; this then becomes the source of constant mistakes and constant distress. — Anton Chekhov, 1860-1904, Russian writer 4 likes |
 | The last illusion is to believe that we have lost all our illusions. — Maurice Chapelan, 1906-1992, French author of maxims & journalist 4 likes |
 | Illusory joy is often worth more than genuine sorrow. — René Descartes, 1596-1650, French philosopher 3 likes |
 | Experience comprises illusions lost, rather than wisdom gained. — Joseph Roux, 1834-1905, French clergyman & poet 3 likes |
 | The causes of illusions are not pretty to discover. They're either vicious or tragic. — Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher 3 likes |
 | I’m an idealist without illusions. — John Kennedy, 1917-1963, American President [1961-1963] 3 likes |
 | Poetry can be dangerous, especially beautiful poetry, because it gives the illusion of having had the experience without actually going through it. — Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet 3 likes |
 | You can't live without illusions, even if you must fight for them. — Marlen Dietrich, 1901-1992, German-American actress 3 likes |
 | When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called a Religion. — Robert M. Pirsig, 1928-2017, American writer 3 likes |
 | I envy paranoids; they actually feel people are paying attention to them. — Susan Sontag, 1933-2004, American writer, critic, activist 3 likes |
 | Romantic love: projecting illusions onto someone we have invented. — Christine Orban, 1954-, French writer 3 likes |
 | What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness. — Leo Tolstoy, 1828–1910, Russian writer 3 likes |
 | The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim. — Gustave Le Bon, 1841-1931, French polymath & writer 3 likes |
 | The inclination of people to consider small things as important has produced many great things. — Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, 1742-1799, German author of maxims 3 likes |
 | There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman. — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930, British writer 2 likes |
 | It is not religion but revolution which is the opium of the people. — Simone Weil, 1909-1943, French philosopher 2 likes |
| I prefer to be judged for what I am and loved for what I am not. — Christine Orban, 1954-, French writer 2 likes |
| The hardest tumble a man can take is to fall over his own bluff. — Ambrose Bierce, 1842–1914, American writer 1 likes |
 | When beggars and shoeshine boys, barbers and beauticians can tell you how to get rich, it is time to remind yourself that there is no more dangerous illusion than the belief that one can get something for nothing. — Bernard Baruch, 1870-1965, American businessman & statesman 1 likes |
 | In politics, as in every other sphere of life, there are two important principles for a man of any sense: don’t cherish too many illusions, and never stop believing that every little bit helps. — Italo Calvino, 1923-1985, Italian writer 1 likes |
 | The folly of an old man has the illusion of being wisdom; of an adult, experience; and of a young man, genius. — Nicolas Gomez Davila, 1913-1994, Colombian writer 1 likes |
| Modern man is a prisoner who thinks he is free because he refrains from touching the walls of his dungeon. — Nicolas Gomez Davila, 1913-1994, Colombian writer 1 likes |
 | Illusion and wisdom combined are the charm of life and art. — Joseph Joubert, 1754-1824, French author of maxims 1 likes |
 | If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize. — Muhammad Ali, 1942-2016, American boxer 1 likes |
 | The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true. — John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, American writer, Nobel 1962 1 likes |
| I suppose our capacity for self-delusion is boundless. — John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, American writer, Nobel 1962 1 likes |
 | If most of us remain ignorant of ourselves, it is because self-knowledge is painful and we prefer the pleasures of illusion. — Aldοus Huxley, 1894-1963, English writer 1 likes |
 | Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion. — Arthur Koestler, 1905-1983, Hungarian-British writer 1 likes |
 | I have abandoned my search for truth and am now looking for a good fantasy. — Ashleigh Brilliant, 1933-2025, British cartoonist & epigrammatist 1 likes |
 | When two people dream the same dream, it ceases to be an illusion. — Philip Dick, 1928-1982, American sci-fi writer 1 likes |
 | A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. — Saul Bellow, 1914-2005, Canadian-American writer, Nobel 1976 1 likes |
 | Pleasure can be supported by an illusion; but happiness rests upon truth. — Nicolas Chamfort, 1740-1794, French writer 1 likes |
 | Reality is nothing but a collective hunch. — Lily Tomlin, 1939-, American actress 1 likes |
 | Men do not move mountains; it is only necessary to create the illusion that mountains move. — Benito Moussolini, 1883-1945, Italian dictator 1 likes |
| Let us leave to the false orators the vain speeches about pacifism, brotherhood and other illusions, which bring to mind the theological discussions of the Byzantines at the time when Muhammad invaded their walls. — Gustave Le Bon, 1841-1931, French polymath & writer 1 likes |
 | I never met another man I'd rather be. And even if that's a delusion, it's a lucky one. — Charles Bukowski, 1920-1994, American writer 1 likes |
 | The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions. — Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian polymath & painter 1 likes |
 | We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone. — Orson Welles, 1915-1985, American actor & film director 1 likes |
| Life is a process of losing our illusions, until we finally lose the illusion that we're alive. — Ashleigh Brilliant, 1933-2025, British cartoonist & epigrammatist 1 likes |
Quotes in Verse
 | We would rather be ruined than changed We would rather die in our dread Than climb the cross of the moment And let our illusions die. — W.H. Auden, 1907-1973, British poet 2 likes |
Funny Quotes
 | I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it. — George Carlin, 1936-2008, American comedian 16 likes |
Ancient Greek
 | World is decay, life is perception. Ο κόσμος αλλοίωσις, ο βίος υπόληψις. — Democritus, 470-370 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher (quoted by Marcus Aurelius in “Τα εις εαυτόν”) 82 likes |
 | Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what a man wishes to be true, he generally believes to be true. Ράστον απάντων εστίν αυτόν εξαπατήσαι. Ό γαρ βούλεται, τούθ’ έκαστος και οιείται. — Demosthenes, 384-322 BC, Ancient Athenian & statesman orator 11 likes |
 | Words give wings to the mind and make a man soar to heaven. Υπὸ γαρ λόγων ο νους τε μετεωρίζεται επαίρεταί τ᾽ άνθρωπος. — Aristophanes, 445-386 BC, Ancient Greek comic playwright ‐ Birds 11 likes |
 | The one who loves becomes blind regarding the beloved. Τυφλούται ο φιλών περί το φιλούμενον. — Plato, 427-347 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher 1 likes |
