A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual operating alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty, honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naïveté or greed.
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Famous quotes containing the words confidence trick, confidence and/or trick:
“The notion of a universality of human experience is a confidence trick and the notion of a universality of female experience is a clever confidence trick.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)
“Sincerity is a certain openness of heart. It is to be found in very few, and what we commonly look upon to be so is only a cunning sort of dissimulation, to insinuate ourselves into the confidence of others.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
“With God, what is terrible is that one never knows whether it’s not just a trick of the devil.”
—Jean Anouilh (1910–1987)