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.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards.” – Alexander Jablokov
“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.” – Stephen King
“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” – Hosea 8:7
“Deception is a cruel act… It often has many players on different stages that corrode the soul.” – Donna A. Favors
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” – William Shakespeare, Macbeth
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” – Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part II
“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” – T.S. Eliot
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” – Ernest Hemingway
“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” – Edgar Allan Poe
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – John Dalberg-Acton
“There are no secrets that time does not reveal.” – Jean Racine
“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” – Groucho Marx
“The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” – Bertrand Russell
“Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.” – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
“We are never so easily deceived as when we imagine we are deceiving others.” – François de La Rochefoucauld
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The hypocrite’s crime is that he bears false witness against himself.” – Hannah Arendt
“The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.” – William Shakespeare
“Promises and pie-crust are made to be broken.” – Jonathan Swift
“You can’t trust a man who has nothing to lose.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
“People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it’s served up.” – George R.R. Martin
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” – Mark Twain
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” – C.S. Lewis
“An honest enemy is better than a false friend.” – German Proverb
“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“Manipulation is the exercise of crude power.” – Karen Armstrong
“Actions are the seed of fate; deeds grow into destiny.” – Harry S. Truman
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” – Socrates
Quotes Exploring Shady Peoples Motivations
“The less you know, the more they think they can get away with.” – Unknown
“Behind every mask, there is a face and behind that, a story.” – Marty Rubin
“People only bring up your past when they are intimidated by your present.” – Unknown
“Sometimes the person you’d take a bullet for ends up being the one behind the gun.” – Tupac Shakur
“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars, and the selfish hide in high places.” – Bryant H. McGill
“An enemy who will not deceive is no enemy; it is a friend angry with you.” – John Bowlby
“Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore.” – Albert Einstein
“The devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.” – Charles Baudelaire
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Everyone has a dark side they keep hidden even from themselves.” – Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War
“People lie, actions don’t.” – Anonymous
“Beware the person with a mask; they hide many faces.” – Sanober Khan
“You can’t always control who walks into your life… but you can control which window you throw them out of.” – Unknown
“Lies are like scars on your soul; they destroy you.” – Lana Del Rey
“Trust is lost in buckets, and gained in drops.” – Unknown
“Beware of those who bring you gifts with strings attached.” – Aesop
“People wear masks, not just on Halloween but every day.” – Unknown
“In the land of lies, the truth is a betrayal.” – Unknown
“Everyone has a hidden agenda; the trick is to figure out what it is.” – Michael Connelly
“Some people come into your life like a blessing, and others come into your life as a lesson.” – Unknown
“Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend.” – Unknown
“Even the devil was once an angel.” – Unknown
“People that will bring you down do it because they are below you.” – Unknown
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” – Ernest Hemingway
“You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes and walked right into their traps.” – Unknown
“False friends are worse than open enemies.” – Cicero
“Their actions scream what their words will never whisper.” – Unknown
“People who hide their intentions are not to be trusted.” – Sun Tzu
“The greatest way to live with honor is to be what we pretend to be.” – Socrates
“Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel.” – Unknown
“Some people are a lesson, not a blessing.” – Unknown
Quotes on Coping with Shady People
“The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.” — Unknown
“People inspire you, or they drain you — pick them wisely.” — Hans F. Hansen
“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” — Maya Angelou
“Sometimes the people closest to you betray you, and your home isn’t a place you can be happy anymore.” — Kristin Cast
“Not everyone deserves a seat at your table.” — Unknown
“It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.” — Diane Grant
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” — George Bernard Shaw
“The only way to deal with toxic people is to not play their game.” — Unknown
“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.” — Richelle E. Goodrich
“Cutting people out of your life doesn’t mean you hate them; it simply means you respect yourself.” — Unknown
“Knowing when to walk away is wisdom. Being able to is courage. Walking away, with your head held high, is dignity.” — Unknown
“It is only the great-hearted who can be true friends. The mean and cowardly, Can never know what true friendship means.” — Charles Kingsley
