--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great advantage about telling the…" description: "\"The great advantage about telling the truth is that nobody ever believes it.\" — Dorothy L. Sayers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/dorothy-l-sayers-738_telling-the-truth_the-great-advantage-about-telling-the-tr_1272638.jpg" --- # The great advantage about telling the truth is that nobody… ![“The great advantage about telling the truth is that nobody ever believes it.” quote by Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/dorothy-l-sayers-738_telling-the-truth_the-great-advantage-about-telling-the-tr_1272638.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/dorothy-l-sayers-738_telling-the-truth_the-great-advantage-about-telling-the-tr_1272638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/dorothy-l-sayers-738_telling-the-truth_the-great-advantage-about-telling-the-tr_1272638.jpg) > “The great advantage about telling the truth is that nobody ever believes it.” [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth-telling is paradoxically ineffective because people tend to distrust it. **In simple terms:** People often doubt truth. Key Takeaway Cultivate credibility. Themes truth trust communication Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical social When to use this quote - public speaking - journalism - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology social perception credibility Questions to Reflect On - Why do people distrust truth? - How can you build trust when speaking honestly? A Different Perspective May ignore contexts where truth is valued. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advantage Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage-telling-4084814/) [Believes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believes/) [Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Telling truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Believes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-believes-1101875/) ## Related quotes > [A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it. The truth is the truth even if nobody believes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lie-is-a-lie-even-if-everyone-believes-it-the-truth-is-the-truth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/ignorance-is-preferable-to-error-and-he-is-less-remote-from-truth-who/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [When people get up on the stage and say, "I've got AIDS," or "I'm in recovery," gosh, it's hard for them. It's like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-williams/when-people-get-up-on-the-stage-and-say-i-ve-got-aids-or-i-m-in/) [Cecil Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-williams/) > [“Sometimes keeping a secret seems like the right thing to do because telling the truth might hurt someone and makes it seem like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-l-yttrup/sometimes-keeping-a-secret-seems-like-the-right-thing-to-do-because/) [Ginny L. Yttrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginny-l-yttrup/) > [Outing is a nasty word for telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/outing-is-a-nasty-word-for-telling-the-truth/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [I've always seen writing as a way of telling the truth. For me, writing is about truth. I have always tried to be faithful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-ve-always-seen-writing-as-a-way-of-telling-the-truth-for-me-writing/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [But, the relationships that I see work - As long as they're telling the truth, and saying the things that you don't ever want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/but-the-relationships-that-i-see-work-as-long-as-they-re-telling-the/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [“You don’t need creativity when you’re telling the truth,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-e-richards/you-don-t-need-creativity-when-you-re-telling-the-truth/) [Douglas E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-e-richards/) > [I feel a responsibility for telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/future/i-feel-a-responsibility-for-telling-the-truth/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/future/) > [Until I came out, my acting was all about disguise, and thereafter it became about telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/until-i-came-out-my-acting-was-all-about-disguise-and-thereafter-it/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Some people don't like telling the truth... And some people can't handle hearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-don-t-like-telling-the-truth-and-some-people-can-t-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know the words that I say are bad and can hurt you but its just me telling the truth if you don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shar-rae/i-know-the-words-that-i-say-are-bad-and-can-hurt-you-but-its-just-me/) [Shar-rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shar-rae/) > [“He wrote: ‘We make ourselves real by telling the truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-durham/he-wrote-we-make-ourselves-real-by-telling-the-truth/) [Geoffrey Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-durham/) > [I don't think telling the truth ever gets anyone in trouble in the long run. Maybe the day after, but not in the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-spurrier/i-don-t-think-telling-the-truth-ever-gets-anyone-in-trouble-in-the/) [Steve Spurrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-spurrier/) > [“Publicly telling the truth on social media can be one of the most effective healing journeys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/publicly-telling-the-truth-on-social-media-can-be-one-of-the-most/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Dorothy L. Sayers > [“The really essential factors of success in any undertaking are money and opportunity, and as a rule, the man who can make the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-really-essential-factors-of-success-in-any-undertaking-are-money/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“ Peter! Were you looking for a horse-shoe?" "No; I was expecting the horse, but the shoe is a piece of pure, gorgeous luck."