Lying can hurt deeply, especially when you know the truth. It feels like a betrayal, leaving a sting that words can rarely heal. Quotes about lying and honesty have a way of capturing this pain, resonating with our experiences.
In this article, we’ll share some of the best quotes that reflect the anguish and clarity that come when you catch someone in a lie. These words can offer comfort and insight, reminding you that you’re not alone in feeling deceived.
Truth Revealing Quotes
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
“To be a liar is to be a prisoner of deceit, but to know the truth is to be free.”
“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”
“It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.”
“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”
“Liars don’t lie to those they love. They lie to those they fear.”
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
“A lie has speed, but truth has endurance.”
“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.”
“Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them and cover them up, at least a little bit.”
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
“Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons.”
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth-telling, truth-speaking, truth living, and truth-loving.”
“People think that a liar gains a victory over his victim. What I’ve learned is that a lie is an act of self-abdication, because one surrenders one’s reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person one’s master, condemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that person’s view requires to be faked.”
“Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.”
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t going away.”
“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
“A single lie discovered is enough to create doubt in every truth expressed.”
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
“Falsehood is easy, truth so difficult.”
“Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.”
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
“Who lies for you will lie against you.”
“Truth crushed to earth shall rise again.”
“The best way to keep one’s word is not to give it.”
“All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie.”
“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.”
“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual.”
“To know the truth of history is to realize its ultimate myth and its inevitable ambiguity.”
“Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.”
“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but there it is.”
Empowering Truth Quotes
“The truth may hurt for a little while, but a lie hurts forever.”
“The worst part about being lied to is knowing you weren’t worth the truth.”
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”
“Lies are like snowballs; the longer you roll them, the bigger they become.”
“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”
“Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.”
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
“A single lie discovered is enough to create doubt in every truth expressed.”
“A lie has speed, but truth has endurance.”
“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”
“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.”
“To be lied to knowingly is to face the ultimate betrayal.”
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
“Liars, when they speak the truth, are not believed.”
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t going away.”
“When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth.”
“He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.”
“No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”
“The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water.”
“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed.”
“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.”
“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”
“Truth is powerful and it prevails.”
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
“There is beauty in truth, even if it’s painful. Those who lie twist life so that it looks tasty to the lazy, brilliant to the ignorant, and powerful to the weak.”
“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
“Every time you lie, it brings you closer to deception and farther from empathy.”
“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but there it is.”
“Truthfulness is the main element of character.”
“you will always know who was lying because truth has a way of rising to the top.”
“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
“Truth exists; only lies are invented.”
“The one who proclaims the truth is on the side of justice.”
Eye-Opening Quotes
“The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water.”
“The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.”
“Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons.”
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
“To know a person’s true nature, give them lies and see how they unravel.”
“A lie has speed, but truth has endurance.”
“Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.”
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
“Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.”
“The greatest enemy of any one of our truths may be the rest of our truths.”
“A single lie discovered is enough to create doubt in every truth expressed.”
“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.”
“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but there it is.”
“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.”
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”
“Lies are like a temporary fix; the truth is a permanent solution.”
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.”
“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
“The naked truth is always better than the best-dressed lie.”
“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.”
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.”
“Truth exists; only lies are invented.”
“When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive others.”
“Liars need to have good memories.”
“Who lies for you will lie against you.”
“A good lie finds more believers than a bad truth.”
“Every lie is two lies—the lie we tell others and the lie we tell ourselves to justify it.”
“The hardest tumble a man can make is to fall over his own bluff.”
“Truth is often met with resistance, yet it remains unyielding, like the stubborn roots of an oak tree.”
Insightful Quotes
“A half-truth is a whole lie.”
“Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
“The worst part about being lied to is knowing you weren’t worth the truth.”
“When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.”
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”
“Lies may comfort, but truth always prevails.”
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
“Deceit may hide the truth, but it can never destroy it.”
“Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.”
“Lying is done with words, but also with silence.”
“For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth.”
“The naked truth is always better than the best-dressed lie.”
“It is better to have an ugly truth than a beautiful lie.”
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”
“Truth exists; only lies are invented.”
“To know someone is lying and still find the courage to smile is the beginning of wisdom.”
“The liar’s punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.”
“A lie can only fool someone for so long; the truth will always rise to the surface.”
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t going away.”
“Lies are a temporary solution to a permanent problem.”
“In a room full of liars, the truth is the only thing that stands out.”
“Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind.”
“The simplest falsehoods can lead to the most complicated truths.”
“Lies are destructive weapons; the truth is the antidote.”
“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”
“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
“The greatest advantage of speaking the truth is that you don’t have to remember what you said.”
“Lies are a temporary escape from a permanent reality.”
“Truth is a torch that gleams through the fog of lies.”
“When a man is penalized for honesty, he learns to lie.”
The Last Word
These quotes about knowing when someone is lying remind us that honesty is essential. They capture the frustration of realizing someone is not telling the truth and highlight the importance of being truthful. Quotes can offer comfort and strength, especially when dealing with deceit.
Whether you’re facing a small lie or a bigger deception, these quotes can help you navigate through it. They serve as a reminder that truth has a way of coming to light. Browse through the list whenever you need a bit of wisdom or a fresh perspective on honesty.