“Stay away from those who drain your happiness.” — Unknown
“Toxic people will pollute everything around them. Don’t hesitate. Fumigate.” — Mandy Hale
“It’s so nice when toxic people stop talking to you. It’s like the trash took itself out.” — Unknown
“Some people are like clouds. When they disappear, it’s a beautiful day.” — Unknown
“Jealousy is just love and hate at the same time.” — Drake
“Time doesn’t heal emotional pain, you need to learn how to let go.” — Roy T. Bennett
“You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue in their actions.” — Unknown
“Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.” — Robert Tew
“Sometimes you have to accept the truth and stop wasting time on the wrong people.” — Unknown
“Dealing with backstabbers, there was one thing I learned. They’re only powerful when you got your back turned.” — Eminem
“You don’t have to defend or explain your decisions to anyone. It’s your life. Live it without apologies.” — Unknown
“The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.” — Benjamin Franklin
“An honest enemy is better than a false friend.” — German Proverb
“It’s not your job to fix others. Heal yourself and let them watch how it’s done.” — Unknown
“When dealing with toxic people, remember it’s not about you. It’s about them.” — Unknown
“Choosing to distance yourself from negative people doesn’t mean you hate them. It means you respect yourself.” — Unknown
“Unmasking the masquerade of deceit reveals the honest heart.” — Original
“Don’t let someone else’s behavior destroy your inner peace.” — Dalai Lama
“Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing.” — Aesop
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.” – Anonymous
“Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.” – Malcolm S. Forbes
“Not everyone you lose is a loss.” – Unknown
“It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.” – Diane Grant
“The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.” – Unknown
“Sometimes it’s not the people who change, it’s the mask that falls off.” – Haruki Murakami
“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Fake people have an image to maintain, real people just don’t care.” – Hikaru Utada
“People wear masks of lies so that they look attractive, so be careful.” – Muhammad Saqib
“You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.” – Joel Osteen
“Shady people tend to gravitate towards those who shine brighter, to feed off their light.” – Original
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
“Be careful who you trust because the devil was once an angel.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour
“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“People who are two-faced eventually forget which face they are wearing.” – Original
“Some people are like clouds. When they disappear, it’s a brighter day.” – Unknown
“False friends are worse than open enemies.” – Proverbs
“The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.” – Criss Jami
“It is not my role to expose the fake people. In due time, they will expose themselves for who they really are.” – Original
“A shady business never yields a sunny life.” – B.C. Forbes
“Cut off fake people for real reasons, not real people for fake reasons.” – Unknown
“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.” – Original
“Lies are like cockroaches, for every one you discover, there are many more that are hidden.” – Gary Hopkins
“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.” – Unknown
“Some people are so fake that the truth actually scares them.” – Unknown
“Beware the person who stabs you and then tells the world they’re the one who’s bleeding.” – Jill Blakeway
“The realest people don’t have a lot of friends.” – Tupac Shakur
“You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around.” – Unknown
“Better an honest enemy than a false friend.” – German Proverb
“It’s amazing the lies that people will believe about you when the truth is actually too boring.” – Unknown
“Trust but verify.” – Ronald Reagan
Inspirational Quotes Amidst Shady Individuals
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
“In a room full of people, those who sit in the shadows often have the loudest whispers.” – Unknown
“The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.” – Philip Zimbardo
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.'” – The Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:33
“People who have no hope are easy to control; and whoever has the control has the power.” – Robert Ludlum
“Sometimes the brightest light comes from the darkest places.” – Unknown
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” – William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
“If you want to find out who’s a true friend, screw up or go through a challenging time… then see who sticks around.” – Karen Salmansohn
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“We all have shadows, but they don’t define us, they merely dance around us.” – Unknown
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” – William Blake
“False friends are worse than open enemies.” – Francis Bacon
“You will always find the strongest people in the roughest waters.” – Unknown
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” – Dante Alighieri
“we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Deceit is the mark of shady people, but wisdom reigns in the honest heart.” – Unknown
“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect.” – Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” – Plato
“If you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.” – André Gide
“No mask like open truth to cover lies, As to go naked is the best disguise.” – William Congreve
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” – C. S. Lewis
