White lie

“ I could name several, and among them, some you would call the most polished ladies in the city, who would not, for their right hand, tell a lie, white or black. Truth—simple, unvarnished truth—is their motto, and a beautiful motto it is, such as I wish every young and every old lady would abide by.'
"'But you must own,' I said, 'that almost all fashionable people tell what is called white lies?'
"'I acknowledge that it is far too common,' she went on. 'We are becoming corrupt and unprincipled as a nation ”

“ The prevarication and white lies which a mind that keeps itself ambitiously pure is as uneasy under as a great artist under the false touches that no eye detects but his own, are worn as lightly as mere trimmings when once the actions have become a lie. ”

“ There are ten thousand ways of telling a lie. A man's entire life may be a falsehood, while with his lips he may not once directly falsify. There are those who state what is positively untrue, but afterwards say, "may be," softly. These departures from the truth are called "white lies;" but there is really no such thing as a white lie. ”

“ I like the boy. She professed to love him, and, to own the truth, I loathe all treachery and deceit. If I had done a murder, I would own it. A lie doubles every crime. But I took heart; we are all selfish, we men; of the two sisters one was all innocence and good faith; and she was the one I had chosen.”
At these words Josephine rose, like a statue moving, and took a phial from her bosom and poured the contents into the glass. ”

“ Can we make out the so-called 'white lie' to be morally permissible?" Then he takes up the cases of children and the insane, who are not entitled to know all the truth, and asks if it be right not only to conceal the truth but to falsify it, in talking with them. Concealment may be a duty, he admits, but he denies that falsifying is ever a duty. "How shall ethics ever be brought to lay down a duty of lying [of 'white lying'] , to recommend evil that good may come? ”

“ She had taken the name of Simplice through special choice. "Simplice, of Sicily, our readers will remember, is the saint who sooner let her bosom be plucked out than say she was a native of Segeste, as she was born at Syracuse, though the falsehood would have saved her. Such a patron saint suited this soul." And in speaking of Sister Simplice, as never having told even "a white lie," Victor Hugo quotes a letter from the Abbé Sicard, to his deaf-mute pupil Massieu, on this point: "Can there be such a thing as a white lie, an innocent lie? Lying is the absolute of evil. ”

“ To say the least of it, it is a dangerous habit; for white lies are but the gentlemen ushers to black ones. I know but of one point on which a lie is excusable, and that is, when you wish to deceive the enemy. Then your duty to your country warrants your lying till you're black in the face; and, for the very reason that it goes against your grain, it becomes, as it were, a sort of virtue."
"What was the difference between the marine officer and Mr Phillott that occurred this morning?"
"Nothing at all in itself. The marine officer is a bit of a gaby, and takes offence where none is meant. ”

“ I wish I may see him lie with those red lips white and dry as ashes, and when he looks for pity I wish he may see my face rejoicing in his pain. It is all a lie—this world is a lie—there is no goodness but in hate. ”

“ There are no white lies. Every lie is, in God's sight, black; and he has told us how he will punish liars who do not repent and forsake their sins. You broke the rule of the school by whispering to your companion, and thus tempting him to answer ”

“ Still I do not tell a lie."
"What is a lie, then, sir?"
"A lie is an intention to deceive. The words are spoken, or the motions made, for the purpose of deceiving. If, as Mary says, not a word is spoken, by a nod of assent, or a shake of the head, you may give and intend to give a false impression, and thus be guilty of lying."
"Do you remember, father," asked Mary, "how dreadfully Abby Jones's brother was whipped at school, because she nodded her head to assure the teacher that he took her dinner out of the pail?" ”

“ Nearly every civilized nation visits it with heavy punishment. Unless promptly checked, it would shake the very foundations of justice.
Lying—uttering or acting falsehood—and slander—the spreading of false reports tending to destroy the reputation of another—are two of the most common violations of this commandment.
LYING. We have got nowadays so that we divide lies into white lies and black lies, society lies, business lies, etc. The Word of God knows no such letting-down of the standard. A lie is a lie, no matter what are the circumstances under which it is uttered, or by whom. ”

