---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm neutral on lying, seeing as how…"
description: "\"I'm neutral on lying, seeing as how there's times when the truth just hurts people.\" — Orson Scott Card"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/orson-scott-card-134_hurt_i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there_1102045.png"
---

#  I'm neutral on lying, seeing as how there's times when the…

![“I'm neutral on lying, seeing as how there's times when the truth just hurts people.” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/orson-scott-card-134_hurt_i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there_1102045.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/orson-scott-card-134_hurt_i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there_1102045.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/orson-scott-card-134_hurt_i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there_1102045.png)

> “I'm neutral on lying, seeing as how there's times when the truth just hurts people.”

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Truth can be harmful, so lying may be justified in certain situations.

**In simple terms:** Sometimes truth hurts, so lying is acceptable.

Key Takeaway

Weigh truth‑telling against potential harm.

Themes

ethics truth harm

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- journalism
- personal relationships
- conflict resolution
- public relations

Key Concepts

moral philosophy communication

Questions to Reflect On

- When is lying truly necessary?
- How can truth be delivered gently?

A Different Perspective

Lying can erode trust over time.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Hurts People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurts-people/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Lying Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying-seeing-2893089/) [Neutral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutral/) [Neutral Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutral-lying-2893088/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [People should learn that you cannot dwell in your past. One who dwells in the past hurts not only himself, but also the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jun-mochizuki/people-should-learn-that-you-cannot-dwell-in-your-past-one-who-dwells/)

[Jun Mochizuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jun-mochizuki/)

> [It hurts when people walk into youre life and make you happy and then walk out and leave you hurting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-hurts-when-people-walk-into-youre-life-and-make-you-happy-and-then/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It hurts when the people whom you once called best friends turns their backs on you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila/it-hurts-when-the-people-whom-you-once-called-best-friends-turns/)

[Sheila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila/)

> [“What Hurts the People There are five things that hurt the people: There are local officials who use public office for personal benefit, taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/what-hurts-the-people-there-are-five-things-that-hurt-the-people/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [We are not perfect! God didn't want us perfect and he didn't want us to look the same! It hurts me to see people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savannah-horton/we-are-not-perfect-god-didn-t-want-us-perfect-and-he-didn-t-want-us/)

[Savannah Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savannah-horton/)

> [“My energy is evil," I said, surprising myself. "It's a loud, obnoxious song. It's sick. It just hurts people. I'm not sunshine and light...I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-strayhorn/my-energy-is-evil-i-said-surprising-myself-it-s-a-loud-obnoxious-song/)

[Willa Strayhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-strayhorn/)

> [The truth hurts That's why people lie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-hurts-that-s-why-people-lie/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can't stand those people that pretend to be something they're not. I can't deal with those people that hurt you over something dumb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-klein/i-can-t-stand-those-people-that-pretend-to-be-something-they-re-not-i/)

[Alexis Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-klein/)

> [The truth hurts. It hurts to some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gegard-mousasi/the-truth-hurts-it-hurts-to-some-people/)

[Gegard Mousasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gegard-mousasi/)

> [The truth about the truth is.. It hurts,, that's why the other people lie..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florabel/the-truth-about-the-truth-is-it-hurts-that-s-why-the-other-people-lie/)

[Florabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florabel/)

> [What hurts people a lot is taking humiliation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wyatt/what-hurts-people-a-lot-is-taking-humiliation/)

[Robert Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wyatt/)

> [When the climate hurts, people and businesses also feel the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/when-the-climate-hurts-people-and-businesses-also-feel-the-pain/)

[Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/)

> [It's not what we don't know that hurts us, people say. It's what we believe is true that isn't that does the damage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/it-s-not-what-we-don-t-know-that-hurts-us-people-say-it-s-what-we/)

[Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/)

> [It hurts when people walk into your life and make you and then walk out and leave you hurting Truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-hurts-when-people-walk-into-your-life-and-make-you-and-then-walk/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm not a mean person, so it kind of hurts when people are mean to me, but that's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-brown/i-m-not-a-mean-person-so-it-kind-of-hurts-when-people-are-mean-to-me/)

[Kane Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-brown/)

## More by Orson Scott Card

> [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Why did he hesitate? He finally admitted to himself that he was like an American child who was almost completely certain about Santa Claus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/why-did-he-hesitate-he-finally-admitted-to-himself-that-he-was-like/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“I don't know of a soul who doesn't maintain two separate lists of doctrines - the ones they believe they believe; and the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-don-t-know-of-a-soul-who-doesn-t-maintain-two-separate-lists-of/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Good people do not let others suffer needlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-do-not-let-others-suffer-needlessly/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Ender, for the past few months you have been the battle commander of our fleets. This was the Third Invasion. There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

[Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

## More Hurt quotes

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/)

[Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/)

[Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/)

> [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/)

[Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/)

> [A HURTED HEART IS LIKE SMALL BABY WHICH CAN ONLY CRY BT IT WONT B ABLE 2 EXPRESS ITS FEELINGS.SO DONT HURT ANYBODY IN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/a-hurted-heart-is-like-small-baby-which-can-only-cry-bt-it-wont-b/)

[Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/)

> [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/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

[Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/)

> [Some things hurt, you know, and there's pain. But we magnify the suffering of it often, I think, by our reactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/some-things-hurt-you-know-and-there-s-pain-but-we-magnify-the/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

> [You can't force any one to love you, and fighting it, you just gonna hurt yourself badly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mongotleng/you-can-t-force-any-one-to-love-you-and-fighting-it-you-just-gonna/)

[Edward Mongotleng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mongotleng/)

> [This goes out to someone that was Once the most important person in my life I didn't realize it at the time I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviation/this-goes-out-to-someone-that-was-once-the-most-important-person-in/)

[Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aviation/)

> [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

[Browse all 13,577 Hurt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm neutral on lying, seeing as how there's times when the truth just hurts people.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Orson Scott Card"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there-s-times-when-the-truth-just/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hurt"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there-s-times-when-the-truth-just/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/orson-scott-card-134_hurt_i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there_1102045.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/orson-scott-card-134_hurt_i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there_1102045.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/orson-scott-card-134_hurt_i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there_1102045.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm neutral on lying, seeing as how there's times when the truth just hurts people.” — Orson Scott Card",
                "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": "Orson Scott Card",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm neutral on lying, seeing as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there-s-times-when-the-truth-just/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-m-neutral-on-lying-seeing-as-how-there-s-times-when-the-truth-just/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
