---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would assign every lie a color: yellow…"
description: "\"I would assign every lie a color: yellow when they were innocent, pale blue when they sailed over you like the sky, red because I knew they drew blood...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/steve-martin-593_black_i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow_1276190.jpg"
---

#  I would assign every lie a color: yellow when they were…

![“I would assign every lie a color: yellow when they were innocent, pale blue when they sailed over you like the sky, red because I knew they drew blood. And then there was the black lie. That's the worst of all. A black lie was when I told you the truth.” quote by Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/steve-martin-593_black_i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow_1276190.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/steve-martin-593_black_i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow_1276190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/steve-martin-593_black_i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow_1276190.jpg)

> “I would assign every lie a color: yellow when they were innocent, pale blue when they sailed over you like the sky, red because I knew they drew blood. And then there was the black lie. That's the worst of all. A black lie was when I told you the truth.”

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

## About This Quote

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

Lies can be categorized by emotional impact; the darkest is a false truth that misleads.

**In simple terms:** Lies differ; the worst is a false truth.

Key Takeaway

Beware of deceptive truths.

Themes

truth deception ethics

Mood

cautionary thought‑provoking

Type

philosophical humorous

When to use this quote

- politics
- personal relationships
- media
- law

Key Concepts

Moral relativism psychology of lying

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you faced a "black lie"?
- How do you discern truth?

A Different Perspective

Truth can be weaponized, making detection hard.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Assign Lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assign-lie-4108619/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-lie-4108620/) [Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Color Yellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color-yellow/) [Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent/) [Lie Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-color-3039688/) [Lie Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-told/) [Lie Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-worst-933187/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Over you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over-you/) [Pale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pale/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Yellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yellow/)

## Related quotes

> [“A rainbow's beauty does not lie in one color.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-rainbow-s-beauty-does-not-lie-in-one-color/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“Only God - only Love gets to define us. Anything else is a mere shadow at best and an outright lie at worst.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-toon/only-god-only-love-gets-to-define-us-anything-else-is-a-mere-shadow/)

[Catherine Toon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-toon/)

> [“If you lie to yourself, you become your worst enemy, attacking from inside. (from The Amazing You movie)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/if-you-lie-to-yourself-you-become-your-worst-enemy-attacking-from/)

[Dragos Bratasanu, Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/)

> [The truth Hurts, But the Lie are Worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-hurts-but-the-lie-are-worst/)

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

> [A lie is profanity. A lie is the worst thing in the world. Art is the ability to tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pryor/a-lie-is-profanity-a-lie-is-the-worst-thing-in-the-world-art-is-the/)

[Richard Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pryor/)

> [“He pauses, and I know he is about to lie. The worst feeling: when you just have to wait and prepare yourself for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/he-pauses-and-i-know-he-is-about-to-lie-the-worst-feeling-when-you/)

[Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/)

> [“Good stories will tell you that facing the lie is the worst terror of all. And there is no talisman or magic sword that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/good-stories-will-tell-you-that-facing-the-lie-is-the-worst-terror-of/)

[Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/)

> [He broke me he hurt me and he left me but the worst thing he makes me love him why does your one true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-broke-me-he-hurt-me-and-he-left-me-but-the-worst-thing-he-makes-me/)

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

> [At times all I can see is this yellow wall. My day is sour &amp; there goes this yellow wall reminding me of lemons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mzz-trini/at-times-all-i-can-see-is-this-yellow-wall-my-day-is-sour-there-goes/)

[Mzz Trini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mzz-trini/)

> [So yall want to know things about me sooo here it goes…well I'm going to be 18 next year…im bi yes go ahead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cresta-luvs-luke/so-yall-want-to-know-things-about-me-sooo-here-it-goes-well-i-m-going/)

[Cresta\_Luvs\_Luke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cresta-luvs-luke/)

> [“Falcon March 21 – April 19 Moon:   Budding Trees Plant:   Dandelion Substance:   Fire Opal Clan:   Thunderbird Color:   Yellow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-d-roanhorse/falcon-march-21-april-19-moon-budding-trees-plant-dandelion-substance/)

