Quote by Torquato Tasso: “Who trusts in deceit, deceives himself.”

This proverb warns that relying on dishonesty ultimately harms the deceiver most, suggesting that insincerity is a self-destructive path. It implies a moral lesson about the importance of integrity, as deceit often backfires upon its user.

In *Jerusalem Delivered*, themes of virtue and deception played crucial roles in the narrative of Christian crusaders versus Muslim forces. This quote reflects a moral stance against treachery, applicable to both individual conduct and warfare.

Italian Renaissance poet born in Sorrento in 1544, best known for Jerusalem Delivered, an epic poem about the First Crusade. He spent years imprisoned in the asylum of Sant'Anna in Ferrara, reportedly due to mental illness and conflicts with his patron. His lyric poetry and treatises on aesthetics made him one of the defining literary figures of the late Italian Renaissance.