Truth consists not in never lying but in knowing when to lie and when not to do so.

Truth can remain silent. Lies must be spoken.

Well, he used to say that only a lie that wasn't ashamed of itself could possibly succeed. He also said that nothing had to be true, but everything had to sound true.

Well, he used to say that only a lie that wasn't ashamed of itself could possibly succeed. He also said that nothing had to be true, but everything had to sound true

One must at least know what the lies are.

There is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it.

Lies are as important as truth, for without lies, the truth is worthless.

Which is better, truth that is a lie or the lie that is truth?

you do not realize that one has to learn to speak the truth. it seems to you that it is enough to wish or to decide to do so. and i tell you that people comparatively rarely tell a deliberate lie. in most cases they think they speak the truth. and yet they lie all the time, both when they wish to lie and when they wish to speak the truth. they lie all the time, both to themselves and to others. therefore nobody ever understands either himself or anyone else. think - could there be such discord, such deep misunderstanding, and such hatred towards the views and opinions of others, if people were able to understand because they cannot help lying. to speak the truth is the most difficult thing in the world; and one must study a great deal and for a long time in order to be able to speak the truth. the wish alone is not enough. to speak the truth one must know what the truth is and what a lie is, and first of all in oneself. and this nobody wants to know.

No life is without its lies.

To say that in every falsehood there is a grain of truth is to treat the two like oil and water, which cannot be mixed and are only externally combined.

In the lie of truth lies the truth.

Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well.

Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well.