The worst of all deceptions is self-deception.

Self-deception is defined as the act of lying to yourself or of making yourself believe something that isn't really true. An example of self-deception is someone who convinces herself her boyfriend loves her even though he has told her several times he wants to break up.

When it comes to love and romance, self-deception can be useful because the truth about our close relationships can be difficult to acknowledge.

Few people always want to know the truth or seek it out. In fact, many people actively deny the truth until they are forced to deal with it.

We rarely see the world as it really is. Our perception of the world is biased, our memories betray us, and our true motives can remain hidden.

For better or worse, we constantly convince ourselves of things that are not true. We kid ourselves about the most basic things in life: Who we are and what is going on around us.

Most of the time we lie to ourselves in order to maintain a sense of control. After all, no one likes feeling vulnerable or helpless.

All of us experience the world through various filters—most of which are designed to make life more bearable.

Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”