--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But here's the thing about being honest…" description: "\"But here's the thing about being honest: All the liars HATE you for it, and most of the people in the world are liars. They lie to their bosses, they l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/tucker-max-2064_being-honest_but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest_1724388.jpg" --- # But here's the thing about being honest: All the liars… ![“But here's the thing about being honest: All the liars HATE you for it, and most of the people in the world are liars. They lie to their bosses, they lie to their families, they lie to themselves, they lie so much they don't even know they're lying anymore. If you have the courage to be honest…” quote by Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/tucker-max-2064_being-honest_but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest_1724388.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/tucker-max-2064_being-honest_but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest_1724388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/tucker-max-2064_being-honest_but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest_1724388.jpg) > “But here's the thing about being honest: All the liars HATE you for it, and most of the people in the world are liars. They lie to their bosses, they lie to their families, they lie to themselves, they lie so much they don't even know they're lying anymore. If you have the courage to be honest even a little bit all those people will hate you for it, because their lie is reflected in your honesty. Oscar Wilde wasn't kidding when he said, "If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you."” [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Honesty often provokes hostility because it exposes others' deceit; humor can soften truth-telling but may also endanger the speaker. **In simple terms:** Being honest can make liars angry; humor helps but can be risky. Key Takeaway Speak truth with humor, but stay aware of risks. Themes honesty social dynamics humor conflict truth Mood cautious thoughtful Type ethical practical When to use this quote - workplace meetings - family discussions - public speaking Key Concepts psychology of deception social pressure communication strategies Questions to Reflect On - When is it safest to be honest? - How can humor be used responsibly when confronting lies? A Different Perspective Honesty may damage relationships or provoke retaliation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boss/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Oscars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oscars/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The way to stop feeling guilty is to read stuff - I'm not saying my book, but works by Bertrand Russell or Oscar Wilde,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-way-to-stop-feeling-guilty-is-to-read-stuff-i-m-not-saying-my/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Oscar Wilde always makes me smile - with respect and admiration. His short stories prove that it is possible to be both sarcastic, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/oscar-wilde-always-makes-me-smile-with-respect-and-admiration-his/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [You know what Oscar Wilde said, ma'am? He said, "nothing that is worth knowing can be taught". Nothing personal, ma'am... Carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/you-know-what-oscar-wilde-said-ma-am-he-said-nothing-that-is-worth/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [ \[Oscar Wilde's Salome screenplay\] is not autobiographical in a sense where you go to my house and see my kids and stuff like that,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/oscar-wilde-s-salome-screenplay-is-not-autobiographical-in-a-sense/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [Oscar Wilde was suing the Marquis of Queensbury in 1895 for libel accusing Wilde of homosexuality Counsel: Have you ever adored a young man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/oscar-wilde-was-suing-the-marquis-of-queensbury-in-1895-for-libel/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A refusal of nature as a model is a tradition that goes right back to Oscar Wilde.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/a-refusal-of-nature-as-a-model-is-a-tradition-that-goes-right-back-to/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Oscar Wilde quite rightly said, 'All art is useless'. And that may sound as if that means it's something not worth supporting. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/oscar-wilde-quite-rightly-said-all-art-is-useless-and-that-may-sound/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The Chinese general Sun Tzu said that all war was based on deception. Oscar Wilde said the same thing of romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-tempest/the-chinese-general-sun-tzu-said-that-all-war-was-based-on-deception/) [Marco Tempest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-tempest/) > [Oscar Wilde once said that to live is the rarest thing in the world, because most people just exist, and that's all. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oscar-wilde-once-said-that-to-live-is-the-rarest-thing-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think Oscar Wilde wrote a poem about a robin who loved a white rose. He loved it so much that he pierced his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pickford/i-think-oscar-wilde-wrote-a-poem-about-a-robin-who-loved-a-white-rose/) [Mary Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pickford/) > [Oscar Wilde said that sunsets were not valued because we could not pay for sunsets. But Oscar Wilde was wrong; we can pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oscar-wilde-said-that-sunsets-were-not-valued-because-we-could-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oscar Wilde said that the gods punish us in two ways: first, they don't give us what we want, then, they do. He forgot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-brass/oscar-wilde-said-that-the-gods-punish-us-in-two-ways-first-they-don-t/) [Perry Brass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-brass/) > [If every witty thing that's said was true, Oscar Wilde, the world would worship You!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-r-burch/if-every-witty-thing-that-s-said-was-true-oscar-wilde-the-world-would/) [Michael R. Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-r-burch/) > [There is a homely directness about these rustic apothegms which makes them far more palatable than the strained and sophisticated epigrams of the characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brander-matthews/there-is-a-homely-directness-about-these-rustic-apothegms-which-makes/) [Brander Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brander-matthews/) > [As Oscar Wilde should have said, when bad ideas have nowhere else to go, they emigrate to America and become university courses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/as-oscar-wilde-should-have-said-when-bad-ideas-have-nowhere-else-to/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) ## More by Tucker Max > [Fat girls aren’t real people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/fat-girls-aren-t-real-people/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [No one has it all figured out, especially not the people who are acting like they do and judging you because of it. Pretending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/no-one-has-it-all-figured-out-especially-not-the-people-who-are/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [Helping reproductive services doesn't just help women in isolation. It helps men just as much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/helping-reproductive-services-doesn-t-just-help-women-in-isolation-it/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [It used to be that companies with industrial economies of scale created business success. Now, success will come from the information economies of scale,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/it-used-to-be-that-companies-with-industrial-economies-of-scale/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [My path to wisdom began when I stopped pretending to know things I didn't know. When I explicitly admitted to the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/my-path-to-wisdom-began-when-i-stopped-pretending-to-know-things-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [There is no number or level of success that would make me think, 'Wow, I didn't think that was possible.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/there-is-no-number-or-level-of-success-that-would-make-me-think-wow-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [There are fun nights, there are crazy nights, and then there are those nights that make men legends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/there-are-fun-nights-there-are-crazy-nights-and-then-there-are-those/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [I try to explain to people that the only way to be cool is to be who you truly are, and the only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/i-try-to-explain-to-people-that-the-only-way-to-be-cool-is-to-be-who/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [“Girl3 "You don't have to be a jerk" SlingBlade "Quite the contrary, my sloppy penile scholar.Order me another drink and be quick about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/girl3-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-jerk-slingblade-quite-the-contrary-my/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [The idea that guys should walk into a bar and confidently initiate contact and then seduce a woman based on a short term conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/the-idea-that-guys-should-walk-into-a-bar-and-confidently-initiate/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [My writing is authentic, and whatever happens in my life is what I write about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/my-writing-is-authentic-and-whatever-happens-in-my-life-is-what-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [Probably the best explanation for my success and other Internet writers, is that we're tapping a genre or a niche out there that needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/probably-the-best-explanation-for-my-success-and-other-internet/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [Things always work out for me because I do whatever I want without worrying about the consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/things-always-work-out-for-me-because-i-do-whatever-i-want-without/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [I'm a human. Every human is flawed. I might be flawed in different ways than some people, or worse ways than some people, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/i-m-a-human-every-human-is-flawed-i-might-be-flawed-in-different-ways/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [“Earl "The Goat" Manigault was probably the greatest basketball player of all time, but Michael Jordan is universally regarded as the best ever. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/earl-the-goat-manigault-was-probably-the-greatest-basketball-player/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) [Explore all 187 Tucker Max quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) Maynard Ferguson > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But here's the thing about being honest: All the liars HATE you for it, and most of the people in the world are liars. They lie to their bosses, they lie to their families, they lie to themselves, they lie so much they don't even know they're lying anymore. If you have the courage to be honest even a little bit all those people will hate you for it, because their lie is reflected in your honesty. Oscar Wilde wasn't kidding when he said, \"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tucker Max" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest-all-the-liars-hate-you-for-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest-all-the-liars-hate-you-for-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/tucker-max-2064_being-honest_but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest_1724388.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/tucker-max-2064_being-honest_but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest_1724388.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/tucker-max-2064_being-honest_but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest_1724388.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But here's the thing about being honest: All the liars HATE you for it, and most of the people in the world…” — Tucker Max", "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": "Tucker Max", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But here's the thing about being...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest-all-the-liars-hate-you-for-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/but-here-s-the-thing-about-being-honest-all-the-liars-hate-you-for-it/#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 } } ] } ```