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QUOTES

Our past is filled with brilliant people offering free advice available to all.  Why would we not read the words they share or consider their perspectives.

• “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Mark Twain
• “Anything is better than lies and deceit” Leo Tolstoy
• “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar” Abraham Lincoln
• “If you don’t want to slip up tomorrow, speak the truth today” Bruce Lee
• “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” Albert Einstein
• “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Plato
• “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time till at length it becomes habitual.” Thomas Jefferson

BIBLICAL SCRIPTURE

There is no payment or commitment required to read scripture.  Being a religious person or a member of an organized religion is not a prerequisite.  We all have the right to our interpretations.  The words in the bible are owned by no one they are available to all.

• ²²“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22 (KJV)
• ¹¹“You shall not steal; you shall not lie; you shall not deceive one another.” Leviticus 19:11 (WEB)
• ²⁵“Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.”  Ephesians 4:25 (WEB)
• ²“Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.” Psalm 120:2

 SUMMARY THOUGHTS

Does a scale of severity exist for the telling of lies?  Is there such a thing as a harmless little lie?  If so, are little lies minor, no big deal, somewhat acceptable?  At what point does a harmless little lie become a big lie.  Are big lies harmful, major, tragic, evil?  What are “little white lies” and why are they “white”?  Are harmless little lies the initial step on the path to the use and acceptance of big lies?  What criteria is used to determine when a person’s lying should be considered pathological?  How many lies does it take before a person forfeits, in whole, any implied right to the trust of others? 

Who determines which lies are frivolous and which lies are consequential?  Does the scale of lies apply equally to all?   Are the lies of another worse than our own? When asked for our opinion must we share?  If asked a question we deem inappropriate must we answer?  Must we speak that which may harm the feelings of another?  Can the following statements be considered acceptable as truth, “I would rather not say”, “I would prefer to change the subject”, “I appreciate your right to an opinion; however, I disagree”?

It is my belief that I lack the knowledge required to make a determination between acceptable and unacceptable lies.  To the best of my ability avoiding all lies is the most righteous, virtuous and honorable act.  It appears speaking the truth at all times with all topics is one of the options available to choose.

I am the acceptance of lies or any deceitful benefit encouraging the temptation to lie.