# When Is It OK to Lie? **Lying is morally acceptable in a lot of cases. An often used quagmire would be if you're sheltering Jews during the WW2 era and the Nazis come knocking. Telling the truth would be immoral in this case, as it will ultimately lead to the death of said Jews.** **Ultimately being truthful should be one's default position, but ==lies are justified when you don’t trust someone with the truth==.** [[Robert Greene Argues That Deceit is Moral]] Lying can also be justified in politics (in a democracy), as politicians who always tell the truth tend to populism. See [[Politicians Lie. And You Want Them To.]] ## Unworthy Steward of the Truth I've seen an eloquent TikTok on this topic from @one.sassy.monkey. Here's a transcript: > My parents always used to say aaaa don’t you lie to me or else how will I know I can trust you. And to that I say: my lies are not because I do not want you to trust me, my lies are because I do not trust you with the truth. > > Trust is my default position so the fact that I’m lying to you now tells you that in the past I have given you the truth and you have used it to manipulate, guilt and shame me into doing what you want. > > **The fact that you cannot tust me is no one’s fault but your own, and I will not feel guilty about my lies when you have proven yourself to be an unworthy steward of the truth.**