He entered the territory of lies without a passport for return.
—Graham Greene (1904–91) British Novelist, Playwright, Short Story Writer
Falsehood is invariably the child of fear in one form or another.
—Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) English Occultist, Mystic, Magician
I detest that man, who hides one thing in the depths of his heart, and speaks forth another.
—Homer (751–651 BCE) Ancient Greek Poet
Liars are always ready to take oaths.
—Vittorio Alfieri (1749–1803) Italian Dramatist
Your automatic creative mechanism is teleological. That is, it operates in terms of goals and end results. Once you give it a definite goal to achieve, you can depend upon its automatic guidance system to take you to that goal much better than “you” ever could by conscious thought. “You” supply the goal by thinking in terms of end results. Your automatic mechanism then supplies the means whereby.
—Maxwell Maltz (1899–1975) American Surgeon, Motivational Writer
It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentional lying, that there is so much falsehood in the world.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
As the great Confucius said, “The one who would be in constant happiness must frequently change”. Flow. But we keep looking back, don’t we? We cling to things in the past and cling to things in the present…Do you want to enjoy a symphony? Don’t hold on to a few bars of the music. Don’t hold on to a couple of notes. Let them pass, let them flow. The whole enjoyment of a symphony lies in your readiness to allow the notes to pass…
—Anthony de Mello (1931–87) Indian-born American Theologian
Ask no questions and hear no lies.
—Common Proverb
Popular opinion is the greatest lie in the world.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.
—Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) Nazi Leader, Chancellor of Germany
In human relationships, kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths.
—Graham Greene (1904–91) British Novelist, Playwright, Short Story Writer
One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
To live differently, to love differently, to think differently, or to try to. Is the danger of beauty so great that it is better to live without it (the standard model)? Or to fall into her arms fire to fire? There is no discovery without risk and what you risk reveals what you value.
—Jeanette Winterson (b.1959) English Novelist, Journalist
out the truth. –
—Ashleigh Brilliant (b.1933) British Cartoonist, Author
He who lies for you will lie about you.
—Arabic Proverb
Luck is always waiting for something to turn up. Labor, with keen eyes and strong will, always turns up something. Luck lies in bed and wishes the postman will bring news of a legacy. Labor turns out at six o’clock and with busy pen or ringing hammer, lays the foundation of a competence. Luck whines. Labor whistles. Luck relies on chance, labor on character.
—Richard Cobden
We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies.
—Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish Painter, Sculptor, Artist
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.
—Unknown
The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
You don’t tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive.
—Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) British Head of State
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
—Henry Stanley Haskins
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation.
—Saki (Hector Hugh Munro) (1870–1916) British Short Story Writer, Satirist, Historian
I am a lie who always speaks the truth.
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) French Poet, Novelist, Dramatist, Playwright, Artist
Someday, in the moment of death, your whole life will pass before you. In a few fractions of a second–because time no longer applies–you will see many incidents from your life in order to learn. You will review your life with two questions in your consciousness: Could I have shown a little more courage in these moments? Could I have shown a little more love? You will see where you let fear stop you from expressing who you are, how you feel, or what you need. You will see whether you were able to expand into these moments, just a little, to show love, or whether you contracted.
—Dan Millman (b.1946) American Children’s Books Writer, Sportsperson
The only form of lying that is absolutely beyond reproach is lying for its own sake.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet
One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.
—African Proverb
Unconscious of your story, you are in its grasp; but with consciousness, an alchemical process begins: The solidity of the complex dissolves and you can open up to the arrival of a new archetype, the birth of a new cycle of life. In the shadow, then, lies our myth and our fate.
—Connie Zweig American Minister, Columnist, Psychotherapist
Your purpose is to act on the resources God gives you. If God gives you a bucket of fish, you have to distribute those fish. If you don’t, they’re going to rot, attract a bunch of flies, and start stinking up your soul.
—Russell Simmons (b.1957) American Music Promoter
This is the punishment of the liar, that when he tells the truth nobody believes him.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Your great power lies not on the surface, but deep within your being.
—Roger McDonald (b.1941) Australian Novelist, Poet, Screenwriter, Writer
Shadow-making happens in families and makes us who we are. It leads to shadow-work, which makes us who we can become.
—Connie Zweig American Minister, Columnist, Psychotherapist
The cruelest lies are often told in silence. A man may have sat in a room for hours and not opened his mouth, and yet come out of that room a disloyal friend or a vile calumniator.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) Scottish Novelist
I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.
—Pietro Aretino (1492–1556) Italian Author, Playwright, Poet, Satirist