In real life, coincidences happen all the time. In novels, they are leapt upon with fury.
Harlan CobenRead
There's always a price you pay when you lie. Once you introduce a lie into a relationship, even for the best of intentions, it is always there. Whenever you’re with that person again, that lie is in the room too. It sits on your shoulder. Good lie or bad lie, it's in the room with you forever now. It's your constant companion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lying in relationships has lasting consequences that cannot be undone.
This quote by Harlan Coben highlights the enduring impact of lies within relationships. It suggests that even the smallest untruth can create an invisible barrier that alters the dynamics between individuals, as the lie continuously influences interactions and trust, regardless of the intentions behind it.
Themes
LieRelationshipsTrustTruthConsequences
In practice
Example use cases
During a relationship counseling session to highlight the importance of honesty.
More from Harlan Coben
All quotes →The ugliest truth, in the end, was still better than the prettiest of lies.
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When you like something and you're pretty good at it and you can make a living doing it, you don't ask why. You just count your blessings and go with it.
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No, I don’t live in heartache. I don’t cry myself to sleep or any of that. I am, I tell myself, over it. But I do feel a void, icky as that sounds. And—like it or not—I still think about her every single day.
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Life may not always fall into neat chapters, and you may not always get the satisfying ending you're looking for, but sometimes a good explanation is all the rewrite you need.
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The most annoying and full- of- crap thing a writer says is, I write only for myself, I don't care if anyone reads it. A writer without a reader doesn't exist.
Harlan CobenRead
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