Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty in the world ain’t lawful tender for a loaf of bread.

Telling the truth costs you something and buys you nothing you can spend. It is rare and it is valuable, and it also will not cover rent. Holding both of those at once saves you from two mistakes: treating honesty as a luxury you cannot afford, and expecting it to be repaid. You keep it for who it makes you, not for what it returns.

If you have been waiting for your honesty to pay off, stop waiting and stay honest anyway. Notice where you expect credit for simply not lying. Earn the bread some other way.