Honesty is the best policy
â
Honesty is the best policy
when there is money in it.
â
Meaning
This quote is cynical humor suggesting honesty becomes attractive when it is profitable. Principle is often mixed with advantage.
About Author
Mark Twain
Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens, was an American author and humorist known for classics like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His quotes often reflect wit, social critique, and human insight. Twain inspires writers, readers, and social thinkers to explore human nature, challenge conventions, and communicate ideas with humor and intelligence.
Related Quotes
â Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. â
This quote means love of country should be constant, but support for government should depend on whether it deserves it. Patriotism is not blind obedience.
â I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up. â
This quote humorously treats indecision as evidence of an overabundance of mind. Taking time to decide becomes the joke.
â There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice. â
This quote means fear can often restrain temptation more effectively than virtue. Cowardice sometimes succeeds where morality fails.