--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Honesty must sometimes be taken in small…" description: "\"“Honesty must sometimes be taken in small measure, like a bitter medicine.”\" — Jan Cox Speas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/jan-cox-speas-37150_honesty_honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small_3161678.jpg" --- # Honesty must sometimes be taken in small measure, like a… ![“Honesty must sometimes be taken in small measure, like a bitter medicine.” quote by Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/jan-cox-speas-37150_honesty_honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small_3161678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/jan-cox-speas-37150_honesty_honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small_3161678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/jan-cox-speas-37150_honesty_honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small_3161678.jpg) > ““Honesty must sometimes be taken in small measure, like a bitter medicine.”” [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Honesty can be harsh, like medicine that must be taken in small doses. **In simple terms:** Truth may be bitter but necessary. Key Takeaway Offer truth gradually. Themes honesty truth communication ethics Mood cautious thoughtful Type ethical advice When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution - leadership Key Concepts Moral courage psychological impact Questions to Reflect On - When should you soften truth? - How to balance honesty and kindness? A Different Perspective Too much honesty can damage trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitter Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-medicine-214050/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Honesty Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty-taken-5717215/) [Like Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-bitter-1069731/) [Taken Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-small-826931/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Taken together, the small choice anyone made added up to a life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan-2/taken-together-the-small-choice-anyone-made-added-up-to-a-life/) [J Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan-2/) > [“People are to be taken in very small doses. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/people-are-to-be-taken-in-very-small-doses-nothing-can-bring-you/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The people are to be taken in very small doses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-people-are-to-be-taken-in-very-small-doses/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Happiness is a small and unworthy goal for something as big and fancy as a whole lifetime, and should be taken in small doses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/happiness-is-a-small-and-unworthy-goal-for-something-as-big-and-fancy/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [“Self care isn’t always pretty , it’s not always candles and a bathtub full of roses , sometimes it’s forcing yourself to get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kriti-goyal/self-care-isn-t-always-pretty-it-s-not-always-candles-and-a-bathtub/) [Kriti Goyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kriti-goyal/) > [As drops of bitter medicine, though minute, may have a salutary force, so words, though few and painful, uttered seasonably, may rouse the prostrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-bharavi/as-drops-of-bitter-medicine-though-minute-may-have-a-salutary-force/) [J. K. Bharavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-bharavi/) > [The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/the-task-of-the-government-is-not-only-to-pour-honey-into-a-cup-but/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Wise offer a bitter medicine for a short time for a permanent cure to long standing problem. Fools stand united in convincing the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-srinivasan/wise-offer-a-bitter-medicine-for-a-short-time-for-a-permanent-cure-to/) [Mahesh Srinivasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahesh-srinivasan/) > [“The Bechuanan know not the story of the Zungu of old. Remember him, my people; he caught a lion’s whelp and thought that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/the-bechuanan-know-not-the-story-of-the-zungu-of-old-remember-him-my/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [“Philosophy is a bitter medicine with many fearsome side effects, but if you are able to stomach it, it can cure your soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neel-burton/philosophy-is-a-bitter-medicine-with-many-fearsome-side-effects-but/) [Neel Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neel-burton/) > [If I thought about it, I could be bitter, but I don't feel like being bitter. Being bitter makes you immobile, and there's too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pryor/if-i-thought-about-it-i-could-be-bitter-but-i-don-t-feel-like-being/) [Richard Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pryor/) > [But I like it Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/but-i-like-it-because-it-is-bitter-and-because-it-is-my-heart/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“Are you not afraid of death?' I am not in the least afraid!... I would rather die than drink that bitter medicine.' At that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-collodi/are-you-not-afraid-of-death-i-am-not-in-the-least-afraid-i-would/) [Carlo Collodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-collodi/) > [A good story is like a bitter pill, with the sugar coating inside of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/a-good-story-is-like-a-bitter-pill-with-the-sugar-coating-inside-of-it/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Every relationship that does not raise us up pulls us down, and vice versa; this is why men usually sink down somewhat when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-relationship-that-does-not-raise-us-up-pulls-us-down-and-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Jan Cox Speas > [“She wanted to tell him how it was with her, but she could not. She could not tell him that when she was with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/she-wanted-to-tell-him-how-it-was-with-her-but-she-could-not-she/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“Aye, she thought, women must ever wait and steel their hearts against loneliness and fear; and the men would go riding out to war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/aye-she-thought-women-must-ever-wait-and-steel-their-hearts-against/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“She had never thought her name lovely until she heard him say it, his warm Scots voice lingering softly over the word.