When people act shady, their words often reveal more than intended. Their quotes can be as slippery as their behavior. These words can give us a peek into their true selves and sometimes, it’s all we need to understand their motives.
In this article, we have collected quotes that capture the essence of shady people. Let these words serve as a reminder to stay cautious and trust your instincts.
Quotes About Underhanded Actions
“The snake that cannot shed its skin must perish, as well as the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind.”
“The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards.”
“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.”
“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”
“Deception is a cruel act… It often has many players on different stages that corrode the soul.”
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”
“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine.”
“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”
“The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”
“Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.”
“We are never so easily deceived as when we imagine we are deceiving others.”
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
“The hypocrite’s crime is that he bears false witness against himself.”
“The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.”
“Promises and pie-crust are made to be broken.”
“You can’t trust a man who has nothing to lose.”
“People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it’s served up.”
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
“An honest enemy is better than a false friend.”
“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.”
“Manipulation is the exercise of crude power.”
“Actions are the seed of fate; deeds grow into destiny.”
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
Quotes Exploring Shady Peoples Motivations
“The less you know, the more they think they can get away with.”
“Behind every mask, there is a face and behind that, a story.”
“People only bring up your past when they are intimidated by your present.”
“Sometimes the person you’d take a bullet for ends up being the one behind the gun.”
“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars, and the selfish hide in high places.”
“An enemy who will not deceive is no enemy; it is a friend angry with you.”
“Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore.”
“The devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.”
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”
“Everyone has a dark side they keep hidden even from themselves.”
“People lie, actions don’t.”
“Beware the person with a mask; they hide many faces.”
“You can’t always control who walks into your life… but you can control which window you throw them out of.”
“Lies are like scars on your soul; they destroy you.”
“Trust is lost in buckets, and gained in drops.”
“Beware of those who bring you gifts with strings attached.”
“People wear masks, not just on Halloween but every day.”
“In the land of lies, the truth is a betrayal.”
“Everyone has a hidden agenda; the trick is to figure out what it is.”
“Some people come into your life like a blessing, and others come into your life as a lesson.”
“Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend.”
“Even the devil was once an angel.”
“People that will bring you down do it because they are below you.”
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
“You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes and walked right into their traps.”
“False friends are worse than open enemies.”
“Their actions scream what their words will never whisper.”
“People who hide their intentions are not to be trusted.”
“The greatest way to live with honor is to be what we pretend to be.”
“Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel.”
“Some people are a lesson, not a blessing.”
Quotes on Coping with Shady People
“The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.”
“People inspire you, or they drain you — pick them wisely.”
“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”
“Sometimes the people closest to you betray you, and your home isn’t a place you can be happy anymore.”
“Not everyone deserves a seat at your table.”
“It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.”
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”
“The only way to deal with toxic people is to not play their game.”
“There are far too many silent sufferers. Not because they don’t yearn to reach out, but because they’ve tried and found no one who cares.”
“Cutting people out of your life doesn’t mean you hate them; it simply means you respect yourself.”
“Knowing when to walk away is wisdom. Being able to is courage. Walking away, with your head held high, is dignity.”
“It is only the great-hearted who can be true friends. The mean and cowardly, Can never know what true friendship means.”
“Stay away from those who drain your happiness.”
“Toxic people will pollute everything around them. Don’t hesitate. Fumigate.”
“It’s so nice when toxic people stop talking to you. It’s like the trash took itself out.”
“Some people are like clouds. When they disappear, it’s a beautiful day.”
“Jealousy is just love and hate at the same time.”
“Time doesn’t heal emotional pain, you need to learn how to let go.”
“You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue in their actions.”
“Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.”
“Sometimes you have to accept the truth and stop wasting time on the wrong people.”
“Dealing with backstabbers, there was one thing I learned. They’re only powerful when you got your back turned.”
“You don’t have to defend or explain your decisions to anyone. It’s your life. Live it without apologies.”
“The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.”
“An honest enemy is better than a false friend.”
“It’s not your job to fix others. Heal yourself and let them watch how it’s done.”
“When dealing with toxic people, remember it’s not about you. It’s about them.”
“Choosing to distance yourself from negative people doesn’t mean you hate them. It means you respect yourself.”
“Unmasking the masquerade of deceit reveals the honest heart.”
“Don’t let someone else’s behavior destroy your inner peace.”
“Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Self-Reflection Quotes for Dealing with Shady Characters
“The best way to deal with shady people is to shine your light so bright that their shadows disappear.”
“Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.”
“Not everyone you lose is a loss.”
“It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.”
“The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.”
“Sometimes it’s not the people who change, it’s the mask that falls off.”
“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”
“Fake people have an image to maintain, real people just don’t care.”
“People wear masks of lies so that they look attractive, so be careful.”
“You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.”
“Shady people tend to gravitate towards those who shine brighter, to feed off their light.”
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
“Be careful who you trust because the devil was once an angel.”
“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
“People who are two-faced eventually forget which face they are wearing.”
“Some people are like clouds. When they disappear, it’s a brighter day.”
“False friends are worse than open enemies.”
“The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.”
