--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are times when telling lies are not…" description: "\"There are times when telling lies are not a bad thing. It can be a compassionate thing. But to make it benign, you have to be aware of your compassiona..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/richard-gere-3534_bad-thing_there-are-times-when-telling-lies-are-no_638357.jpg" --- # There are times when telling lies are not a bad thing. It… ![“There are times when telling lies are not a bad thing. It can be a compassionate thing. But to make it benign, you have to be aware of your compassionate reasons for telling that lie.” quote by Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/richard-gere-3534_bad-thing_there-are-times-when-telling-lies-are-no_638357.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/richard-gere-3534_bad-thing_there-are-times-when-telling-lies-are-no_638357.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/richard-gere-3534_bad-thing_there-are-times-when-telling-lies-are-no_638357.jpg) > “There are times when telling lies are not a bad thing. It can be a compassionate thing. But to make it benign, you have to be aware of your compassionate reasons for telling that lie.” [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lying can be morally permissible when motivated by compassion, but requires self‑awareness of intent. **In simple terms:** Compassionate lies can be okay. Key Takeaway Consider motives before deceiving. Themes ethics compassion truth Mood thoughtful conflicted Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - medical decisions - child protection - diplomacy - personal relationships Key Concepts moral relativism intentionality Questions to Reflect On - When does a lie become harmful? - How to balance honesty and kindness? A Different Perspective Compassion can be misused to justify deceit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Compassionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassionate/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Telling lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-lies/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I can't say why people lie; they just do. Everyone has their own reasons for not telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-carr/i-can-t-say-why-people-lie-they-just-do-everyone-has-their-own/) [Eric Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-carr/) > [Lies are neither bad nor good. Like a fire they can either keep you warm or burn you to death, depending on how they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/lies-are-neither-bad-nor-good-like-a-fire-they-can-either-keep-you/) [Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/) > [~ Saying lies are not always a bad thing because sometimes you must lie to protect something which is almost at the verge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince/saying-lies-are-not-always-a-bad-thing-because-sometimes-you-must-lie/) [Vince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince/) > [“A good person hates lies. A bad person hates the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-b-lockhart/a-good-person-hates-lies-a-bad-person-hates-the-truth/) [Peter B. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-b-lockhart/) > [People need good lies. There are too many bad ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-need-good-lies-there-are-too-many-bad-ones/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Not all lies are bad, sometimes they are made to keep you going and to give you hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missyrie/not-all-lies-are-bad-sometimes-they-are-made-to-keep-you-going-and-to/) Missyrie > [I deny the lawfulness of telling a lie to a sick man for fear of alarming him; you have no business with consequences, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-deny-the-lawfulness-of-telling-a-lie-to-a-sick-man-for-fear-of/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Omitting information is the same as telling a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/omitting-information-is-the-same-as-telling-a-lie/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The difference between being anonymous and being fake is similar to between hiding the truth and telling a lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/the-difference-between-being-anonymous-and-being-fake-is-similar-to/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“Are you saying I should pretend to be weak so they can feel strong? Is that not telling a lie?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/are-you-saying-i-should-pretend-to-be-weak-so-they-can-feel-strong-is/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [Telling the truth and making someone cry is better than telling a lie and making someone smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/telling-the-truth-and-making-someone-cry-is-better-than-telling-a-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Telling the truth and making someone to cry is better than telling a lie and to making someone smile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/telling-the-truth-and-making-someone-to-cry-is-better-than-telling-a/) [Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/) > [“For one thing, telling a lie is like eating peanuts. One leads to another. In no time at all, you’ve gone through a bagful.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/for-one-thing-telling-a-lie-is-like-eating-peanuts-one-leads-to/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [Because your eyes are always honest ; they will always be telling the truth even if your mouth is telling a lie .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-your-eyes-are-always-honest-they-will-always-be-telling-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“By telling lie you can hide the truth, but u can't reject it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munendra-dwivedi/by-telling-lie-you-can-hide-the-truth-but-u-can-t-reject-it/) Munendra Dwivedi ## More by Richard Gere > [Anything that's expanding the mind and heart is happiness. But it's not a goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/anything-that-s-expanding-the-mind-and-heart-is-happiness-but-it-s/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [People have a different idea of how movies are made than they really are. On a certain level, everyone throws ideas into the hopper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/people-have-a-different-idea-of-how-movies-are-made-than-they-really/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [ Julia \[Roberts\]. She's got two kids and animals, and I think she's a night nibbler. There'd be crumbs everywhere. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/julia-roberts-she-s-got-two-kids-and-animals-and-i-think-she-s-a/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [I meditate. 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They've got to keep going into deeper, colder water, sometimes scarier, darker territories ... to stay alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/relationships-are-like-sharks-they-ve-got-to-keep-going-into-deeper/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [One of the joys of being an actor is that you're always learning new things. And I've been doing this since I was 19,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/one-of-the-joys-of-being-an-actor-is-that-you-re-always-learning-new/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [I think people do want to relate their entertainment to what's going on in their lives. Not everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/i-think-people-do-want-to-relate-their-entertainment-to-what-s-going/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [I can see the character in a photograph, in the way a guy stands or holds his hands, the way he buckles his belt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/i-can-see-the-character-in-a-photograph-in-the-way-a-guy-stands-or/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [Certainly there have been better actors than me who have had no careers. Why? I don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/certainly-there-have-been-better-actors-than-me-who-have-had-no/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [My first encounter with Buddhist dharma would be in my early 20s. Like most young men, I was not particularly happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/my-first-encounter-with-buddhist-dharma-would-be-in-my-early-20s-like/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [The reality is, we can change. We can change ourselves. We can change our minds. We can change our hearts... and therefore the Universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/the-reality-is-we-can-change-we-can-change-ourselves-we-can-change/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) [Explore all 128 Richard Gere quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. 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I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. 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I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. 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