what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Attributed to canto 6, stanza 17 in the 1808 poem Marmion by Sir Walter Scott: "O what a tangled web we weave,/ When first we practice to deceive"
Phrase[edit]
what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive
- When one tells a simple lie, it may become necessary to tell more complex lies, eventually spiraling out of control and leading to the exposure of said deceit.