“It is not my role to expose the fake people. In due time, they will expose themselves for who they really are.”
“A shady business never yields a sunny life.”
“Cut off fake people for real reasons, not real people for fake reasons.”
“Keep your distance from people who will never admit they are wrong and always try to make you feel like it’s all your fault.”
“Lies are like cockroaches, for every one you discover, there are many more that are hidden.”
“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.”
“Some people are so fake that the truth actually scares them.”
“Beware the person who stabs you and then tells the world they’re the one who’s bleeding.”
“The realest people don’t have a lot of friends.”
“You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around.”
“Better an honest enemy than a false friend.”
“It’s amazing the lies that people will believe about you when the truth is actually too boring.”
“Trust but verify.”
Inspirational Quotes Amidst Shady Individuals
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
“In a room full of people, those who sit in the shadows often have the loudest whispers.”
“The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.”
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.'”
“People who have no hope are easy to control; and whoever has the control has the power.”
“Sometimes the brightest light comes from the darkest places.”
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
“If you want to find out who’s a true friend, screw up or go through a challenging time… then see who sticks around.”
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.”
“We all have shadows, but they don’t define us, they merely dance around us.”
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.”
“False friends are worse than open enemies.”
“You will always find the strongest people in the roughest waters.”
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.”
“we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“Deceit is the mark of shady people, but wisdom reigns in the honest heart.”
“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect.”
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”
“If you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”
“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.”
“No mask like open truth to cover lies, As to go naked is the best disguise.”
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
“When dealing with backstabbers, there is one thing you must never do, and that is to never turn your back on them.”
“Sometimes you don’t know who your true friends are until you find yourself at rock bottom.”
“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”
“Friends are like stars, they come and go, but the ones that stay are the ones that glow.”
“Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.”
“The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.”
“Jealousy is the jaundice of the soul.”
“The most dangerous enemy is the one who pretends to be your friend.”
“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.”
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.”
Powerful Quotes on Recognizing Shady Behaviors
“The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.”
“People’s tongues can be sharper than a sword.”
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.”
“Beware the wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
“The worst kind of people are those disguised as friends.”
“Sometimes the most toxic people come disguised as family.”
“Actions prove who someone is, words just prove who they pretend to be.”
“Deception may give us what we want for the present, but it will always take it away in the end.”
“Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.”
“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”
“No is easier to do. Yes is easier to say.”
“A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.”
“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.”
“A shady business never yields a sunny life.”
“There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.”
“Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend.”
“We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love.”
“Lying is done with words and also with silence.”
“A person’s true colors will always show within time. You may be fooled for the moment, but be patient and see what happens.”
“The jealousy that arises from love makes one see things differently.”
“Believe in your gut feelings; some people’s smiles are far from innocent.”
“To see what is right and not do it is the want of courage.”
“Propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship.”
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”
“A cunning friend is worse than a useful enemy.”
“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.”
“Words are but wind; they have often been used to tell lies, but actions never deceive.”
“The most dangerous liars are those who think they are telling the truth.”
“Beware of those who are always always smiling, they’re always up to something.”
Quotes on Learning Experiences with Shady Figures
“We learn from failure, not from success.”
“Not all who wander are lost, but some have maps written by deceivers.”
“Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.”
“When one is learning about sharp edges, it’s the shadow-draped knife that cuts the deepest.”
“Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.”
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“Life is a teacher. We can ignore its lessons or embrace them, especially when they originate from dubious characters.”
“Mistrust the man who finds everything good, the man who finds everything evil and still more the man who is indifferent to everything.”
“When you dance with the devil, you are bound to get burned.”
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”
“People who avoid the truth usually lead you through the longest shadows.”
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
“Trust, but verify.”
“Once bitten by a snake, he/she is scared all their lives at the mere sight of a rope.”
“The road to wisdom? Well, it’s plain and simple to express. Err, and err, and err again, but less, and less, and less.”
“Shadowy figures often cast the longest lessons.”
“Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”
“True guidance comes in broad daylight; the crooked path hides in darkness.”
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.”
“The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back.”
“A wise man learns more from his enemies than a fool from his friends.”
“In the land of marble eyes, wisdom must be carved out of stone.”
“If you suspect a man, don’t employ him, and if you employ him, don’t suspect him.”
“The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain – he is inspired by it.”
“Slyness does not last, but honesty does.”
“All shadows disappear when the light of understanding shines bright.”
“He who lives without discipline dies without honor.”
“In every relationship with a shady figure, there lies a lesson etched in experience and shadowed by intention.”
“Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.”
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
“Cast a cold eye on life, on death. Horseman, pass by!”
The Last Word
Wrapping up our list of best shady people quotes, it’s clear that a few well-chosen words can shed light on the darker side of human nature. These quotes help us understand the motives and actions of those who may not always have the best intentions. Whether insightful or humorous, they offer a fresh way to look at the people who cast shadows in our lives.
Next time you encounter someone whose actions seem less than genuine, you might recall one of these quotes. They serve as a reminder to stay aware and thoughtful about the company you keep. Quotes like these can be both entertaining and educational, making us think twice about the true nature of those around us.
