Quotes on Honesty

Of all the animals, man is the only one that lies.

It is not without good reason, that he who has not a good memory should never take upon him the trade of lying.

A man is sorry to be honest for nothing.

It is a fine thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right.

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.

Granted the endless variations of moral customs, still the essential standards persist. As in a scientific laboratory, all else may change but the standards are unalterable- disinterested love of truth, fidelity to facts, accuracy in measurement, exactness of verification-so, in life as a whole, the towering ethical criteria remain unshaken. Falsehood is never better than truth, theft better than than honesty, treachery better than loyalty, cowardice better than courage.

Add a few drops of venom to a half truth and you have an absolute truth.

We no longer admit any other truth than that which is expedient; for there is no worse error than the truth that may weaken the arm that is fighting.

Who speaks the truth stabs falsehood to the heart.

If men would avoid that general language and general manner in which they strive to hide all that is peculiar, and would say only what was uppermost in their own minds, after their own individual manner, every man would be interesting.

An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie; for an excuse is a lie guarded.

This I hope will be the age of experiments in government, and that their basis will be founded in principles of honesty, not of mere force.

Honesty before God requires the most fundamental risk of faith we can take: the risk that God is good, that God does love us unconditionally. It is in taking this risk that we rediscover our dignity. To bring the truth of ourselves, just as we are, to God, just as God is, is the most dignified thing we can do in this life.

The largest land animal is the elephant, and it is the nearest to man in intelligence: it understands the language of its country and obeys orders, remembers duties that it has been taught, is pleased by affection and by marks of honour, nay more it possesses virtues rare even in man, honesty, wisdom, justice, also respect for the stars and reverence for the sun and moon.

Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.

Stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.

If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem.

Simplicity is the key to brilliance.

Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. It's about sharing. It's about honesty. It's about identity.

There is no such thing as philosophy-free science, just science that has been conducted without any consideration of its underlying philosophical assumptions.

Following Christ, the Church seeks the truth, which is not always the same as the majority opinion.