He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretence of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.

A life without any lying or pretence in it would be a considerable achievement, and almost nobody manages it. Holding such a standard is not about reaching it but about keeping the direction clear, since dishonesty arrives in small convenient pieces. Pretence in particular is easy to miss, because it looks like being appropriate.

Catch one of the small ones this week: the enthusiasm you do not feel, the agreement given to end a conversation, the version of yourself put on for a particular room. Try the plainer version and see what it costs. Usually less than maintaining the other one did.