--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Falsehoods of convenience or vanity…" description: "\"Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods from which no evil immediately visible ensues, except the general degradation of human testimony, are v..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/samuel-johnson-50_convenience_falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-fals_2313556.png" --- # Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods from which… ![“Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods from which no evil immediately visible ensues, except the general degradation of human testimony, are very lightly uttered, and once uttered are sullenly supported.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/samuel-johnson-50_convenience_falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-fals_2313556.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/samuel-johnson-50_convenience_falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-fals_2313556.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/samuel-johnson-50_convenience_falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-fals_2313556.png) > “Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods from which no evil immediately visible ensues, except the general degradation of human testimony, are very lightly uttered, and once uttered are sullenly supported.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often tell harmless lies to protect reputation, but these falsehoods erode trust over time. **In simple terms:** Small lies damage credibility. Key Takeaway Avoid unnecessary lies. Themes honesty trust reputation Mood reflective serious Type moral philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - professional settings - public discourse Key Concepts ethical integrity social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you avoiding? - How does a lie affect long‑term trust? A Different Perspective Truth may cause immediate discomfort or conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Convenience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convenience/) [Deceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit/) [Degradation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degradation/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Falsehoods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehoods/) [Falsehoods Convenience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehoods-convenience-5504297/) [Falsehoods Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehoods-evil-5504299/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Testimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testimony/) [Testimony Lightly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testimony-lightly-5504300/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) [Vanity Falsehoods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity-falsehoods-5504298/) [Visible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visible/) ## Related quotes > [Among the calamities of war may be justly numbered the diminution of the love of truth by falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/among-the-calamities-of-war-may-be-justly-numbered-the-diminution-of/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Among the calamities of war may be numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates, and credulity encourages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/among-the-calamities-of-war-may-be-numbered-the-diminution-of-the/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [A few men are sufficient to broach falsehoods, which are afterwards innocently diffused by successive relaters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-few-men-are-sufficient-to-broach-falsehoods-which-are-afterwards/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Many falsehoods are passing into uncontradicted history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/many-falsehoods-are-passing-into-uncontradicted-history/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [ “I just wish this social institution \[religion\] wasn't based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax built on an accumulation of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-just-wish-this-social-institution-religion-wasn-t-based-on-what/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [“I can't admit of an old boy of a God who takes walks in his garden with a cane in his hand, who lodges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/i-can-t-admit-of-an-old-boy-of-a-god-who-takes-walks-in-his-garden/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“I have now gone through the examination of the four books ascribed to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; and when it is considered that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/i-have-now-gone-through-the-examination-of-the-four-books-ascribed-to/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“I once came upon a definition of history as ‘the process by which complex truths are transformed into simplified falsehoods’. That is particularly true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-kay-penman/i-once-came-upon-a-definition-of-history-as-the-process-by-which/) [Sharon Kay Penman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-kay-penman/) > [“The truth is a powerful force. It is the foundation of all things. The truth is so all-consuming that it cannot be denied. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/the-truth-is-a-powerful-force-it-is-the-foundation-of-all-things-the/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [In the world of the Internet, there are many falsehoods. Anyone can write stuff on Wikipedia, and it doesn't have to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hulce/in-the-world-of-the-internet-there-are-many-falsehoods-anyone-can/) [Tom Hulce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hulce/) > [“A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/a-reliable-way-to-make-people-believe-in-falsehoods-is-frequent/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Vulgarity is the conduct of other people, just as falsehoods are the truths of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/vulgarity-is-the-conduct-of-other-people-just-as-falsehoods-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Inculcating the various competing - competing, note - falsehoods of the major faiths into small children is a form of child abuse, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/inculcating-the-various-competing-competing-note-falsehoods-of-the/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [Tangible language, which often tells more falsehoods than truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tangible-language-which-often-tells-more-falsehoods-than-truths/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Convenience quotes > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Is the minor convenience of allowing the present generation the luxury of doubling its energy consumption every 10 years worth the major hazard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/is-the-minor-convenience-of-allowing-the-present-generation-the/) [David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/) > [“A phone call should be a convenience to the caller, not an inconvenience to the called.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-phone-call-should-be-a-convenience-to-the-caller-not-an/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The average family exists only on paper and its average budget is a fiction, invented by statisticians for the convenience of statisticians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-porter/the-average-family-exists-only-on-paper-and-its-average-budget-is-a/) [Sylvia Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-porter/) > [What you call disorder is nothing else than one of the laws of the order you comprehend not and which you have erroneously named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/what-you-call-disorder-is-nothing-else-than-one-of-the-laws-of-the/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [“And what is the state but a servant and a convenience for a large number of people, just like the electric light and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/and-what-is-the-state-but-a-servant-and-a-convenience-for-a-large/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Thirty or forty proprietors, with incomes answering to between one thousand and five thousand a year, would create a much more effectual demand for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/thirty-or-forty-proprietors-with-incomes-answering-to-between-one/) [Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/) > [If you spot a market where the only choices are at either one end or the other - high fidelity or high convenience -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/if-you-spot-a-market-where-the-only-choices-are-at-either-one-end-or/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Unfortunately, nature seems unaware of our intellectual need for convenience and unity, and very often takes delight in complication and diversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/unfortunately-nature-seems-unaware-of-our-intellectual-need-for/) [Santiago Ramon y Cajal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/) > [What more degrades woman today than that she so often seeks marriage as a support? Why is the holy sacrament of love, the sanctity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-c-ames/what-more-degrades-woman-today-than-that-she-so-often-seeks-marriage/) [Mary C. Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-c-ames/) > [To what fortuitous occurrence do we not owe every pleasure and convenience of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/to-what-fortuitous-occurrence-do-we-not-owe-every-pleasure-and/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [ \[Books\] will visit you at your convenience, whether you are lonesome or not, on rainy days or fair. They propose themselves as either transient… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/books-will-visit-you-at-your-convenience-whether-you-are-lonesome-or/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [What is undeniable is that when comforts and convenience sap our energies and idealism, inactivity secretes sloth in to our minds like a poison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/what-is-undeniable-is-that-when-comforts-and-convenience-sap-our/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [It's a double-headed coin, because technology is a convenience but it's stifled our attention spans. At one time, albums had songs that were like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cee-lo-green/it-s-a-double-headed-coin-because-technology-is-a-convenience-but-it/) [Cee Lo Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cee-lo-green/) [Browse all 451 Convenience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convenience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods from which no evil immediately visible ensues, except the general degradation of human testimony, are very lightly uttered, and once uttered are sullenly supported.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-falsehoods-from-which-no-evil/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Convenience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-falsehoods-from-which-no-evil/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/samuel-johnson-50_convenience_falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-fals_2313556.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/samuel-johnson-50_convenience_falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-fals_2313556.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/samuel-johnson-50_convenience_falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-fals_2313556.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods from which no evil immediately visible ensues, except the…” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-falsehoods-from-which-no-evil/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/falsehoods-of-convenience-or-vanity-falsehoods-from-which-no-evil/#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 } } ] } ```