Lies are as old as humanity, but that doesn’t mean we can’t laugh at them. Whether it’s a white lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or a whopper that could win an Oscar for best drama, dishonesty always has a way of leaving a mark.
This collection of 80+ quotes about lying blends truth, wit, and sarcasm—offering life lessons with a smirk. Get ready for quotes that make you chuckle, nod in agreement, and maybe even text one to that “friend” who swears they were stuck in traffic.
The Cost of Lies
- “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
- “A single lie discovered is enough to create doubt in every truth expressed.” — Unknown
- “Lying is done with words, and also with silence.” — Adrienne Rich
- “A relationship without trust is like a car without gas. You can stay in it all you want, but it won’t go anywhere.” — Michael J. Herbert
- “Once trust is broken, some attitudes have to be changed because they are needed to build it up again.” — Unknown
- “A lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.” — Baltasar Gracián
- “Better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.” — Khaled Hosseini
- “Lies are like scars on the soul. They destroy you.” — Patricia Cornwell
- “The cruelest lies are often told in silence.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
- “A healthy relationship will never require you to sacrifice your integrity.” — Unknown
Betrayal and Broken Promises
- “Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it.” — Jonathan Swift
- “The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.” — Stephen King
- “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” — Arthur Miller
- “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” — Abraham Lincoln
- “For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth.” — Bo Bennett
- “People don’t lie to protect your feelings. They lie to protect theirs.” — Unknown
- “A liar will always be a liar. They just get better at it.” — Unknown
- “Half a truth is often a great lie.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “Liars need good memories.” — Algernon Sidney
- “Once someone breaks your trust, they collect red flags like trophies.” — Unknown
The Truth Always Wins (Eventually)
- “The truth may hurt for a little while, but a lie hurts forever.” — Unknown
- “A lie has speed, but truth has endurance.” — Edgar J. Mohn
- “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” — Mark Twain
- “You can fool all the people some of the time… but not forever.” — Abraham Lincoln
- “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.” — Plato
- “Truth will always be truth, regardless of disbelief.” — W. Clement Stone
- “No lie can live forever.” — Thomas Carlyle
- “The truth always finds a way out, even years later.” — Tyler Hamilton
- “Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth.” — Todd Wagner
- “In time, the truth will come to light.” — William Shakespeare
Sarcasm and Wit About Liars
- “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” — Winston Churchill
- “I don’t lie—I’m just really good at fiction.” — Unknown
- “Some people would rather climb a tree to tell a lie than stand on the ground to tell the truth.” — Unknown
- “The problem with lying is that you have to keep track of which lies you told to whom.” — Unknown
- “Never argue with a liar. You can’t win because they believe their own lies.” — Unknown
- “I don’t need a lie detector test, I just watch how fast you change your story.” — Unknown
- “If I had a dollar for every lie you told, I’d be rich enough to buy the truth.” — Unknown
- “I’m not saying you’re a liar… I’m just saying you’re very creative with reality.” — Unknown
- “The best way to tell if someone is lying? Watch their lips—if they’re moving, they’re lying.” — Unknown
- “A lie is a short-lived victory; truth takes the trophy home.” — Unknown
Deep Thoughts on Deception
- “The greatest enemy of truth is often not the lie, but the myth.” — John F. Kennedy
- “Lying is a cooperative act; it only works when someone believes it.” — Pamela Meyer
- “Every violation of truth is a stab at the health of human society.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “A lie is like a snowball: the further you roll it, the bigger it gets.” — Martin Luther
- “When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.” — Yevgeny Yevtushenko
- “He who tells a lie once finds it easier to do it again.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “Wrong doesn’t stop being wrong because everyone believes it.” — Leo Tolstoy
- “The liar’s punishment is not that he’s not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.” — George Bernard Shaw
- “An error does not become truth because no one sees it.” — Mahatma Gandhi
- “Honesty is the best policy.” — Benjamin Franklin
The Human Condition and Lies
- “The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
- “All war propaganda, all the screaming and lies, come from those not fighting.” — George Orwell
- “You can’t outrun what’s inside you.” — Rwandan Proverb
- “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” — James A. Garfield
- “To know what is right and not do it is cowardice.” — Confucius
- “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters can’t be trusted in big ones.” — Albert Einstein
- “The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks.” — Miguel de Cervantes
- “Integrity is telling myself the truth. Honesty is telling it to others.” — Spencer Johnson
- “When in doubt, tell the truth.” — Mark Twain
- “Fake people have an image to maintain; real people don’t care.” — Unknown
When Lies Are Exposed
- “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” — Buddha
- “No matter how far you run, your lies will catch up with you.” — Unknown
- “The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.” — Richard Bach
- “Every lie is two lies: the one we tell and the one we tell ourselves to justify it.” — Robert Brault
- “A lie has many variations; the truth has none.” — African Proverb
- “Falsehood is easy, truth so difficult.” — George Eliot
- “Truth is powerful and it prevails.” — Sojourner Truth
- “No one can hide when they look directly into someone’s eyes.” — Paulo Coelho
- “Honesty is more than not lying; it’s truth-living.” — James E. Faust
- “An honest enemy is better than a false friend.” — Unknown
Wisdom for Choosing Honesty
- “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “Truth is the most valuable thing we have—let’s economize it.” — Mark Twain
- “Integrity costs nothing, but lying can cost everything.” — Unknown
- “The truth may hurt, but it never scars.” — Unknown
- “Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.” — Maggie Kuhn
- “Truth doesn’t fear investigation; lies hate the spotlight.” — Unknown
- “An honest life is the best revenge.” — Unknown
- “Truth builds trust; lies build walls.” — Unknown
- “Tell the truth, even if no one believes you.” — Unknown
- “The truth will always be the truth, even if you’re the only one who sees it.” — Unknown
Conclusion
Lies can be destructive, but they also make for sharp, clever observations that hit close to home. These 80+ quotes about lying—infused with humor, sarcasm, and truth—show that while dishonesty might sprint ahead, the truth always crosses the finish line.
Which one made you laugh or think the most? Share your favorite, send this to someone who could use a reality check, and keep these words handy for the next time you need to call out a fib with style.