Lying

by Sam Harris

To lie is to intentionally mislead others when they expect honest communication.

People lie so that others will form beliefs that are not true. The more consequential the beliefs—that is, the more a person’s well-being demands a correct understanding of the world or of other people’s opinions—the more consequential the lie.

Honest people are a refuge: You know they mean what they say; you know they will not say one thing to your face and another behind your back; you know they will tell you when they think you have failed—and for this reason their praise cannot be mistaken for mere flattery.

In many circumstances in life, false encouragement can be very costly to another person.

False encouragement is a kind of theft: It steals time, energy, and motivation that a person could put toward some other purpose.