--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People only tell lies when there is…" description: "\"People only tell lies when there is something they are terribly frightened of losing.\" — Orhan Pamuk" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/orhan-pamuk-500_frightened_people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-some_2245961.jpg" --- # People only tell lies when there is something they are… ![“People only tell lies when there is something they are terribly frightened of losing.” quote by Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/orhan-pamuk-500_frightened_people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-some_2245961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/orhan-pamuk-500_frightened_people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-some_2245961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/orhan-pamuk-500_frightened_people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-some_2245961.jpg) > “People only tell lies when there is something they are terribly frightened of losing.” [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People lie primarily when they fear losing something deeply valuable to them. **In simple terms:** Fear of loss drives dishonesty. Key Takeaway Recognize fear behind lies. Themes fear loss honesty psychology relationships Mood anxious thoughtful Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - relationships - financial decisions - political negotiations - personal secrets Key Concepts human nature trust vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What are you most afraid to lose? - When is a lie justified? A Different Perspective Some lies protect others or maintain peace. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“because people only tell lies when there is something they are terribly frightened of losing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/because-people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-something-they-are/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Ever since I can remember feeling love for my parents, I've been frightened of losing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sawalha/ever-since-i-can-remember-feeling-love-for-my-parents-i-ve-been/) [Julia Sawalha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sawalha/) > [“Though I couldn't make out what she was talking of I was terribly frightened; the absence of a clue gave such a range to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/though-i-couldn-t-make-out-what-she-was-talking-of-i-was-terribly/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Yevtushenko is a high member of his country's establishment, and he lies terribly about the United States to his Russian readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/yevtushenko-is-a-high-member-of-his-country-s-establishment-and-he/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [I have an internal protectiveness where it's like, if it comes to just me, as frightened as I am of losing someone I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-headey/i-have-an-internal-protectiveness-where-it-s-like-if-it-comes-to-just/) [Lena Headey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-headey/) > [“There are many sorts of lies. You could fill a shop with them. To be sure, lies are terribly common.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/there-are-many-sorts-of-lies-you-could-fill-a-shop-with-them-to-be/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [When I first started auditioning I would stutter a lot because I was so terribly frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-brendon/when-i-first-started-auditioning-i-would-stutter-a-lot-because-i-was/) [Nicholas Brendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-brendon/) > [I was a bit of a coward when I was small. I was terribly frightened of the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/i-was-a-bit-of-a-coward-when-i-was-small-i-was-terribly-frightened-of/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [Read about the history of the place that we live in and stop letting corporate news tell lies to your children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/read-about-the-history-of-the-place-that-we-live-in-and-stop-letting/) [Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/) > [Don't ask me anything, and I won't tell you any lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/don-t-ask-me-anything-and-i-won-t-tell-you-any-lies/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [You come here to tell us lies, but we don't want to hear them. If we told you more, you would have paid no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sitting-bull/you-come-here-to-tell-us-lies-but-we-don-t-want-to-hear-them-if-we/) [Sitting Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sitting-bull/) > [Better is to speak unpleasant truth than to tell lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/better-is-to-speak-unpleasant-truth-than-to-tell-lies/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I never knew a man could tell so many lies, he had a different story for every set of eyes. How can he remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/i-never-knew-a-man-could-tell-so-many-lies-he-had-a-different-story/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [I don't tell lies. I don't need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/i-don-t-tell-lies-i-don-t-need-to/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [Some people are under the impression that all that is required to make a good fisherman is the ability to tell lies easily and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/some-people-are-under-the-impression-that-all-that-is-required-to/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) ## More by Orhan Pamuk > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I need the pain of loneliness to make my imagination work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-need-the-pain-of-loneliness-to-make-my-imagination-work/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I really don't want to portray the Islamists as simply evil, the way it's often done in the west.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-really-don-t-want-to-portray-the-islamists-as-simply-evil-the-way/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I am proud to be a Turk, and to write in Turkish about Turkey - and to have been translated into about 40 languages.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-am-proud-to-be-a-turk-and-to-write-in-turkish-about-turkey-and-to/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't want to be a tree; I want to be its meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-tree-i-want-to-be-its-meaning/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“...love is deep attention, deep compassion...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/love-is-deep-attention-deep-compassion/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Books, which we mistake for consolation, only add depth to our sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/books-which-we-mistake-for-consolation-only-add-depth-to-our-sorrow/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“If you think you are better than Stork, then by all means, get hold of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/if-you-think-you-are-better-than-stork-then-by-all-means-get-hold-of/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I need a moment of time for myself every day, like a child playing with his things. When I travel, I routinely find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-need-a-moment-of-time-for-myself-every-day-like-a-child-playing/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Love is a sacred silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/love-is-a-sacred-silence/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“Creíamos saber mucho, pero no sabíamos nada. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/cre-amos-saber-mucho-pero-no-sab-amos-nada/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“- Za nas je otkucaj sata, baš kao žuvor šadrvana u dvorištu džamije, odjek zakoračenja u ono što je u nama, a ne zvuk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/za-nas-je-otkucaj-sata-ba-kao-uvor-adrvana-u-dvori-tu-d-amije-odjek/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“A writer is someone who spends years patiently trying to discover the second being inside him, and the world that makes him who he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/a-writer-is-someone-who-spends-years-patiently-trying-to-discover-the/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“Near Taksim he suddenly found himself inside a crowd of people leaving a movie theater. They were staring straight ahead, as if in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/near-taksim-he-suddenly-found-himself-inside-a-crowd-of-people/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) [Explore all 402 Orhan Pamuk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) ## More Frightened quotes > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-don-t-think-kids-have-a-problem-with-death-it-s-us-older-ones-who/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-all-have-prejudices-to-dispel-the-need-to-get-away-from-thinking/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Megachurches. I can't be the only one frightened when our houses of worship sound like they could take on Godzilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/megachurches-i-can-t-be-the-only-one-frightened-when-our-houses-of/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [No one seems to have learned, or can remember, the magic words that calm people when they are frightened or threatened: "I'm sorry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/no-one-seems-to-have-learned-or-can-remember-the-magic-words-that/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/) [Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/) > [Sometimes I've been to a party where no one spoke to me for a whole evening. The men, frightened by their wives or sweeites...the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/sometimes-i-ve-been-to-a-party-where-no-one-spoke-to-me-for-a-whole/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [All your names I and my friend approve of or nearly all as to sense & expression, but I am frightened by their length…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/all-your-names-i-and-my-friend-approve-of-or-nearly-all-as-to-sense/) [Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/she-was-using-the-water-as-she-had-used-the-fruit-earlier-to-calm/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) Browse all 1,303 Frightened quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People only tell lies when there is something they are terribly frightened of losing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Orhan Pamuk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-something-they-are-terribly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Frightened" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-something-they-are-terribly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/orhan-pamuk-500_frightened_people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-some_2245961.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/orhan-pamuk-500_frightened_people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-some_2245961.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/orhan-pamuk-500_frightened_people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-some_2245961.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People only tell lies when there is something they are terribly frightened of losing.” — Orhan Pamuk", "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": "Orhan Pamuk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People only tell lies when there...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-something-they-are-terribly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/people-only-tell-lies-when-there-is-something-they-are-terribly/#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 } } ] } ```