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A lie would have no sense unless the truth were felt as dangerous.
Alfred Adler
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A lie only holds value if there is a perceived threat from the truth.

This quote suggests that lies serve a purpose in the presence of uncomfortable or dangerous truths. When the truth is viewed as potentially harmful or threatening, people may resort to lying as a means of self-protection or to manipulate situations, highlighting the complexities of human behavior and the value we place on honesty and deception.

Themes

LieTruthDangerDeceptionSelf-Protection

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about ethical dilemmas in a philosophy class.

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Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement.
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War is not the continuation of politics with different means, it is the greatest mass-crime perpetrated on the community of man.
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Every individual acts and suffers in accordance with his peculiar teleology, which has all the inevitability of fate, so long as he does not understand it.
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The science of the mind can only have for its proper goal the understanding of human nature by every human being, and through its use, brings peace to every human soul.
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All failures - neurotics, psychotics, criminals, drunkards, problem children, suicides, perverts, and prostitutes - are failures because they are lacking in social interest
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What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning - and some of them many times over - what do you find? That you can swim? Well - life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live!
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