“ Hence comes the maxim, Every woman lies—obliging lies—venial lies—sublime lies—horrible lies—but always the obligation of lying.
“This obligation once admitted, must it not be a necessity to know how to lie well? In France, the women lie admirably. Our customs instruct them so well in imposture. And woman is so naïvely impertinent, so pretty, so graceful, so true, in her lying! ”

“ There must be a great noise and bustle, the firing of cannons, the roll of drums, the shouting of many words. The spirit within must be killed. “What liars people are,” May thought breathlessly. It seemed to her that all the people of her town stood before her, were in a way being judged by her, and her own lie, told to defeat a universal lie, now seemed a small, a white innocent thing. ”

“ In the last analysis malingering is to be looked upon as a special form of lying, and its proper understanding will necessitate a clear insight into lying in general.
Lying, a very natural and generally prevalent phenomenon, may manifest itself in all gradations—from the occasional, quite innocent “white lie” as it occurs in a perfectly normal individual to the pathological lying exhibited in that mental state known as “pseudologia phantastica.” ”

“ Her complexion was as delicate as an infant's, the color in her cheeks being somewhat heightened by her excitement.
"What a fuss Miss Salsbury makes about a few white lies that child has told!" she said, her lip curling contemptuously. "I doubt whether Clara is old enough to know that there is any harm in what she said,—such a little thing as she is!"
"But if the fault is not corrected while she is young," said the lady who last spoke, "it will grow upon her. I can conceive of no worse trait than to be a confirmed liar." ”

“ Nov I'm going to tell you the plain, unvarnished truth. You are a liar, Aunt Clarissa,—one of the extreme kind, who flinch at nothing to carry out your plans. I can remember I first began to doubt your word when you gave me a dose of rhubarb, telling me it was nice like sugar. That was when you first came to us; and since that hour, I have never known you tell the truth when a lie would suit your purpose better."
"How dare you talk so, Alice?" gasped Miss Saunders, her chin quivering. ”

“ I dare say she would call me a liar for sending word 'not at home' to a caller whom I wish to avoid, as if it were not everywhere understood that it means you are engaged; or because I reply that 'my tablet is full of engagements,' when a disagreeable gentleman wishes to dance with me. If she knew anything of fashionable society, she would understand that such white lies are unavoidable. It would be an insult to a gentleman to refuse to dance with him."
"Oh, how I wish I could go to a ball!" exclaimed one enthusiastic young lady. ”

“ His facts and quotations are apt and useful, but his indignant denials and sarcastic epithets run to excess; every time one reads the emphatic assertion that black is white one does not want to have also to read that this is an amazing lie. ”

“ If I read this wonderful book aright, it says as its final word that a life of deception does not always [Pg ix] wither up and harden the human heart, but sometimes expands and softens it; that a man may pass from lie to lie until he is convinced that he is as white as an angel, and, having betrayed himself into a belief in his innocence, that he may become generous, unselfish, and noble. ”

“ You may imagine my surprise and displeasure when I found that I had one scholar who could thus be guilty of a lie of plagiarism, in attempting a composition on the sin of lying.
"I will not at present expose the young lady, whose punishment I have not yet decided upon. As for the rest of you, the consciousness that you have been guilty of no wrong in this respect will uphold you under the common blame which the sin of one of your number has caused you to bear. This crime is as truly a sin as any other lie. ”

“ Didn't you hear the good spirit whispering, 'Oh, Joseph, don't tell a lie! God wont like it?' You have been very naughty indeed. It makes my heart ache when I remember that God, who never lies, who never in any way deceives us, has said, 'All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.'"
Joseph's attention was arrested. He was a bright boy, not wanting in quickness and apprehension, and after a moment's reflection, he said,—
"My Sister Ellen used to tell lies; but now she never does; Aunt Collins wrote about it. When I'm as large as Ellen, I shall leave off." ”

