--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would rather speak the truth to ten men…" description: "\"I would rather speak the truth to ten men than blandishments and lying to a million. Try it, ye who think there is nothing in it! Try what it is to spe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/henry-ward-beecher-175_almighty_i-would-rather-speak-the-truth-to-ten-me_112733.jpg" --- # I would rather speak the truth to ten men than… ![“I would rather speak the truth to ten men than blandishments and lying to a million. Try it, ye who think there is nothing in it! Try what it is to speak with God behind you, to speak so as to be only the arrow in the bow which the Almighty draws.” quote by Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/henry-ward-beecher-175_almighty_i-would-rather-speak-the-truth-to-ten-me_112733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/henry-ward-beecher-175_almighty_i-would-rather-speak-the-truth-to-ten-me_112733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/henry-ward-beecher-175_almighty_i-would-rather-speak-the-truth-to-ten-me_112733.jpg) > “I would rather speak the truth to ten men than blandishments and lying to a million. Try it, ye who think there is nothing in it! Try what it is to speak with God behind you, to speak so as to be only the arrow in the bow which the Almighty draws.” [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truthful speech, even to a few, outweighs flattering falsehoods to many; integrity matters more than popularity. **In simple terms:** Speak truth to few rather than lies to many. Key Takeaway Integrity over mass approval Themes honesty courage integrity influence Mood determined principled Type aphorism moral maxim When to use this quote - public speaking - political campaigning - personal relationships Key Concepts moral philosophy social responsibility Practical Applications - choose honesty in messaging Questions to Reflect On - When does honesty become counterproductive? - How can one balance truth with diplomacy? A Different Perspective Truth may be unpopular and can alienate listeners, limiting immediate impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almighty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almighty/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Speak the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-the-truth/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [It appears to me that men are trying to speak for God instead of letting God speak for himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-m-burton/it-appears-to-me-that-men-are-trying-to-speak-for-god-instead-of/) [Theodore M. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-m-burton/) > [“When we speak of God, we speak of one and all, for all, in all, through all and of all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baird-t-spalding/when-we-speak-of-god-we-speak-of-one-and-all-for-all-in-all-through/) [Baird T. Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baird-t-spalding/) > [“man should first feel a serious call to it. Next, he should know that he really possesses the Spirit of God and know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-haddon-spurgeon/man-should-first-feel-a-serious-call-to-it-next-he-should-know-that/) [Charles Haddon Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-haddon-spurgeon/) > [Start today by practicing constant conversation with God and continual mediation on his Word. Prayer lets you speak to God; mediation lets God speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/start-today-by-practicing-constant-conversation-with-god-and/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [All names of God remain hallowed because they have been used not only to speak of God but also to speak to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/all-names-of-god-remain-hallowed-because-they-have-been-used-not-only/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [For the only way one can speak of nothing is to speak of it as though it were something, just as the only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/for-the-only-way-one-can-speak-of-nothing-is-to-speak-of-it-as-though/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“First I anger Edmure, and now Robb, but all I have done is speak the truth. Are men so fragile they cannot bear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/first-i-anger-edmure-and-now-robb-but-all-i-have-done-is-speak-the/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/be-conscious-of-god-and-speak-always-the-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All things in the natural world symbolize God, yet none of them speak of him but in broken and imperfect words. High above all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/all-things-in-the-natural-world-symbolize-god-yet-none-of-them-speak/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [All things in the natural world symbolize God, yet none of them speak of Him but in broken and imperfect words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/all-things-in-the-natural-world-symbolize-god-yet-none-of-them-speak-2/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“The TRUTH is...If more men would rise up and speak against domestic violence, there would be less(V.A.W.)Violence Against Women in our world! Why Should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/the-truth-is-if-more-men-would-rise-up-and-speak-against-domestic/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [It is a general rule that when the grain of truth cannot be found, men will swallow great helpings of falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/it-is-a-general-rule-that-when-the-grain-of-truth-cannot-be-found-men/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [The man in black smiled. "Shall we tell the truth then, you and I? No more lies?" I thought we had been." But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-man-in-black-smiled-shall-we-tell-the-truth-then-you-and-i-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Yes the truth is that men's ambition and their desire to make money are among the most frequent causes of deliberate acts of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/yes-the-truth-is-that-men-s-ambition-and-their-desire-to-make-money/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Henry Ward Beecher > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [A lie always needs a truth for a handle to it. The worst lies are those whose blade is false, but whose handle