Lied Quote by Jennifer Egan
““I would lie of course. I lied a lot and with good reason: to protect the truth—safeguard it like wearing fake gems to keep the real ones from getting stolen or cheapened by overuse. I guarded what truths I possessed because information was not a thing—it was colorless odorless shapeless and therefore indestructible. There was no way to retrieve or void it no way to halt its proliferation. Telling someone a secret was like storing plutonium inside a sandwich bag the information would inevitably outlive the friendship or love or trust in which you’d placed it. And then you would have given it away.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: “The End of the World” (fictional excerpt)
The passage likens keeping secrets to storing dangerous material, suggesting that secrets are volatile, hard to control, and can outlive relationships, while truth is intangible yet powerful.
In simple terms: Secrets are volatile and can outlive trust; truth is intangible but powerful.
Key Takeaway
Handle secrets carefully; recognize truth’s resilience.
Themes
secrets
truth
trust
information ethics
danger
Mood
cautious
thoughtful
Type
ethical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- confidential work
- political leaks
- digital privacy
Key Concepts
ethical dilemmas
information control
relationship dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- What secrets are you protecting?
- How do you balance truth and privacy?
A Different Perspective
Secrets can damage trust if mishandled.