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/peter-were-you-looking-for-a-horse-shoe-no-i-was-expecting-the-horse/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [ “See that the mind is honest, first; the rest may follow or not as God wills. \[That\] the fundamental treason to the mind ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/see-that-the-mind-is-honest-first-the-rest-may-follow-or-not-as-god/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [But it is the mark of all movements, however well-intentioned, that their pioneers tend, by much lashing of themselves into excitement, to lose sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/but-it-is-the-mark-of-all-movements-however-well-intentioned-that/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [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/) > [One must not only die daily, but every day we must be born again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/one-must-not-only-die-daily-but-every-day-we-must-be-born-again/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“By teaching them all to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/by-teaching-them-all-to-read-we-have-left-them-at-the-mercy-of-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [ Perhaps \[the critics are right and\] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/perhaps-the-critics-are-right-and-the-drama-is-played-out-now-and/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [... at no point have I yet found artistic truth and theological truth at variance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/at-no-point-have-i-yet-found-artistic-truth-and-theological-truth-at/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I have never yet heard any middle-aged man or woman who worked with his or her brains express any regret for the passing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/i-have-never-yet-heard-any-middle-aged-man-or-woman-who-worked-with/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“That was the second time within five minutes that he had warned her off his private ground. His mood had changed since the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/that-was-the-second-time-within-five-minutes-that-he-had-warned-her/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“To obey orders in this family has been my privilege for the last twenty years--a privilege which has been an unqualified pleasure, except perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/to-obey-orders-in-this-family-has-been-my-privilege-for-the-last/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Those who make some other person their job... are dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/those-who-make-some-other-person-their-job-are-dangerous/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) [Explore all 386 Dorothy L. Sayers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## More Believes quotes > [A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-erhard/a-compromise-is-the-art-of-dividing-a-cake-in-such-a-way-that/) [Ludwig Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-erhard/) > [Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/only-he-who-believes-is-obedient-and-only-he-who-is-obedient-believes/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [If she gives you her heart she believes you are all she needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-jush/if-she-gives-you-her-heart-she-believes-you-are-all-she-needs/) [El Jush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-jush/) > [“He is a missionary and believes in God, intensely I mean, but it takes all kinds to make a world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/he-is-a-missionary-and-believes-in-god-intensely-i-mean-but-it-takes/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [I see myself as a man who is searching for meaning in life. This is rather different from being a staunch believer in something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/i-see-myself-as-a-man-who-is-searching-for-meaning-in-life-this-is/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [I don't think she doesn't believe she can die. I think, just like you always did, she believes there are things worth dying for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-don-t-think-she-doesn-t-believe-she-can-die-i-think-just-like-you/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [A frnd iz d one who believes in u even at that time when u believe in urself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-frnd-iz-d-one-who-believes-in-u-even-at-that-time-when-u-believe-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you design a building, you start from a general philosophy, and you come down, and you start from detail and come up. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/when-you-design-a-building-you-start-from-a-general-philosophy-and/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [I believe in myself like a five-year-old believes in himself. They say look at me, look at me! Then they do a flip in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-believe-in-myself-like-a-five-year-old-believes-in-himself-they-say/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“By night an atheist half believes in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/by-night-an-atheist-half-believes-in-god/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [President Clinton not only benefits by gay and lesbian votes, but he benefits by showing the nation that he is a strong leader who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mixner/president-clinton-not-only-benefits-by-gay-and-lesbian-votes-but-he/) [David Mixner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mixner/) > [Cynicism, I contend, is the wailing of someone who believes that things are, or should be, or could be, much, much better than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-becker/cynicism-i-contend-is-the-wailing-of-someone-who-believes-that-things/) [Walter Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-becker/) > [“Everyone believes very easily whatever he fears or desires.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/everyone-believes-very-easily-whatever-he-fears-or-desires/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) > [“The God I believe in believes in me and won’t silence my heart or others based on a paycheck at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-alder/the-god-i-believe-in-believes-in-me-and-won-t-silence-my-heart-or/) [Shannon Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-alder/) > [It's hard to come across genuine people now a days and no one believes in the truth anymore either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-hard-to-come-across-genuine-people-now-a-days-and-no-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 736 Believes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The great advantage about telling the truth is that nobody ever believes it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy L. 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