on being truthful

It is rather a judgment against society, than the reverse, that a superior truthfulness should prove so unhandy. In almost every given situation it is better to lie; & this gives a distinct advantage to those who are able to lie convincingly, & in fact find it their most graspable tactic.

The only thing that still surprises, then, is how truthfulness (insofar as it has) has received the approbation of the sages & the sanction of several bromides. Perhaps that counsel to be truthful was only another form of misdirection: the truth is, YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.