Quotable Quotes: Lies
by Miki Saxon
Lies. These days it seems that everybody lies. Politicians, but that’s not new; corporate honchos, way more than previously; religious leaders, in the name of CYA; parents, for their kids own good; kids, because they’re kids; and on and one.
Richard Bach believes that the worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves, while Mark Twain believes there are three types of lies, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. I like that; I’ve always thought that statistics are like the Bible, you can spin them to support any view.
Adolf Hitler said, Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it. He understood what Eric Hoffer meant when he said, “Those in possession of absolute power can not only prophesy and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true,” and he almost did it.
Fox Mulder blithely says, “I would never lie. I willfully participate in a campaign of misinformation.” Wow, he could have a second career on Wall Street.
Lies are corrosive; they destroy the teller and damage the tellee.
I agree with Ann Landers, who said, “The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie;” and with Baltasar Gracian, who said, “A single lie destroys a whole reputation for integrity.”
I learned early on that I’m a superlative liar, but I don’t bother for two reasons, one prosaic and the other meaningful.
Prosaically, when you lie you need to remember every one of them or they will trip you in the future.
The more profound reason was best stated by George Bernard Shaw when he said, “The liar’s punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.” And that’s just not how I wanted to live my life.
We’ll end today with a bit of political levity from Adlai Stevenson, “I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends… that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.” Too bad they didn’t take him up on that!
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Image credit: semaphoria on flickr
November 24th, 2009 at 5:03 am
No offense meant to you, but I think using hitler for reference for any reason is in bad taste – its offensive. I know it made your point intensely clear, as was your intentj but using a real monster is over the topm you wouldn’t use child rape with from a true story as an example to make a point would you? Thanks for your consideration of this with future with future postsm
Rob
November 24th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Hi Rob, I don’t take offense, but I also don’t agree. I’ve used Hitler as a teaching aid in various posts because the example does make things very clear. He had all the traits assigned to leaders—a charismatic speaker with a passionate vision able to sway attitudes and attract millions of followers. Yes, I think his vision was abhorrent and my mother’s entire family died as a result of it, but there are still thousands (millions?) who agree with it.
Would I use child rape to make a point? Possibly, if it really made the point and wasn’t just sensationalism. I honestly believe that actions that dwell in darkness and feed on ignorance are best fought by shining bright lights on them; using them as teaching examples is a form of light.
I say all this not to change your mind or defend myself, rather because you offered a thoughtful comment that deserved an equally honest and thoughtful reply. Thank you for visiting and starting this conversation.