Words can be technically accurate and emotionally dishonest.

GRATITUDE

WHAT THIS MEANS

You can say only true things and still mislead. Selective emphasis, technically accurate phrasing, and careful omission produce a false impression without a single false statement, and the person doing it can maintain that they were honest throughout.

Check yourself against the impression rather than the sentences. Ask what the other person will believe after you speak and whether that is accurate. If it is not, the fact that each word was defensible is not much of a defence, and you probably already know that at the moment you choose the phrasing.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

When did you tell the truth in a way that still misled?

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