[D. D. Roanhorse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-d-roanhorse/)

> [“People who are getting close to snapping sometimes start wearing the color yellow. The brighter the color, the closer they are to snapping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frasier/people-who-are-getting-close-to-snapping-sometimes-start-wearing-the/)

[Anne Frasier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frasier/)

> [“Red Red is the wine, red are the carnations. Red is beautiful. Red flowers and red. Color itself is beautiful. The red color is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbeck/red-red-is-the-wine-red-are-the-carnations-red-is-beautiful-red/)

[Herbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbeck/)

> [“Don't you miss it?" I'd ask Aidan. "All that Hollywood sunshine?" "It's like hating the color yellow," she'd say, "and living in a golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-dermont/don-t-you-miss-it-i-d-ask-aidan-all-that-hollywood-sunshine-it-s-like/)

[Amber Dermont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-dermont/)

> [I've always eaten egg whites because when I was little, I didn't like the color yellow, so my mom would trick me into eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-longoria/i-ve-always-eaten-egg-whites-because-when-i-was-little-i-didn-t-like/)

[Eva Longoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-longoria/)

## More by Steve Martin

> [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“It was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: Like lucky cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-was-easy-to-be-great-every-entertainer-has-a-night-when-everything/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [I like a woman with a head on her shoulders. I hate necks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-like-a-woman-with-a-head-on-her-shoulders-i-hate-necks/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“And after his unparsable response, including a passage where he said he was 'blurring the boundaries between a thing and thought,' she said, 'Thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/and-after-his-unparsable-response-including-a-passage-where-he-said/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [I have no fear, no fear at all. I wake up, and I have no fear. I go to bed without fear. Fear, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-have-no-fear-no-fear-at-all-i-wake-up-and-i-have-no-fear-i-go-to/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“Be undeniably good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-undeniably-good/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [When I finally retire, I just want to go away so no one has to listen to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-i-finally-retire-i-just-want-to-go-away-so-no-one-has-to-listen/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [Only then does he realize what he has done to Mirabelle, how wanting a square inch of her and not all of her has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/only-then-does-he-realize-what-he-has-done-to-mirabelle-how-wanting-a/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“Lacey was just as happy alone as with company. When she was alone, she was potential; with others she was realized. Alone, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/lacey-was-just-as-happy-alone-as-with-company-when-she-was-alone-she/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [At first I had no skills in writing comedy. I didn't know what a joke was, but, as someone once told me, your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/at-first-i-had-no-skills-in-writing-comedy-i-didn-t-know-what-a-joke/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [You cannot make your opportunities concur with the opportunities of people whose incomes are ten times greater than yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/you-cannot-make-your-opportunities-concur-with-the-opportunities-of/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/my-most-persistent-memory-of-stand-up-is-of-my-mouth-being-in-the/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [What I mean is that none of my talents had a - what's that great word - rubric. A singer, an actor, a dancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/what-i-mean-is-that-none-of-my-talents-had-a-what-s-that-great-word/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

[Explore all 453 Steve Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

## More Black quotes

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

[Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/)

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

[Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I would assign every lie a color: yellow when they were innocent, pale blue when they sailed over you like the sky, red because I knew they drew blood. And then there was the black lie. That's the worst of all. A black lie was when I told you the truth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steve Martin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow-when-they-were-innocent-pale/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow-when-they-were-innocent-pale/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/steve-martin-593_black_i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow_1276190.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/steve-martin-593_black_i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow_1276190.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dc/steve-martin-593_black_i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow_1276190.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I would assign every lie a color: yellow when they were innocent, pale blue when they sailed over you like…” — Steve Martin",
                "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": "Steve Martin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I would assign every lie a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow-when-they-were-innocent-pale/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-would-assign-every-lie-a-color-yellow-when-they-were-innocent-pale/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
