--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would say that today, dishonesty is the…" description: "\"I would say that today, dishonesty is the rule, and honesty the exception. It could be, statistically, that more people are honest than dishonest, but ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48c/frank-zappa-702_balance_i-would-say-that-today-dishonesty-is-the_488300.jpg" --- # I would say that today, dishonesty is the rule, and… ![“I would say that today, dishonesty is the rule, and honesty the exception. It could be, statistically, that more people are honest than dishonest, but the few that really control things are not honest, and that tips the balance.” quote by Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48c/frank-zappa-702_balance_i-would-say-that-today-dishonesty-is-the_488300.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48c/frank-zappa-702_balance_i-would-say-that-today-dishonesty-is-the_488300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48c/frank-zappa-702_balance_i-would-say-that-today-dishonesty-is-the_488300.jpg) > “I would say that today, dishonesty is the rule, and honesty the exception. It could be, statistically, that more people are honest than dishonest, but the few that really control things are not honest, and that tips the balance.” [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful elites manipulate truth, making honesty rare and systemic dishonesty the norm. **In simple terms:** Power distorts truth. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek transparency. Themes power truth ethics Mood skeptical inquisitive Type philosophical political When to use this quote - journalism - whistleblowing - public accountability Key Concepts social manipulation media bias Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms protect honesty? - How can individuals resist corrupt influences? A Different Perspective Not all systems are equally corrupt; some institutions uphold integrity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Dishonesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonesty/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Not honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-honest/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [Honesty is the foundation of a sound character and the keystone of all other virtues. It is the cement without which all other redeeming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-grant-bangerter/honesty-is-the-foundation-of-a-sound-character-and-the-keystone-of/) [William Grant Bangerter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-grant-bangerter/) > [I certainly don't believe you documentary filmmakers. Like me, you are involved in making fiction, and your fiction is just as well organized and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-certainly-don-t-believe-you-documentary-filmmakers-like-me-you-are/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Is the English press honest or dishonest? At normal times it is deeply dishonest. All the papers that matter live off their advertisements, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/is-the-english-press-honest-or-dishonest-at-normal-times-it-is-deeply/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“If we are honest with honest people, it will work out well; if we are honest with dishonest people, it will not work out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-sivakumar-gowder/if-we-are-honest-with-honest-people-it-will-work-out-well-if-we-are/) [Dr Sivakumar Gowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-sivakumar-gowder/) > [I don't say I'm honest, dishonest people say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-say-i-m-honest-dishonest-people-say-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think what's important is for us to decipher what is honest and what is dishonest and be accepting of those things and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-think-what-s-important-is-for-us-to-decipher-what-is-honest-and/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [But I think doctors have always been either honest or dishonest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-baskin/but-i-think-doctors-have-always-been-either-honest-or-dishonest/) [Leonard Baskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-baskin/) > [“Nobody is either honest or dishonest. Life is a gradient, and a saint might be an 8.7, and a dirtbag politician might be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/nobody-is-either-honest-or-dishonest-life-is-a-gradient-and-a-saint/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [There are many definite methods, honest and dishonest, which make people rich; the only instinct I know of which does it is that instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/there-are-many-definite-methods-honest-and-dishonest-which-make/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [You're always learning about yourself, if you're honest with yourself. It's very tough to be honest with yourself. We all are dishonest with ourselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/you-re-always-learning-about-yourself-if-you-re-honest-with-yourself/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [When we are not honest, we are cut off from a significant resource of ourselves, a vital dimension that is necessary for unity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-moustakas/when-we-are-not-honest-we-are-cut-off-from-a-significant-resource-of/) [Clark Moustakas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-moustakas/) > [If she be not honest, chaste, and true, there's no man happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-she-be-not-honest-chaste-and-true-there-s-no-man-happy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I never deal in transformations, for they are not honest, and no respectable sorceress likes to make things appear to be what they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/i-never-deal-in-transformations-for-they-are-not-honest-and-no/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [You can't truly love someone if you also love yourself, just as you can't love someone if you are not honest with them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/you-can-t-truly-love-someone-if-you-also-love-yourself-just-as-you/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [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/) ## More by Frank Zappa > [If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/if-you-want-to-get-laid-go-to-college-if-you-want-an-education-go-to/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [While your children are sleeping, your puppy is crappin'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/while-your-children-are-sleeping-your-puppy-is-crappin/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Very few people do covers of my tunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/very-few-people-do-covers-of-my-tunes/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Cocaine decisions that you make today, will mean nothing later on when you get nose decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/cocaine-decisions-that-you-make-today-will-mean-nothing-later-on-when/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Government is the Entertainment division of the military-industrial complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/government-is-the-entertainment-division-of-the-military-industrial/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Do your job and do it right, life's a ball, TV tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/do-your-job-and-do-it-right-life-s-a-ball-tv-tonight/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Fact of the matter is, there is no hip world, there is no straight world. There's a world, you see which has people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/fact-of-the-matter-is-there-is-no-hip-world-there-is-no-straight/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Broken hearts are for assholes, are you an asshole?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/broken-hearts-are-for-assholes-are-you-an-asshole/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Anyone who is disturbed by the idea of newts in a nightclub is potentially dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/anyone-who-is-disturbed-by-the-idea-of-newts-in-a-nightclub-is/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [The bigger the cushion, the better the pushin'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/the-bigger-the-cushion-the-better-the-pushin/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Give me the enchilada with the pickle sauce shoved up between the donkey's ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/give-me-the-enchilada-with-the-pickle-sauce-shoved-up-between-the/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Sit and spin 'til you rot on the cosmic utensil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/sit-and-spin-til-you-rot-on-the-cosmic-utensil/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [To me absurdity is the only reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/to-me-absurdity-is-the-only-reality/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Is this something new, having people stomp on you? Is it what I need to do for your pleasure?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/is-this-something-new-having-people-stomp-on-you-is-it-what-i-need-to/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Look here brother, who you jivin' with that cosmik debris?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/look-here-brother-who-you-jivin-with-that-cosmik-debris/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) [Explore all 400 Frank Zappa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would say that today, dishonesty is the rule, and honesty the exception. 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