White lies, polite lies [ Reading & Writing / Communication ]
… omissions . Eighteenth-century authors of advice manuals thus had to walk a fine line between recommending honesty towards oneself and politeness towards others, while novelists grappled with their characters’ attempts to attain or reject a sociable sincerity that … heroes of their own fables’ ( Ibid ). David Hume similarly made allowances for ‘ humorous stories’ made up of lies, but warned that those ‘harmless liars, frequently to be met with in company’ who believed themselves to be entertaining were …
Conversation | Falsehood | Lies | Politeness
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