The danger of lying

Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie.

One of the things I’ve been trying to think through is why you should tell the truth. Lies are very powerful.

You can manipulate the world with your tongue. You can get what you want more than once or avoid what you don’t need.

So why not lie all the time?

There are many reasons, and one of them is that you can’t trust yourself if you lie.

And there will be times in life when there’s no one to rely on but yourself.

If you’ve filled yourself with lies, one day you’ll land in a crisis, and you’ll have to make a decision, and you’ll decide wrong.

You won’t have the clarity of mind needed for proper judgment, because you’ve filled your imagination and perception with garbage.

And then you’re in real trouble.

Tell the truth. Don’t lie.

— Jordan Peterson