Though it is taught that telling lies is “bad”, it’s more complex than that. A proverb from Czech reads, “better a lie that soothes than a truth that hurts.” While each person has their own opinion, disagreeing and agreeing, there is a deeper meaning for why people lie. 

When asked about her opinion on the quote, sophomore Grace Boyle said, “I disagree, because masking the truth is wrong. People deserve to know the truth rather than a lie. Even if it makes them feel better, it is still hurtful when you find you’ve been lied to. Either way, there is hurt, and it’s better to tell the truth than lie.”

Her opinion implies that the morals of lying are the real issue and that feelings are hurt as a consequence. So are morals more important than feelings?

Sophomore Emmeline King agrees with the morals of telling the truth and says that feeling corresponds with it. “It’s easier to explain why you did it rather than why you did it and why you lied.” But as much as they preach, how closely do they follow these morals? Everyone lies, even just white lies. A survey was sent out, to see how often high school students lied and to who.

60% lie overall (often).

40% lie to their friends (often).

60% lie to their parents (often).

60% feel guilty after lying.

From the survey, in which both Boyle and King participated, lying is quite common and trends with parents. A student who took the survey said, “My parents can get mad at me for lying, but they’re still my parents. If I lie to a friend, I could lose that friend. And not only that friend! All our mutual friends too!” This explains that though lying is something everyone does, people do think about the consequences and impacts. The same student also agreed with the notion of the proverb. “If it’s just gonna hurt them, you can withhold truth or lie.”

Though lying is a common thing, evidence suggests that high school students value their relationships and morals most of all.