John Stuart Blackie Quotes

It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.

Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.

It takes a wise man to handle a lie, a fool had better remain honest.

All men profess honesty as long as they can. To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse.

Fair words cost nothing.

You take the lies out of him, and he'll shrink to the size of your hat; you take the malice out of him, and he'll disappear.

Martyrs have been sincere. And so have tyrants. Wise men have been sincere. And so have fools.

The truth is a precious commodity. That's why I use it so sparingly.

When in doubt, tell the truth. That maxim I did invent, but never expected it to be applied to me. I did say, "When you are in doubt," but when I am in doubt myself I use more sagacity.

Man is ice to truth and fire to falsehood.

No flattery, boy! an honest man cannot live by it; it is a little, sneaking art, which knaves use to cajole and soften fools withal.

Fools lie, clever men stick to the truth.

Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest.

The only question which any wise man can ask himself, and which any honest man will ask himself, is whether a doctrine is true or false.

We are not hypocrites in our sleep.

I'm not going to just say nice things about everybody unless I mean it.

Not everyone can see the truth, but he can be it.

There is never vulgarity in a whole truth, however commonplace. It may be unimportant or painful. It cannot be vulgar. Vulgarity is only in concealment of truth, or in affectation.

It's so much easier to tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.

Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.

A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.

Nothing is higher than the love of truth.

If you want to be thought a liar, always tell the truth.

Nothing more completely baffles one who is full of trick and duplicity, than straightforward and simple integrity in another.