--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you don't say the honest thing, it…" description: "\"If you don't say the honest thing, it never becomes true.\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/john-green-12_honest_if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-nev_803359.jpg" --- # If you don't say the honest thing, it never becomes true. ![“If you don't say the honest thing, it never becomes true.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/john-green-12_honest_if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-nev_803359.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/john-green-12_honest_if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-nev_803359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/john-green-12_honest_if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-nev_803359.jpg) > “If you don't say the honest thing, it never becomes true.” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Honesty is essential; without it, truth never solidifies. **In simple terms:** Honesty creates truth. Key Takeaway Speak truthfully to shape reality. Themes truth honesty integrity Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - journalism - personal growth Key Concepts ethical communication personal authenticity Questions to Reflect On - When is honesty more important than kindness? - How do you handle uncomfortable truths? A Different Perspective Honesty can hurt feelings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“I just think if you don't say the honest thing, sometimes the honest thing never becomes true, you know, and I-”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-think-if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-sometimes-the-honest/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“if you don’t say the honest thing, sometimes the honest thing never becomes true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-sometimes-the-honest-thing-never/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Also, I’m not going to be devastated or anything either way. I’m not that kind of person. 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They're all true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-s-no-one-thing-that-is-true-they-re-all-true/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The most important thing is that singing is communication, and you need to say something honest and real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-sharon/the-most-important-thing-is-that-singing-is-communication-and-you/) [Deke Sharon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-sharon/) > [“You say be honest, but honestly you don't want honesty”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-perry/you-say-be-honest-but-honestly-you-don-t-want-honesty/) [William Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-perry/) > [I believe in being honest with myself. If there's one thing I hate it's when a comedian is great and won't admit it. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-benny/i-believe-in-being-honest-with-myself-if-there-s-one-thing-i-hate-it/) [Jack Benny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-benny/) > [If somebody thinks I have an integrity problem, then the honest thing to do is to tell me what they think it is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-reno/if-somebody-thinks-i-have-an-integrity-problem-then-the-honest-thing/) [Janet Reno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-reno/) > [“You are the one honest thing I've done in my whole life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/you-are-the-one-honest-thing-i-ve-done-in-my-whole-life/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I probably should just shut up and enjoy it." I take a deep breath. "But I'm starting to think maybe I'm just not built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-harris/i-probably-should-just-shut-up-and-enjoy-it-i-take-a-deep-breath-but/) [Rachel Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-harris/) > [If I'm writing with or for someone else, it just has to feel true and real for them. It has to feel like they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/if-i-m-writing-with-or-for-someone-else-it-just-has-to-feel-true-and/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [I would do any honest thing under the sun to know C. S. Lewis, and so am very grateful to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-pitter/i-would-do-any-honest-thing-under-the-sun-to-know-c-s-lewis-and-so-am/) [Ruth Pitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-pitter/) > [I have to be honest about one thing. When I want to America, no on asked me how I was. Everyone always asked me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-have-to-be-honest-about-one-thing-when-i-want-to-america-no-on/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [I've never been uncomfortable sharing stuff. It's almost the opposite. I'll say the most blunt, brutally honest thing about any situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-orange-county/i-ve-never-been-uncomfortable-sharing-stuff-it-s-almost-the-opposite/) [Rex Orange County](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-orange-county/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Honest quotes > [How strong is a faith that can't stand up to a few honest questions?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-c-davis/how-strong-is-a-faith-that-can-t-stand-up-to-a-few-honest-questions/) [Kenneth C. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-c-davis/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Tobacco is the passion of honest men and he who lives without tobacco is not worthy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/tobacco-is-the-passion-of-honest-men-and-he-who-lives-without-tobacco/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“RIGHT Do you do what feels right or what is seen right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-downer/right-do-you-do-what-feels-right-or-what-is-seen-right/) [Kitty Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-downer/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I don't know - to be honest, I don't really model myself after anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-klattenhoff/i-don-t-know-to-be-honest-i-don-t-really-model-myself-after-anybody/) [Diego Klattenhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-klattenhoff/) > [There's a certain edge about cruelty. If you're honest about it, most people wince, but say it had to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-waterman/there-s-a-certain-edge-about-cruelty-if-you-re-honest-about-it-most/) [Pete Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-waterman/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [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/) > [I used to not be really honest with girls and then I dropped a song called Starry Room and then I started turning over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-smith/i-used-to-not-be-really-honest-with-girls-and-then-i-dropped-a-song/) [Jaden Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-smith/) > [Fuck perfect, I want honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djsovviet/fuck-perfect-i-want-honest/) Djsovviet > [If I'm honest, I think everything is funny. You've just got to find the right way in. When I'm at my happiest and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcintyre/if-i-m-honest-i-think-everything-is-funny-you-ve-just-got-to-find-the/) [Michael McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcintyre/) > [I think managers see that I am honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lallana/i-think-managers-see-that-i-am-honest/) [Adam Lallana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lallana/) [Browse all 7,016 Honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you don't say the honest thing, it never becomes true.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-never-becomes-true/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-never-becomes-true/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/john-green-12_honest_if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-nev_803359.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/john-green-12_honest_if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-nev_803359.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/john-green-12_honest_if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-nev_803359.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you don't say the honest thing, it never becomes true.” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you don't say the honest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-never-becomes-true/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-you-don-t-say-the-honest-thing-it-never-becomes-true/#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 } } ] } ```