--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never lie to a child about doctors or…" description: "\"Never lie to a child about doctors or medicine or anything else; but if you feel, as some people seem to feel, that life without lying is an impossibil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25c/lyman-abbott-12542_amount_never-lie-to-a-child-about-doctors-or-me_796552.jpg" --- # Never lie to a child about doctors or medicine or anything… ![“Never lie to a child about doctors or medicine or anything else; but if you feel, as some people seem to feel, that life without lying is an impossibility, at least don't lie about the amount of pain likely to result from a surgical procedure, or about the taste of some medicine. If you know that…” quote by Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25c/lyman-abbott-12542_amount_never-lie-to-a-child-about-doctors-or-me_796552.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25c/lyman-abbott-12542_amount_never-lie-to-a-child-about-doctors-or-me_796552.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25c/lyman-abbott-12542_amount_never-lie-to-a-child-about-doctors-or-me_796552.jpg) > “Never lie to a child about doctors or medicine or anything else; but if you feel, as some people seem to feel, that life without lying is an impossibility, at least don't lie about the amount of pain likely to result from a surgical procedure, or about the taste of some medicine. If you know that something to be done will hurt, say so; if a mixture to be swallowed is unpleasant, say so. If you deceive a child once in such matters, do not imagine that it will trust you again. You do not deserve trust, and you will not get it.” [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that honesty with children, especially about pain and discomfort, is essential for maintaining trust; lying erodes credibility. **In simple terms:** Honesty builds trust with children. Key Takeaway Always be truthful about pain and unpleasantness. Themes trust honesty parenting Mood cautious thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - medical explanations - parent‑child conversations - education - healthcare Key Concepts ethical communication child development Questions to Reflect On - When is it appropriate to soften truth for a child? - How can you balance honesty with protecting a child's emotional wellbeing? A Different Perspective Complete honesty may be hard in some medical contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Deceive Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive-child-1779713/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Don-t-lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-t-lie/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-that/) [Impossibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossibility/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Lie Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-child-3017151/) [Lie Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-pain-824388/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-lying-1063367/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Mixtures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mixtures/) [Never lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-lie/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Procedures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procedures/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [You again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-again/) ## Related quotes > [You have to be honest, even when you are upset with your child. Your intentions must be clear. You must never lie to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/you-have-to-be-honest-even-when-you-are-upset-with-your-child-your/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [Sophistry, like poison, is at once detected and nauseated, when presented to us in a concentrated form; but a fallacy which, when stated barely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/sophistry-like-poison-is-at-once-detected-and-nauseated-when/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [One of the principles of journalism is you don't lie. You never lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/one-of-the-principles-of-journalism-is-you-don-t-lie-you-never-lie/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [Always tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember what you said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/always-tell-the-truth-that-way-you-don-t-have-to-remember-what-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you tell the truth, you don't need a long memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/if-you-tell-the-truth-you-don-t-need-a-long-memory/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [“I had also once come across a phrase about a book “lying like a poleaxed wildebeest in the middle of my life.” It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rivka-galchen/i-had-also-once-come-across-a-phrase-about-a-book-lying-like-a/) [Rivka Galchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rivka-galchen/) > [“I am going to create what happened to me. Only because living isn't tellable. Living isn't livable. I shall have to create upon life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/i-am-going-to-create-what-happened-to-me-only-because-living-isn-t/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“If you lie to yourself about your own pain, you will be killed by those who will claim you enjoyed it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/if-you-lie-to-yourself-about-your-own-pain-you-will-be-killed-by/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Laying here thinking how perfect life would be if you were lying next to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laying-here-thinking-how-perfect-life-would-be-if-you-were-lying-next/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never assume, no matter how strong the temptation, that other people are low-life lying manipulators without a shred of human decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/never-assume-no-matter-how-strong-the-temptation-that-other-people/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“Veins don’t lie the pain wasn’t in vain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genereux-uwabunkonye-philip/veins-don-t-lie-the-pain-wasn-t-in-vain/) [Genereux Uwabunkonye Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genereux-uwabunkonye-philip/) > [Sometimes this is how I feel, I don't understand why I feel this way. Myabe its because of my friends and family issues. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-this-is-how-i-feel-i-don-t-understand-why-i-feel-this-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“the greatest agony on earth didn’t lie in the pain of living or the pain of death, but in the pain of separation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-graham/the-greatest-agony-on-earth-didn-t-lie-in-the-pain-of-living-or-the/) [Heather Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-graham/) > [I believe that the greatest truths of the universe don't lie outside, in the study of the stars and the planets. They lie deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/i-believe-that-the-greatest-truths-of-the-universe-don-t-lie-outside/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) > [Don't lie to the girl of your life for the hoe of the night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/don-t-lie-to-the-girl-of-your-life-for-the-hoe-of-the-night/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) ## More by Lyman Abbott > [No man can be patient who has not strong passions, for patience is passion tamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/no-man-can-be-patient-who-has-not-strong-passions-for-patience-is/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [We Gentiles owe our life to Israel. It is Israel who has brought us the message that God is one, and that God is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/we-gentiles-owe-our-life-to-israel-it-is-israel-who-has-brought-us/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [If the impure and the unjust, the drunkard and the licentious, are loathsome to us, what must be the infinite loathing of an infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/if-the-impure-and-the-unjust-the-drunkard-and-the-licentious-are/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [I abhor a hoe. I am fond of flowers but not of dirt, and had rather buy them than cultivate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/i-abhor-a-hoe-i-am-fond-of-flowers-but-not-of-dirt-and-had-rather-buy/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [If I am to tell you how to grow old gracefully, I must tell you at the beginning of life; for no man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/if-i-am-to-tell-you-how-to-grow-old-gracefully-i-must-tell-you-at-the/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [Courage is caution overcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/courage-is-caution-overcome/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [It is easy to condemn, it is better to pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/it-is-easy-to-condemn-it-is-better-to-pity/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [Every life is march from innocence, through temptation, to virtue or vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/every-life-is-march-from-innocence-through-temptation-to-virtue-or/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [A graceful and blessed old age must have three elements in it: a happy retrospect, a peaceful present, and an inspiring future. And old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/a-graceful-and-blessed-old-age-must-have-three-elements-in-it-a-happy/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [A child is a beam of sunlight from the Infinite and Eternal, with possibilities of virtue and vice - but as yet unstained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/a-child-is-a-beam-of-sunlight-from-the-infinite-and-eternal-with/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [I think of death as a glad awakening from this troubled sleep which we call life; as an emancipation from a world, which, beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/i-think-of-death-as-a-glad-awakening-from-this-troubled-sleep-which/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [A miracle constantly repeated becomes a process of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/a-miracle-constantly-repeated-becomes-a-process-of-nature/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [Evolution does not attempt to explain the origin of life. It is simply a history of the process of life. With the secret cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/evolution-does-not-attempt-to-explain-the-origin-of-life-it-is-simply/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [A miracle no longer seems to me a manifestation of extraordinary power, but an extraordinary manifestation of ordinary power. God is always showing himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/a-miracle-no-longer-seems-to-me-a-manifestation-of-extraordinary/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [Postmodernism represents a moment of suspension before the batteries are recharged for the new millennium, an acknowledgment that preceding the future is a strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/postmodernism-represents-a-moment-of-suspension-before-the-batteries/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) [Explore all 54 Lyman Abbott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) ## More Amount quotes > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) [F. A. 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To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/) [Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/) > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) [Browse all 4,202 Amount quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Never lie to a child about doctors or medicine or anything else; but if you feel, as some people seem to feel, that life without lying is an impossibility, at least don't lie about the amount of pain likely to result from a surgical procedure, or about the taste of some medicine. 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