rant · moment 5 of 18
On Lying as a Virtue
from 161 - The Los Angeles Liars · #161
2 min
A philosophical riff arguing that lying, done well and often, shows you care about someone, while blunt honesty is inconsiderate — comparing it to skipping deodorant, and arguing pathological liars need practice like drunk driving.
- People keep secrets all the time—conspiracies aren't real because nobody can keep secrets, but you're keeping secrets from your wife right now.
- People have secret families they never talk about; secrets get kept for years with good lawyers.
- Big lies require little eyes to sustain them; pathological liars practice lying all the time because they want to be good at it.
- If you drink and drive every night, statistically you'll be better at it; same with lying, comedy, and anything else—you have to do it a lot.
- Tim's first instinct in many situations is to spin a yarn or lie because he cares about the person, and honesty would be insane.
- When called out on lying, he says he's lying because he knows he's wrong and loves the person—being honest would be insane.
- Honesty is not the best policy; only schoolteachers say that because they talk to children all day with childlike minds.
- Don't take advice from anything on a guidance counselor's wall—it won't help.