Liars¹ when they speak the truth are not believed.

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC), from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent³ Philosophers

Sometimes the lies you tell are less frightening than the loneliness you might feel if you stopped telling them.

Brock Clarke, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England, 2007

Lying increases the creative faculties⁴, expands the ego⁵, and lessens⁶ the frictions⁷ of social contacts.

Clare Booth Luce (1903 - 1987)

Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 - 1945), radio address, October 26, 1939

The visionary lies to himself, the liar² only to others.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.

H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

Hoaxes⁸ are nothing new. News media isn't hard to fool. It's fun to fool and people like to mess with people. It all goes to show you that we're not all that hard to fool. I think we should just accept that and trust people anyway.

Hank Green, Vlogbrothers, The Top 10 Greatest Hoaxes of All Time, 10-22-09

It is always the best policy to speak the truth--unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859 - 1927)

Being manipulative is dishonest and immature⁹. We often end up having to make up more lies to cover for inconsistencies in our original manipulation. In addition, it sets a terrible example for our children. While it may solve your initial problem, the tangled¹⁰ web that grows from such dishonesty is more trouble than it’s worth.

Julie A., M.A. Ross and Judy Corcoran, Joint¹¹ Custody¹² with a Jerk: Raising a Child with an Uncooperative Ex, 2011

A lie told often enough becomes the truth.

Lenin (1870 - 1924)

A lie can travel halfway¹³ around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), (attributed)

The history of our race, and each individual's experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal¹⁴.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), Advice to Youth

Lies are like children: they're hard work, but it's worth it because the future depends on them.

Pam Davis, House M.D., It's A Wonderful Lie, 2008

False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.

Plato (427 BC - 347 BC), Dialogues, Phaedo

A liar should have a good memory.

Quintilian, De Institutione Oratoria

Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Lies are like children. If you don't nurture¹⁵ them, they'll never be useful later.

Randy K. Milholland, Something Positive, 07-26-2012

Ambition drove many men to become false; to have one thought locked in the breast, another ready on the tongue.

Sallust (86 BC - 34 BC), The War with Catiline

Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well.

Samuel Butler (1835 - 1902)

The best liar is he who makes the smallest amount of lying go the longest way.

Samuel Butler (1835 - 1902)

Oh what a tangled web we weave,

When first we practise to deceive!

Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832), Marmion, Canto¹⁶ vi. Stanza¹⁷ 17.

Truly, to tell lies is not honorable;

but when the truth entails¹⁸ tremendous ruin,

To speak dishonorably is pardonable.

Sophocles (496 BC - 406 BC), Creusa