Lying

by Sam Harris

Honesty is a gift we can give to others. It is also a source of power and an engine of simplicity. Knowing that we will attempt to tell the truth, whatever the circumstances, leaves us with little to prepare for. Knowing that we told the truth in the past leaves us with nothing to keep track of. We can simply be ourselves in every moment.

denying that tact can play a role in minimizing conflict.

To lie is to erect a boundary between the truth we are living and the perception others have of us.

It is both a failure of understanding and an unwillingness to be understood. To lie is to recoil from relationship. By lying, we deny others our view of the world.

Telling children they are always accomplishing wonderful things regardless of their actual accomplishments is not going to serve them when

faith is the enemy of open and honest inquiry.