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That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies;
That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright—
But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight.

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson

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Honesty

More quotes by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath,
And after many a summer dies the swan.

Acting the law we live by without fear;
And, because right is right, to follow right
Were wisdom in the scorn of consequence.

Where love could walk with banish'd Hope no more.

The Lover's Tale (1879)

Love lieth deep; Love dwells not in lip-depths.

The Lover's Tale (1879)

Thou that singest wheat and woodland, tilth and vineyard, hive and horse and herd;
All the charm of all the Muses often flowering in a lonely word.

All Alfred, Lord Tennyson quotes →

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You have to start with the truth. The truth is the only way that we can get anywhere. Because any decision-making that is based upon lies or ignorance can't lead to a good conclusion.

Julian Assange

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

Socrates

It is better to be poor and walk in integrity than to be stupid and speak lies.

Solomon

Who dares think one thing, and another tell,
My heart detests him as the gates of hell.

Homer Iliad (-750)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Alfred, Lord Tennyson (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.