what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive
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.