The liar's punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe any one else.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Shaw claims the real punishment for lying is losing the ability to trust others, not just losing trust yourself.
- In plain terms
- Liars cannot trust anyone else because they know others lie too.
- What can you take from it?
- Lying destroys your capacity to believe others.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does lying isolate us?
- Can trust be rebuilt?
Another view
Some liars can still trust others despite their own actions.
More from George Bernard Shaw
My method is to take the utmost trouble to find the right thing to say, and then to say it with the utmost levity.
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