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We can all be conned but at what point do we realize that we're being conned and to what point do we allow ourselves to be conned?

I think anyone who's ever gone through adolescence and wanted something from their parents knows the basic tenets of a con.

The delicate balance between modesty and conceit is popularity.

In the old days, a con man would be good looking, suave, well dressed, well spoken and presented themselves real well. Those days are gone because it's not necessary. The people committing these crimes are doing them from hundreds of miles away.

Doubt, it seems to me, is the central condition of a human being in the twentieth century.

I believe that our society is merely a reflection of what is going on inside each and every one of us.

I think we're experiencing a resurgence of fantasy-type conventions in general because people want to get out around kindred spirits. Cons are a great place to meet people you've been tweeting and FB'ing with, and since you've had an online relationship with them, it's not like meeting for the first time.

The con movie is a little bit different where maybe we tell you what we're going to do but it never goes down the way you expect because there's so much double-crossing and cheats and lies going on along the whole way.

And I think it's because good cons are all based on the victim's need, and the successful con artist is the one, I guess, who can exploit that. I remember reading something about this, that one of the great traits of confidence tricksters is the level that they flatter their victim.