Faustian bargain
Devil's tempting offer
A Faustian bargain is a deal in which someone trades away something precious—typically their soul, integrity, or long-term wellbeing—in exchange for immediate gain, usually power, wealth, or knowledge.
The term references the German legend of Faust, a scholar who sold his soul to the devil.
The phrase nearly always carries a cautionary tone, suggesting the person will ultimately regret the exchange: He made a Faustian bargain when he abandoned his principles for political power.
Soul-bargaining demon
- GoetheGerman poet-dramatist, 1749-1832
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- SatanJudeo-Christian arch-enemy of God
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
Marlowe · Robert Johnson · soul · legend · folklore · morality tale · cautionary tale · tragedy
Desire for achievement
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
- controlAuthority to direct
- supremacyHighest rank or power
- masteryComplete skill or control
influence · authority · hubris · overreach · megalomania · ruthlessness · at any cost · world domination
Enforceable written agreement
- trade-offExchange requiring sacrifice
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- compromiseAgreement through mutual sacrifice
agreement · forfeit · renunciation · surrender · negotiation · terms · price · cost
Enticing someone romantically
- lureThing that tempts
- enticementSomething that attracts
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
- promiseCommitment to act
ambition · desire · yearning · craving · aspiration · longing · forbidden fruit · shortcut
Eternal spiritual ruin
- doomUnavoidable grim fate
- downfallSudden loss of power
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
- fatePredetermined course of events
destruction · curse · retribution · judgment · consequences · eternal · infernal · hellfire
Of or relating to companies
- Silicon ValleyBay Area tech corridor
- privacyFreedom from observation
- dataFacts for analysis
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
convenience · social media · terms of service · fine print · sell out · whistleblower · ethics · short-term gain
Mephistopheles
Soul-bargaining demon
- GoetheGerman poet-dramatist, 1749-1832
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- SatanJudeo-Christian arch-enemy of God
Marlowe · crossroads · Robert Johnson · soul · legend · folklore · morality tale · cautionary tale · tragedy · hubris
ambition
Desire for achievement
mastery · influence · authority · hubris · overreach · megalomania · ruthlessness · at any cost · world domination · glory
contract
Enforceable written agreement
- trade-offExchange requiring sacrifice
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
compromise · agreement · forfeit · renunciation · surrender · negotiation · terms · price · cost · transaction
seduction
Enticing someone romantically
- lureThing that tempts
- enticementSomething that attracts
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
promise · ambition · desire · yearning · craving · aspiration · longing · forbidden fruit · shortcut · instant gratification
perdition
Eternal spiritual ruin
fate · destruction · curse · retribution · judgment · consequences · eternal · infernal · hellfire · comeuppance
corporate
Of or relating to companies
- Silicon ValleyBay Area tech corridor
- privacyFreedom from observation
- dataFacts for analysis
surveillance · convenience · social media · terms of service · fine print · sell out · whistleblower · ethics · short-term gain · environmental
- AllusionsAchilles heel, Pandora's box, Trojan horse, forbidden fruit, Midas touch
- Historical AllusionsTrojan horse, Achilles heel, Pyrrhic victory, crossing the Rubicon, Pandora's box
- literary idiomscatch-22, red herring, white whale, chapter and verse, by the book
- Good and Evilgood, evil, good versus evil, virtue and vice, morality
- greedgreed, avarice, covetousness, cupidity, materialism
- moral talesfable, parable, moral stories, allegory, moral fables
Faustian bargainblessing
Prayer seeking divine favor
divine gift · principled stand · grace · moral choice · holy vow
Faustian bargainfair trade
Equitable exchange between parties
win-win deal · square deal · mutual benefit · good deal · no strings attached
Faustian bargaindelayed gratification
Postponing pleasure for benefit
long-term thinking · salvation · redemption · blessing in disguise · sowing and reaping