"Socrates: This man, on one hand, believes that he knows something, while not knowing [anything]. On the other hand, I - equally ignorant - do not believe [that I know anything]."
― Plato, Apology

"I prefer nothing, unless it is true."
― Plato, Euthyphro

Creativity takes courage. - Henri Matisse

Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not. - Pablo Picasso

"Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life's relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth." ― Søren Kierkegaard

I really liked #1 and #2 quotes. Thank you.

"There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true."
~ Søren Kierkegaard

I thought it applies to many areas in life, including forgiveness:

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." ~ Chinese Proverb

"Sometimes the wrong train can take us to the right place."
"When I had nothing to lose, I had everything. When I stopped being who I am, I found myself."
~ Paulo Coelho

This quote made me smile, thanks!

"Avoidance of self deception is a matter of integrity not comfort."
― Orrin Woodward

"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too." ― Paulo Coelho

I completed one of those hard tasks this morning! The quote was just right on time to celebrate my achievement! Thank you!

Emotional intelligence counts as well!

I read somewhere that emotional intelligence is more important than intellect...

I looked up a definition of self-deception on Wikipedia...

"Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and logical argument. Self-deception involves convincing oneself of a truth (or lack of truth) so that one does not reveal any self-knowledge of the deception."

Interestingly enough, Trivers' theory of self-deception states that.. "there has been an ongoing debate over the question of such behavior having a genetic basis."

"Deception is a fundamental aspect of communication in nature, both between and within species. It has evolved so that one can have an advantage over another. From alarm calls to mimicry, animals use deception to further their survival. Those who are better able to perceive deception are more likely to survive."

"Hiding the truth from yourself to hide it more deeply from others."


"Though the term is difficult to define, examples of self-deception are abundant in varying degrees. Simple instances of self-deception include common occurrences such as: the alcoholic who is self-deceived in believing that his drinking is under control, the husband who is self-deceived in believing that his wife is not having an affair, the jealous colleague who is self deceived in believing that her colleague's greater professional success is due to ruthless ambition."