Feigning Quotes

• We all appear as dunces when feigning an interest in things we care nothing about.

  C. S. Lewis

  Care, Dunces, Interest

  C. S. Lewis (1971). “The Four Loves”, p.87, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• The truest poetry is the most feigning.

  William Shakespeare

  Poetry Is, Touchstones, Truest

  William Shakespeare (1832). “Hamlet, and As you like it, a specimen of a new ed. of Shakespeare [by T. Caldecott]. by T. Caldecott”

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• Twas never merry world Since lowly feigning was called compliment.

  William Shakespeare

  World, Compliment, Merry

  'Twelfth Night' (1601) act 3, sc. 1, l. [110]

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• One can acquire some virtues by feigning them for a long time.

  Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

  Long, Virtue, Imitation

  Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1994). “Aphorisms”, Ariadne Press (CA)

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• Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly.

  William Shakespeare

  Stupidity, You Like It, Folly

  'As You Like It' (1599) act 2, sc. 7, l. 174

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• People are shuffling by in long coats, with shopping bags and takeout, smoking cigarettes and feigning laughter - filling up their lives with distractions to shut out the chaos.

  Rob Payne

  Laughter, Filling Up, Shopping

  "Working Class Zero". Book by Rob Payne, Chapter 26, 2003.

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• Most friendship is faining, most loving mere folly:
  Then, heigh-ho, the holly.
  This life is most jolly.

  William Shakespeare

  Friendship, Hollies, Life Is

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• Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As mans ingratitude Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho sing, heigh-ho unto the green holly Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly. Then heigh-ho the holly This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, That dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friend rememberd not.

  William Shakespeare

  Life, Art, Winter

  'As You Like It' (1599) act 2, sc. 7, l. 174

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• Blow, blow, thou winter wind Thou art not so unkind, As man's ingratitude.

  William Shakespeare

  Art, Winter, Blow

  'As You Like It' (1599) act 2, sc. 7, l. 174

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• Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

  Sun Tzu

  Crush, Art, War

  Sun Tzu (2016). “The Art of War”, p.7, Xist Publishing

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• The feigning sleeper can delude others he cannot delude himself. The false mystic, unfortunately, can delude both others and himself.

  Anthony de Mello

  Mystic, Sleepers

  Anthony De Mello (2012). “One Minute Wisdom”, p.149, Image

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• O God, O God, how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!

  William Shakespeare

  God, Despair, Use

  'Hamlet' (1601) act 1, sc. 2, l. 129

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• If every day a man takes orders in silence from an incompetent superior, if every day he solemnly performs ritual acts which he privately finds ridiculous, if he unhesitatingly gives answers to questionnaires which are contrary to his real opinions and is prepared to deny his own self in public, if he sees no difficulty in feigning sympathy or even affection where, in fact, he feels only indifference or aversion, it still does not mean that he has entirely lost the use of one of the basic human senses, namely, the sense of humiliation.

  Vaclav Havel

  Sad, Sympathy, Real

  Open letter to Dr. Gustáv Husák, Communist President, April 8, 1975.

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• You've heard of animals chewing off a leg to escape a trap? There's an animal kind of trick. A human would remain in the trap, endure the pain, feigning death that he might kill the trapper and remove a threat to his kind.

  Frank Herbert

  Pain, Animal, Might

  Frank Herbert (2003). “Dune”, p.16, Penguin

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• Not knowing a thing is not ignorance. Feigning knowledge you don't have can be--Sholto

  Laurell K. Hamilton

  Moving On, Ignorance, Knowing

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• The less the mind understands and the more things it perceives, the greater its power of feigning is; and the more things it understands, the more that power is diminished.

  Baruch Spinoza

  Mind, Perceive, Greater

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• How can we expect our students to become bold and fearless in thought and action if we encase them in sentimental shrines feigning a culture which has long since disappeared?

  Walter Gropius

  Long, Fearless, Culture

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• A king there was once reigning, Who had a goodly flea, Him loved he without feigning, As his own son were he!

  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  Love, Kings, Son

  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (2013). “Faust, Part One”, p.65, Courier Corporation

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• Even feigning surprise, pretending it was unexpected and saying a ritual thanks, is surely wiser than just expecting everything so carelessly.

  Barbara Kingsolver

  Animal, Vegetables, Miracle

  Barbara Kingsolver (2010). “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Our Year of Seasonal Eating”, p.284, Faber & Faber

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• The world is not looking for Stepford-type Christians. People are tired of pretense. We struggle with failures; we long for intimacy. So why are we feigning perfection before God and one another.

  Sheila Walsh

  Christian, Struggle, Tired

  Sheila Walsh (1999). “Life is Tough, But God is Faithful: How to See God's Love in Difficult Times”, p.1990, Thomas Nelson Inc

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• In the business world, what’s the female equivalent of going golfing with a client?” Laney gave this some thought. Payton fell silent, too, contemplating. After a few moments, neither of them could come up with anything. How depressing. Payton sighed, feigning resignation. “Well, that’s it. I guess I’ll just have to sleep with them.” Laney folded her hands primly on the table. “I think I’m uncomfortable with this conversation.

  Julie James

  Depressing, Sleep, Thinking

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• There are people one knows and people one doesn't. One shouldn't cheapen the former by feigning intimacy with the latter.

  Tony Horwitz

  People, Intimacy, Latter

  Tony Horwitz (2010). “Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War”, p.151, Vintage

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• It's one thing to be a high achiever; it's quite another to privately sneer at your girlfriend's friends after feigning friendliness because they have the "misfortune" to drive a bus for a living.

  Mallory Ortberg

  Girlfriend, Bus, Achiever

  "I Think She's in Love". Live chat, www.slate.com. February 2, 2016.

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• I'd have to swing by the house first to change into something more comfortable.” “That's fine,” he said. “I'm all for you changing into something more comfortable.” “I'll bet you are,” she said knowingly. “Now, don't start getting fresh,” he said, feigning offense. “I don't think we know each other well enough for that.

  Nicholas Sparks

  Thinking, Swings, House

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• Easy climb, Kurokuma. You do it easily.' 'Not on your life,' Horace said... 'That's what we have Rangers for. They climb up sheer rock walls and crawl along narrow, slippery ledges. I'm a trained warrior, and I'm far to valuable to risk such shenanigans.' 'We're not valuable?' Will said, feigning insult. Horace looked at him. 'We've got two of you. We can always afford to lose one,' he said firmly.

  John Flanagan

  Wall, Warrior, Rocks

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