quotations about honesty
Sometimes in this life, under the stress of an exceptional emotion, people do say what they think.
MARCEL PROUST
The Guermantes Way
He who saith there is no such thing as an honest man, you may be sure is himself a knave.
GEORGE BERKELEY
"Maxims Concerning Patriotism", Works
A nod of an honest man is enough.
ENGLISH PROVERB
There is no well-defined boundary between honesty and dishonesty. The frontiers of one blend with the outside limits of the other, and he who attempts to tread this dangerous ground may be sometimes in one domain and sometimes in the other so the only safe road is the broad highway that leads straight through and has been well defined by line and comopass.
O. HENRY
"Bexar Script No. 2692", Rolling Stones
I meant what I said and I said what I meant.
DR. SEUSS
Horton Hatches the Egg
Affectation, or coldness, or stupid, coarse-minded misapprehension of one's meaning are the usual rewards of candour.
CHARLOTTE BRONTË
Jane Eyre
Honesty is not a value shared by all societies. In some Eastern subcultures there is a saying: "Any fool can tell the truth. It requires a man of some sense to lie well." The society espousing this idea, suffers abject poverty above others.
DANIEL M. KEERAN
If There Is No God
Children and fools speak true.
JOHN LYLY
Endymion
Sometimes honesty can be incredibly messy.
WM. PAUL YOUNG
The Shack
In common life we see two principles at work. Honesty is open-faced, plain-mannered, simple-hearted, pure-souled. Policy is curtain-faced, courtier-mannered, and serpent-hearted. Honesty is sound to the core; Policy is hollow or rotten to the rind. Honesty speaks right out; Policy hesitates, considers, makes polite round-about speeches, and expresses an equivocal indefiniteness. Honesty is as good at home as abroad; Policy is most interesting among strangers. With Honesty, familiarity creates respect; with Policy, it breeds contempt. In the market-place, Policy puts the fairest fruit on the top of the measure; Honesty makes it all alike. Policy conceals the blemishes of the animal or articles to be sold; Honesty presents the plain truth, the article as it is, the good and bad alike exposed. Honesty shows goods as they are; Policy as they should be. Honesty sells for an equivalent; Policy for what it can get. Honesty believes in quick sales and fair profits; Policy in the sales and profits it can get. The word of Honesty is its bond; the word of Policy is what happens to be for its best. Honesty has one price for all its customers; Policy a price for each customer. Honesty is satisfied with a living profit; Policy, like the grave, cries forever for more.
GEORGE SUMNER WEAVER
The Ways of Life
I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is the best policy.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
Farewell Address to the People of the United States
It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.
NOEL COWARD
Blithe Spirit
People may or may not say what they mean ... but they always say something designed to get what they want.
DAVID MAMET
attributed, David Mamet: A Research and Production Sourcebook
A candid spirit is mightier than the most persistent dogmatism.
AMOS BRONSON ALCOTT
Table Talk
Honesty is as rare as a man without self-pity.
STEPHEN VINCENT BENET
attributed, The Harper Book of Quotations
It would seem that indolence itself would incline a person to be honest; as it requires infinitely greater pains and contrivance to be a knave.
WILLIAM SHENSTONE
Essays on Men and Manners
I would replace the quality of sincerity with honesty, since one can hold a conviction sincerely without examining it, while honesty would require that one subject one's convictions to frequent scrutiny.
CHRISTOPHER PHILLIPS
Socrates Cafe
Honesty is the best policy.
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA
Don Quixote de la Mancha
The elegance of honesty needs no adornment.
MERRY BROWNE
attributed, The Book of Positive Quotations
Clear and round dealing is the honor of man's nature; and ... mixture of falsehood is like alloy in coin of gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, but embaseth it.
FRANCIS BACON
Essays