is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/a-lie-always-needs-a-truth-for-a-handle-to-it-the-worst-lies-are/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Even a liar tells a hundred truths to one lie; he has to, to make the lie good for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/even-a-liar-tells-a-hundred-truths-to-one-lie-he-has-to-to-make-the/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Laws are not masters but servants, and he rules them who obey them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/laws-are-not-masters-but-servants-and-he-rules-them-who-obey-them/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [In America there is not one single element of civilization that is not made to depend, in the end, upon public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/in-america-there-is-not-one-single-element-of-civilization-that-is/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The best lessons a man ever learns are from his mistakes. It is not for want of schoolmasters that we are still ignorant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-best-lessons-a-man-ever-learns-are-from-his-mistakes-it-is-not/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-never-knew-an-early-rising-hard-working-prudent-man-careful-of-his/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [THERE are joys which long to be ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-are-joys-which-long-to-be-ours/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [People may talk about the equality of the sexes! They are not equal. The silent smile of a sensible, loving woman will vanquish ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/people-may-talk-about-the-equality-of-the-sexes-they-are-not-equal/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Mirthfulness is in the mind and you cannot get it out. It is just as good in its place as conscience or veneration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/mirthfulness-is-in-the-mind-and-you-cannot-get-it-out-it-is-just-as/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/mirth-is-god-s-medicine-everybody-ought-to-bathe-in-it/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Some of God's noblest sons, I think, will be selected from those that know how to take wealth, with all its temptations, and maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/some-of-god-s-noblest-sons-i-think-will-be-selected-from-those-that/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [You have seen a ship out on the bay, swinging with the tide, and seeming as if it would follow it; and yet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/you-have-seen-a-ship-out-on-the-bay-swinging-with-the-tide-and/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) [Explore all 990 Henry Ward Beecher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) ## More Almighty quotes > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-most-powerful-concepts-one-which-is-a-sure-cure-for-lack/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [“The LORD Almighty is our very present helper at all times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-lord-almighty-is-our-very-present-helper-at-all-times/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [I really appreciate leaders from around the globe who have come to share in prayer with us today. It reminds me that the Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-really-appreciate-leaders-from-around-the-globe-who-have-come-to/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Thi is the malady onf the humans, that they can hold on to that which is fleeting and of little consequence and call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-fabry/thi-is-the-malady-onf-the-humans-that-they-can-hold-on-to-that-which/) [Chris Fabry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-fabry/) > [There is nothing more appalling than the wholesale way in which unthinking people plead to the Almighty the richest and most spiritual of His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-drummond/there-is-nothing-more-appalling-than-the-wholesale-way-in-which/) [William Henry Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-drummond/) > [And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salmon-p-chase/and-upon-this-act-sincerely-believed-to-be-an-act-of-justice/) [Salmon P. Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salmon-p-chase/) > [When you hear somebody justifying a war by citing the Almighty, I get a little worried, frankly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-reagan/when-you-hear-somebody-justifying-a-war-by-citing-the-almighty-i-get/) [Ron Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-reagan/) > [My journey deep into coma, outside this lowly physical realm and into the loftiest dwelling place of the almighty Creator, revealed the indescribably immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/my-journey-deep-into-coma-outside-this-lowly-physical-realm-and-into/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil—soil consecrated in the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/people-of-the-philippines-i-have-returned-by-the-grace-of-almighty/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The First Amendment exists to protect our religious liberty--to ensure that all Americans are able to seek out worship God with all our hearts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-first-amendment-exists-to-protect-our-religious-liberty-to-ensure/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [It is mind-boggling to me that the Almighty power created everything I see; the Bible says that God created the entire universe just so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/it-is-mind-boggling-to-me-that-the-almighty-power-created-everything/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [If there is anyone who loves you more than you love yourself are your mother and almighty God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/if-there-is-anyone-who-loves-you-more-than-you-love-yourself-are-your/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I'm not denyin' the women are foolish. God Almighty made 'em to match the men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/i-m-not-denyin-the-women-are-foolish-god-almighty-made-em-to-match/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) [Browse all 723 Almighty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almighty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would rather speak the truth to ten men than blandishments and lying to a million. Try it, ye who think there is nothing in it! 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