Earlier quoted context omitted.
I also find anecdotally that people like that only surround themselves with people who repeat (or at least don't challenge) the lie. If you throw in some reality that is at odds with their belief then you don't get a seat at the table any more.
Have you ever read discussions on HN about climate change?
Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others
31–36 of 36 posts
Re: Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others
#32Re: Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others
#33Re: Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others
#34Bernard L. Madoff From Wikipeda "In his plea allocution, Madoff stated he began his Ponzi scheme in 1991. He admitted he had never made any legitimate investments with his clients' money during this time. Instead, he said, he simply deposited the money into his personal business account at Chase Manhattan Bank. When his customers asked for withdrawals, he paid them out of the Chase account — a classic "robbing Peter…
Re: Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others
#35Re: Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others
#36Bernard L. Madoff From Wikipeda "In his plea allocution, Madoff stated he began his Ponzi scheme in 1991. He admitted he had never made any legitimate investments with his clients' money during this time. Instead, he said, he simply deposited the money into his personal business account at Chase Manhattan Bank. When his customers asked for withdrawals, he paid them out of the Chase account — a classic "robbing Peter…
My guess is he is a sociopath, and his statement about intending to switch to legitimate trading is a lie intended to make him look less guilty.