Reputation is a slow savings account. One lie can empty it faster than any deposit fills it.

Trust accumulates in deposits so small that nobody notices them being made: being on time, remembering a detail, saying the slightly awkward thing instead of the smooth one. It takes years. The withdrawal takes an afternoon, and the balance never quite recovers to where it was. That asymmetry is the whole point.

When you are caught between an awkward truth and an easy lie this week, take the awkward one and watch how quickly it stops mattering. If you already told one, correct it early, while it is still small enough to correct.