“When dealing with backstabbers, there is one thing you must never do, and that is to never turn your back on them.” – Unknown
“Sometimes you don’t know who your true friends are until you find yourself at rock bottom.” – Nishan Panwar
“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“Friends are like stars, they come and go, but the ones that stay are the ones that glow.” – Unknown
“Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.” – Voltaire
“The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.” – Oscar Wilde
“Jealousy is the jaundice of the soul.” – John Dryden
“The most dangerous enemy is the one who pretends to be your friend.” – Unknown
“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.” – Epicurus
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.” – William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Powerful Quotes on Recognizing Shady Behaviors
“The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.” – Criss Jami
“People’s tongues can be sharper than a sword.” – African Proverb
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” – Terry Pratchett
“Beware the wolves in sheep’s clothing.” – Aesop
“The worst kind of people are those disguised as friends.” – Unknown
“Sometimes the most toxic people come disguised as family.” – Unknown
“Actions prove who someone is, words just prove who they pretend to be.” – Unknown
“Deception may give us what we want for the present, but it will always take it away in the end.” – Rachel Hawthorne
“Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour
“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
“No is easier to do. Yes is easier to say.” – Jason Fried
“A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.” – William Shakespeare
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” – William Blake
“A shady business never yields a sunny life.” – B.C. Forbes
“There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.” – Raymond Chandler
“Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend.” – Unknown
“We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love.” – Sigmund Freud
“Lying is done with words and also with silence.” – Adrienne Rich
“A person’s true colors will always show within time. You may be fooled for the moment, but be patient and see what happens.” – Unknown
“The jealousy that arises from love makes one see things differently.” – Renata Adler
“Believe in your gut feelings; some people’s smiles are far from innocent.” – Unknown
“To see what is right and not do it is the want of courage.” – Confucius
“Propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship.” – William Blum
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” – Michael Corleone, The Godfather
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell
“A cunning friend is worse than a useful enemy.” – Aesop
“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.” – Chinua Achebe
“Words are but wind; they have often been used to tell lies, but actions never deceive.” – John Gay
“The most dangerous liars are those who think they are telling the truth.” – Unknown
“Beware of those who are always always smiling, they’re always up to something.” – Unknown
Quotes on Learning Experiences with Shady Figures
“We learn from failure, not from success.” – Bram Stoker, Dracula
“Not all who wander are lost, but some have maps written by deceivers.” – Unknown
“Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.” – Russian Proverb
“When one is learning about sharp edges, it’s the shadow-draped knife that cuts the deepest.” – Original
“Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Life is a teacher. We can ignore its lessons or embrace them, especially when they originate from dubious characters.” – Original
“Mistrust the man who finds everything good, the man who finds everything evil and still more the man who is indifferent to everything.” – Johann Kaspar Lavater
“When you dance with the devil, you are bound to get burned.” – Charlie Daniels
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” – George Bernard Shaw
“People who avoid the truth usually lead you through the longest shadows.” – Original
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” – Proverbs 13:20
“Trust, but verify.” – Ronald Reagan
“Once bitten by a snake, he/she is scared all their lives at the mere sight of a rope.” – Chinese Proverb
“The road to wisdom? Well, it’s plain and simple to express. Err, and err, and err again, but less, and less, and less.” – Piet Hein
“Shadowy figures often cast the longest lessons.” – Original
“Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” – Otto von Bismarck
“True guidance comes in broad daylight; the crooked path hides in darkness.” – Original
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” – Jimi Hendrix
“The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back.” – Unknown
“A wise man learns more from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” – Niki Lauda
“In the land of marble eyes, wisdom must be carved out of stone.” – Original
“If you suspect a man, don’t employ him, and if you employ him, don’t suspect him.” – Chinese Proverb
“The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain – he is inspired by it.” – William Arthur Ward
“Slyness does not last, but honesty does.” – Tanzanian Proverb
“All shadows disappear when the light of understanding shines bright.” – Original
“He who lives without discipline dies without honor.” – Icelandic Proverb
“In every relationship with a shady figure, there lies a lesson etched in experience and shadowed by intention.” – Original
“Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.” – Elbert Hubbard
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali
“Cast a cold eye on life, on death. Horseman, pass by!” – W.B. Yeats
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.
