Is honesty always the best policy??

1. 82

   belleartposted 11 years ago

   Is honesty always the best policy??

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2. 0

   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   Always. If you Lie? You are going to have to tell 10 more lies to back it up. Save yourself the stress, Tell the truth in the beginning.

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3. 76

   shampa sadhyaposted 11 years ago

   It is definitely the best policy but it does not get rewarded by everybody around you. One who believes in honesty is always free from guilt but the tragedy is nowadays they are considered to be the failures which hurts. Still, I believe it is the best policy and those who practice it their conscience never pricks.

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      Express10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree that it doesn't get rewarded or appreciated by many. I admire those who are always honest.

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   chef-de-jourposted 11 years ago

   Honesty with diplomacy I should say is the best policy if you want to stay high on the conscience scene and keep others respecting you. Honesty works best when delivered with tact and sincerity, not expressed too directly which can upset others and distort reality.
   Having said that there are two distinct worlds we operate in - family world and political word. In the family we know emotion can get in the way of honesty and cause all sorts of problems. By being honest and raw we sow seeds of resentment and distrust. For example you may suspect someone has told an untruth in your family but you wouldn't openly call them a liar by expressing your feelings.  You would need another way to let them know you are not 100% certain about what they have said or done, but you'd need to be true to those feelings of doubt.

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      belleartposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Brilliant answer.  Thanks so much everyone

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   Express10posted 11 years ago

   No, because there are MANY people in this world who simply cannot handle the truth even when it is delivered with empathy and tact. I've witnessed people saying that someone is negative when that person was clearly trying to state the truth/reality in a tactful manner. Other times, a person's feelings may be hurt such as in cases where one may be asked their opinion of someone's weight, clothing choice, or hairstyle. Prior to speaking each situation should be evaluated as well as the person on the receiving end of the truth.

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6. 81

   dashingscorpioposted 11 years ago

   I was taught any question with an optional answer that contains the word (always or never) is usually wrong. There are exceptions to most rules in life.

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7. 61

   heatherleexposted 11 years ago

   Yes, as long as you are tactful.  If you are ever caught in a lie, even a small one, then all of your credibility would be gone in the eyes of those you lied to.
   
   If you need to be honest about a sensitive topic that could upset someone, then choose your words wisely, but don't avoid telling the truth just because you are afraid to hurt someone's feelings.

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   edhanposted 11 years ago

   Yes.
   
   I always believe that as no matter what happen, the outcome is always for the goodness.

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   miakounaposted 11 years ago

   Most definitely. Honesty is definitely the best policy in every situation, good or bad.  Trying to spare a loved one's feelings should not be a reason to lie. Lie only creates conflict, lack of trust, and potentially hurt feelings.  So, instead of sparing a person's feeling by lieing, there may be a new problem that is created by lieing.
   
   Sometimes, the truth does hurt, but a person will respect you more for being truthful. However, a lie will hurt even more if the person finds out that they no longer can trust you.

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10. 75

    algarveviewposted 11 years ago

    I think it much depends on the situation and the person you are talking to, some people don't want you to be honest, will resent you for it and sometimes even stop talking to you... then, there is actually the question of how important is it to be honest, for instance you are eating at someone's house the steak is not that good... somebody gave you a lousy present... you think the dress the girl is wearing is ugly? is it really necessary to be honest? shouldn't we just be diplomatic? Now, if it is something important that really matters to us, it's a whole different affair, but the problem is that sometimes people take honesty to such an extreme that borders rudeness... So, I say I should be honest to myself always, honest to the ones close to me with important stuff and the little things I just go with diplomacy...

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    1. 82

       belleartposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks everybody, really great answers.   Im glad to see so many people prefer honesty 

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