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/she-had-never-thought-her-name-lovely-until-she-heard-him-say-it-his/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“Above her, the triple summit of Ben Cruachan overhung the loch like a thundercloud; and the hills lay piled against one another, more purple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/above-her-the-triple-summit-of-ben-cruachan-overhung-the-loch-like-a/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“The MacHugh thought it small wonder that he had loved her from his first sight of her. She was gay and lovely and hot-tempered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/the-machugh-thought-it-small-wonder-that-he-had-loved-her-from-his/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“No pain is unbearable except that of regret.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/no-pain-is-unbearable-except-that-of-regret/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“It was good, she reflected, to be among the proud Gaels. There was no formality among men here, where a man's pride of race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/it-was-good-she-reflected-to-be-among-the-proud-gaels-there-was-no/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“I had been too long in a hot land. The skies were always blue and one never escaped from the smell of flowers. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/i-had-been-too-long-in-a-hot-land-the-skies-were-always-blue-and-one/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“Aye, he thought, loyalty, that most irrevocable of clan codes, was a point of honor more fiercely and tenaciously held than a man's life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/aye-he-thought-loyalty-that-most-irrevocable-of-clan-codes-was-a/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“The honor a man carries in his heart cannot be explained, lass," he said slowly. "Nor can you measure the courage of a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/the-honor-a-man-carries-in-his-heart-cannot-be-explained-lass-he-said/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [“Dreams were frail things, when all was said, and loneliness the only certainty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/dreams-were-frail-things-when-all-was-said-and-loneliness-the-only/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) [Explore all 12 Jan Cox Speas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) ## More Honesty quotes > [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [If You Love Someone, Be Brave Enough To Tell Them., Otherwise Be Brave Enough To Watch Them To Be Loved By Someone Else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal-zahoor/if-you-love-someone-be-brave-enough-to-tell-them-otherwise-be-brave/) [Bilal Zahoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal-zahoor/) > [Honesty in politics is the result of strength; hypocrisy is the result of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/honesty-in-politics-is-the-result-of-strength-hypocrisy-is-the-result/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [In all honesty, once you become a professional, number one, you're no longer a fan. I don't root for the Dodgers, really. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/in-all-honesty-once-you-become-a-professional-number-one-you-re-no/) [Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [The quality an artist must have is objectivity in judging his work, plus the honesty and courage not to kid himself about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-quality-an-artist-must-have-is-objectivity-in-judging-his-work/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I think honesty is a big part. Because when you sing live, you want the audience to believe you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pixie-lott/i-think-honesty-is-a-big-part-because-when-you-sing-live-you-want-the/) [Pixie Lott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pixie-lott/) > [Anything well written with good language and clarity and honesty is worth doing. It comes out of the same tradition as Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/anything-well-written-with-good-language-and-clarity-and-honesty-is/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and the radical Islamist mullahs ruling Iran share many similarities, but honesty and negotiating in good faith are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hoekstra/former-libyan-dictator-moammar-gadhafi-and-the-radical-islamist/) [Pete Hoekstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hoekstra/) > [“An honest man is a debtless man, he doesn't owe anyone anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-honest-man-is-a-debtless-man-he-doesn-t-owe-anyone-anything/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/don-t-worry-so-much-about-your-self-esteem-worry-more-about-your/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [“Teach honesty by all means - you do know what it is, don't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/teach-honesty-by-all-means-you-do-know-what-it-is-don-t-you/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [America today is a confused society, caught up in a terror war, a culture war, and a media war, where honesty and professional standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/america-today-is-a-confused-society-caught-up-in-a-terror-war-a/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [There's a need for music that has urgency and emotional honesty. That's why people are reintroducing themselves to guitar music - that instrument has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mura-masa/there-s-a-need-for-music-that-has-urgency-and-emotional-honesty-that/) [Mura Masa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mura-masa/) [Browse all 4,388 Honesty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Honesty must sometimes be taken in small measure, like a bitter medicine.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jan Cox Speas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small-measure-like-a-bitter/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Honesty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small-measure-like-a-bitter/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/jan-cox-speas-37150_honesty_honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small_3161678.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/jan-cox-speas-37150_honesty_honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small_3161678.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/990/jan-cox-speas-37150_honesty_honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small_3161678.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Honesty must sometimes be taken in small measure, like a bitter medicine.” — Jan Cox Speas", "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": "Jan Cox Speas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Honesty must sometimes be taken in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small-measure-like-a-bitter/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small-measure-like-a-bitter/#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 } } ] } ```