On Lying Without Speaking – Sunday, January 29, 1950
It has sometimes been assumed that truth pertains only to what one says or writes—that if we give a wrong impression with the right words, we are still within the truth. But words are not the only way of conveying meanings. And whether or not we are truthful depends not only upon the words we use but also upon the intentions we have and the impressions we give. The truth bas not been told unless there is an honest transference of thought, an honest conveyance of meaning, regardless of what we say in words. Indeed, the untruth of actions can be more misleading than the untruth of words. A picture or a gesture may tell a thousand lies without a word being spoken. And what is left unsaid may be more misleading than what is said. It is a relatively easy matter to convict a man of a spoken or a written lie, but it is often difficult to convict him of deliberately making a false impression. We can read words; we can record them; we can define them; we can hear the true or false ring of the voice that speaks them. But an unspoken lie is an illusive deception. It is akin to the kind of lying a man does when he falsely wears a uniform, which, without his saying so, gives the impression that he is something which he is not. For this kind of false impression there are specific penalties. But for some kinds of false impressions, the penalties are difficult to invoke. Nevertheless, he who acts a lie, he who lives a lie, or he who knowingly permits a deception, is guilty on moral grounds with him who deliberately speaks a lie, because both contrive to mislead the minds of men. To those with many years ahead of them—to youth, especially—let this be said: We are not wholly truthful when we offer a half-truth to anyone who has a right to the whole truth. We are not wholly truthful when we warp facts with words or in any other way. Deception is much more than a mere matter of words. He who falsifies without words is guilty with him who does it with words. And even though the rules of legal evidence may not always be able to hold him accountable, the rules of moral evidence will.
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January 29, 1950
Broadcast Number 1,067