George Eliot Quotes

A small lie, if it actually is a lie, condemns a man as much as a big and black falsehood. If a man will deliberately cheat to the amount of a single cent, give him opportunity and he would cheat to any amount.

On the whole, I should say that the person who likes to lie should never, in any circumstances, be allowed to. Leave the lying to the people who hate it. You will not find them indulging often.

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it the second time.

I have a higher and grander standard of principle than George Washington. He could not lie; I can, but I won't.

The lie is so vile, that even if it were in speaking well of godly things, it would take off something from God's grace; and Truth is so excellent, that if it praises but small things they become noble.

He that departs with his own honesty For Vulgar , doth it too dearly buy.

Do the devils lie? No; for then even hell could not subsist.

It is not right or manly to lie even about Satan.

There is nothing that God hates so much as a liar.

Dishonesty is like a boomerang. About the time you think all is well, it hits you in the back of the head.

To lapse in fulness Is sorer than to lie for need, and falsehood Is worse in kings than beggars.

If you will lie about the little things, before long you’ll lie about bigger things.

All lies, white or black, disgrace a gentleman, although I grant there is a difference: to say the least of it, it is a dangerous habit, for white lies are but the gentleman ushers to black ones.

There are many who have grave scruples about deceiving but think it as nothing to deceive themselves.

He who has once deviated from the truth, usually commits perjury with as little scruple as he would tell a lie.

It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual.

If I should go out of church whenever I hear a false statement I could never stay there five minutes. But why come out? The streetis as false as the church, and when I get to my house, or to my manners, or to my speech, I have not got away from the lie.

People do peculiar things in life and they do for whatever reason but I think one of the greatest crimes in life is when you lie.

I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things.

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; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.

A lie is an affront to the soul, as well as an insult to the intelligence of the person to whom one lies.

The insincerity of man-all men are liars, partial or hiders of facts, half tellers of truths, shirks, moral sneaks. When a merely honest man appears he is a comet-his fame is eternal-needs no genius, no talent-mere honesty

It is best, if possible, to deceive no one; for he that ... begins by deceiving others, will end ... by deceiving himself.

Man is bound to lie about himself

A man will pass better through the world with a thousand open errors upon his back than in being detected in one sly falsehood. When one is detected, a thousand are suspected.