--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Honesty is the best policy unless you're…" description: "\"Honesty is the best policy unless you're talking to the feds.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/anonymous-1_quote_honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re_1040009.jpg" --- # Honesty is the best policy unless you're talking to the… ![“Honesty is the best policy unless you're talking to the feds.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/anonymous-1_quote_honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re_1040009.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/anonymous-1_quote_honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re_1040009.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/anonymous-1_quote_honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re_1040009.jpg) > “Honesty is the best policy unless you're talking to the feds.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Honesty is generally advisable, but when dealing with law enforcement, strategic discretion may be necessary to protect oneself. **In simple terms:** Be honest, except with the feds. Key Takeaway Balance truthfulness with self‑protection. Themes ethics law self‑preservation trust communication Mood cautious pragmatic Type ethical practical When to use this quote - legal advice - police interviews - personal relationships Key Concepts legal strategy personal safety moral dilemma Questions to Reflect On - When is it okay to with? - How does trust affect honesty? A Different Perspective Blind honesty can lead to legal jeopardy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) ## Related quotes > [Honesty is the best policy. Unless you want people to like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-want-people-to-like-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Honesty is the best policy, but deceit is the one most commonly used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-but-deceit-is-the-one-most-commonly-used/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-but-insanity-is-a-better-defense/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is not a quality worse than being a liar. Honesty is the best policy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-not-a-quality-worse-than-being-a-liar-honesty-is-the-best/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Honesty is not only the best policy, it is rare enough today to make you pleasantly conspicuous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-not-only-the-best-policy-it-is-rare-enough-today-to-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Honesty is the best policy but insanity is the best defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-but-insanity-is-the-best-defense/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Honesty is the best policy. But don't show all your cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-but-don-t-show-all-your-cards/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Word to the wise. Never lie to me. Period. Honesty is the best policy for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/word-to-the-wise-never-lie-to-me-period-honesty-is-the-best-policy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-may-be-the-best-policy-but-it-s-important-to-remember-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let none of us delude himself by supposing that honesty is always the best policy. It is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-none-of-us-delude-himself-by-supposing-that-honesty-is-always-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yeah, well you know what they say. Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-mantle/yeah-well-you-know-what-they-say-honesty-is-the-best-policy-but/) Stacy Mantle > [Honesty is the best policy in life, but it is essential in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/honesty-is-the-best-policy-in-life-but-it-is-essential-in-art/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Honesty is always the best policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/honesty-is-always-the-best-policy/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Honesty is often the best policy, but sometimes the appearance of it is worth six of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/honesty-is-often-the-best-policy-but-sometimes-the-appearance-of-it/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Feds quotes > [So mightiest powers buy deepest calms are fed, And sleep, how oft, in things that gentlest be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-procter/so-mightiest-powers-buy-deepest-calms-are-fed-and-sleep-how-oft-in/) [Bryan Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-procter/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [You never get fed up scoring goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shearer/you-never-get-fed-up-scoring-goals/) [Alan Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shearer/) > [I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it -- to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-always-hungry-for-love-just-once-i-wanted-to-know-what-it-was/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I'm fed up with the idiots... the ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who green-light the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-m-fed-up-with-the-idiots-the-ever-widening-gap-between-people-who/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [The Feds can kiss my ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-strawberry/the-feds-can-kiss-my-ass/) [Darryl Strawberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-strawberry/) > [The people are fed up with their elected officials playing the blame game and treating their political counterparts as enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/the-people-are-fed-up-with-their-elected-officials-playing-the-blame/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [I liked the game, I enjoyed the game, and the game fed me enough, and gave me enough rewards to reinforce that this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-liked-the-game-i-enjoyed-the-game-and-the-game-fed-me-enough-and/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [Wringing your hands about states' rights, forget it. They're gone. Basically, the federal government can do whatever it wants. Who's going to protect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/wringing-your-hands-about-states-rights-forget-it-they-re-gone/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Republican voters are fed up with Democrats and Democrat policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/republican-voters-are-fed-up-with-democrats-and-democrat-policy/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The wild black scavengers of the skies laid their eggs in season and lovingly fed their young. They soared high over prairies and mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-m-miller-jr-2/the-wild-black-scavengers-of-the-skies-laid-their-eggs-in-season-and/) [Walter M. Miller, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-m-miller-jr-2/) > [It must be fundamentally wrong to reduce production of food and fiber while one-third of our population is still ill fed and ill clothed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/it-must-be-fundamentally-wrong-to-reduce-production-of-food-and-fiber/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [What if today.. you were inspired and fed by your thoughts instead of being confined by them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjo-riikka-makela/what-if-today-you-were-inspired-and-fed-by-your-thoughts-instead-of/) Marjo-Riikka Makela > [We live in a world that is dominated by science. And that's not a bad thing - not at all. But one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-critchley/we-live-in-a-world-that-is-dominated-by-science-and-that-s-not-a-bad/) [Simon Critchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-critchley/) [Browse all 996 Feds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Honesty is the best policy unless you're talking to the feds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re-talking-to-the-feds/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re-talking-to-the-feds/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/anonymous-1_quote_honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re_1040009.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/anonymous-1_quote_honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re_1040009.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/anonymous-1_quote_honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re_1040009.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Honesty is the best policy unless you're talking to the feds.” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Honesty is the best policy unless...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re-talking-to-the-feds/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-is-the-best-policy-unless-you-re-talking-to-the-feds/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```