“ Indeed, no smart antithesis has been so hurtful as the overstated distinction between black lies and white. They are of different species, but have no generic difference. Charles Reade's novel, of "White Lies," in which the deceptions of love are so glorified, charming story as it is, will sap the character of whoever does not, with a mental protest, countermine its main idea. ”

“ They so well understand its usefulness in social life for avoiding those violent shocks which would destroy happiness,—it is like the cotton in which they pack their jewelry.
“Lying is to them the very foundation of language, [93] and truth is only the exception; they speak it, as they are virtuous, from caprice or for a purpose. According to their character, some women laugh when they lie, and some cry; some become grave, and others get angry. Having begun life by pretending perfect insensibility to that homage which flatters them most, they often finish by lying even to themselves. ”

“ A certain amount of exposure is good for the soul, but our newspaper headlines over-reached this ideal purpose. They cultivated liars and encouraged their lies. The peculiarity of lies is their great longevity. They are a productive species and would have overwhelmed the country and destroyed George Washington except for his hatchet. Once born, the lie may live twenty, thirty, or forty years. At the end of a man's life sometimes it is healthier than he ever was. Lies have attacked every occupant of the White House, have irritated every man since Adam, and every good woman since Eve. ”

“ I think he can; for a single motion of the head will sometimes convey a wrong impression.
"What is the difference between a lie and a falsehood? A person may tell what is not true, or a falsehood, without the intention to deceive, which constitutes a lie.
"What does the Bible say of lying lips? 'The lip of truth shall be established forever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment.' 'Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.' 'He that speaketh lies shall not escape.' 'Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor.'
"Is there such a thing as a lie of flattery? ”

“ Don't tell a lie, dear children, No matter what you do,-- Own up and be a hero, Right honest, brave, and true. You'd better have a whipping Each day than tell a lie,-- No, not a "white one," even, They lead to blackest dye. ”

“ All around you see encircling woods, and combinations of rock, and wood, and water, that inspire delightful emotions.
But you will turn again and again to the abbey to gaze on its tall arches, the great empty window, the crumbling walls, over which hang rich masses of ivy, and walking slowly round you will discover the points whence the ruins appear most picturesque. And within, where elder-trees grow, and the carved tombstones of the old abbots lie on the turf, you may still see where the monks sat in the sanctuary, and where they poured the holy water. ”

“ They mix sand with sugar, adulterate tea and spices, sell barley for coffee, and Indian meal for ginger, all the time giving their word that the articles are pure and of the best quality."
The next composition began in this way:—
"What is a lie? By some writers it is explained as an intention to deceive.
"Can a person be guilty of lying who does not speak? ”

“ The white man must say “Is the promise of a real democracy worth the present lie and deception and cruelty?” The necessity of these daily compromises leads to three sorts of mental attitudes among both races. ”

“ She wondered how all her friends were at the Maison Collette, and who was now proprietor of her dead father’s little restaurant in Oxford Street.
Through the open windows of her little cubicle, in the silence of night, she could see the red glare over London, and could hear the distant roar of the great Metropolis. Oft-times she lay thinking for hours, thinking and wondering what had become of the man she so unwisely loved—the man who had destroyed all her fondest hopes and illusions. ”

“ Neighbours scarcely ventured to whisper to one another, and the young ladies in ball-dresses, who, as if by a magnetic cohesion, were all together, sat for a long time in a row in deep, embarrassed silence, like a hedge of blue, red, and white flowers, in which no bird dared sing. ”

“ From the high-up windows in Shaftesbury Avenue, close to Piccadilly Circus, Ralph Ansell looked down upon the busy traffic of motor-buses, taxis, and cars, the dark-red after-glow shining full upon his keen, clean-shaven face. ”