--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tell the truth once and for all and shut…" description: "\"Tell the truth once and for all and shut up forever.\" — William S. Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a32/william-s-burroughs-528_forever_tell-the-truth-once-and-for-all-and-shut_2500214.png" --- # Tell the truth once and for all and shut up forever. ![“Tell the truth once and for all and shut up forever.” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a32/william-s-burroughs-528_forever_tell-the-truth-once-and-for-all-and-shut_2500214.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a32/william-s-burroughs-528_forever_tell-the-truth-once-and-for-all-and-shut_2500214.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a32/william-s-burroughs-528_forever_tell-the-truth-once-and-for-all-and-shut_2500214.png) > “Tell the truth once and for all and shut up forever.” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Speak honestly once, then remain silent to avoid endless debate. **In simple terms:** Say it once and then stop talking. Key Takeaway Choose decisive truth‑telling. Themes honesty finality communication Mood reflective serious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - legal testimony - personal boundaries - public statements Key Concepts ethics conflict resolution Questions to Reflect On - When is it better to stay silent? - How to ensure truth is heard? A Different Perspective Silence may suppress necessary dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [If you shut the door to all errors, truth will be shut out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/if-you-shut-the-door-to-all-errors-truth-will-be-shut-out/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [I dont have time for lies, so unless what youre telling me is the truth, shut the fuck up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juanita-kay-ross/i-dont-have-time-for-lies-so-unless-what-youre-telling-me-is-the/) [Juanita Kay Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juanita-kay-ross/) > [I do know that the slickest way to lie is to tell the right amount of truth--then shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-do-know-that-the-slickest-way-to-lie-is-to-tell-the-right-amount-of/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/one-should-either-write-ruthlessly-what-one-believes-to-be-the-truth/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [If you shut your door to all errors, truth will be shut out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/if-you-shut-your-door-to-all-errors-truth-will-be-shut-out/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [You must have plenty of sea-room to tell the truth in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/you-must-have-plenty-of-sea-room-to-tell-the-truth-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Try to live so that you can always tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/try-to-live-so-that-you-can-always-tell-the-truth/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Be a best friend. Tell the truth. And overuse "I love you"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-brice/be-a-best-friend-tell-the-truth-and-overuse-i-love-you/) [Lee Brice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-brice/) > [If you want to be thought a liar, always tell the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/if-you-want-to-be-thought-a-liar-always-tell-the-truth/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [Tell the truth and not the facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/tell-the-truth-and-not-the-facts/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Always tell the truth or the truth will tell on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-k-sonnenberg/always-tell-the-truth-or-the-truth-will-tell-on-you/) [Frank K. 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The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? 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Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Forever quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [What does forever mean to you? When you couldnt even keep it true You said were youd forever be there But were those just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/what-does-forever-mean-to-you-when-you-couldnt-even-keep-it-true-you/) [Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/) > [Forever is a really long time, you know? What do you do with forever?" "The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [I want to do - I want to be putting out classic stuff that's gonna stick and last forever, you feel me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-want-to-do-i-want-to-be-putting-out-classic-stuff-that-s-gonna/) YG > [“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 Browse all 10,689 Forever quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tell the truth once and for all and shut up forever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William S. 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