Lying is not only excusable; it is not only innocent; it is, above all, necessary and unavoidable. Without the ameliorations that it offers, life would become a mere syllogism and hence too metallic to be borne.
H. L. Mencken (1924). “Prejudices Fourth Series”
![Lying is not only excusable; it is not only innocent; it is, above all, necessary and unavoidable. Without the ameliorations that it offers, life would become a mere syllogism and hence too metallic to be borne.](http://cdn.myquotes.org/images/h-l-mencken/lying-is-not-only-excusable-it-is-not-only-innocent-it-is-above-all-necessary-and-unavoidable-without-the-ameliorations.jpg)