Amid the seeming confusion of our mysterious world, individuals are so nicely adjusted to a system, and systems to one another and to a whole, that, by stepping aside for a moment, a man exposes himself to a fearful risk of losing his place forever.
No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.
- Topic: Honesty, Integrity, Leadership, Truth
- Photo: Jeffrey Benjamin
More Quotes from Nathaniel Hawthorne
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And then she understood the devilish cunning of the enemies’ plan. By mixing a little truth with it they had made their lie far stronger.
It's the truth I'm after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.
The purpose of Propaganda is to make one set of people forget that other sets of people are human.
I have met men who are habitual liars. They have lied so long that they no longer can distinguish between the truth and a lie. Their sensitivity to sin has been almost completely deadened.
A thief is a man in need. A liar is a man in fear.
I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.
Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.
When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - When you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, butt in favors - When you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you - When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - You may know that your society is doomed.
If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your own integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.
It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence. . . . I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it.
And even a liar can be scared into telling the truth, same as honest man can be tortured into telling a life.
Leaders must understand that some people will inevitably sell out to the evil side. Don't waste your time wondering why; spend your time discovering who.
You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.
Are you one of the flock that follows, or Are you one that shall lead the way?
Never complain of that of which it is at all times in your power to rid yourself.
A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.
The simplest truths often meet the sternest resistance and are slowest in getting general acceptance.
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.
