A lie is a loan against your future credibility, and the interest rate is brutal.

The cost of a lie is not paid when you tell it, which is exactly why people take the deal. It gets paid on some later day when you are telling the truth and it matters that somebody believes you. On that day your word turns out to be worth less than it was, and there is no way to hurry the rebuilding. One incident can take a year of ordinary honesty to clear.

Think about who you most need to be believed by in six months. Spend the small currency now by saying the awkward true thing instead of the smooth one.