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Honesty is not the best policy

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America is known to be the speaker of the famous quote, “Honesty is the best policy”. Working with powerful historical figures such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin is quite popular for demonstrating acts of honesty and integrity. But we must ask ourselves, was he right? Is honesty really the best policy?


There exists a concept in the study of modern psychology called psychological egoism which is a view that humans are always motivated by self-interest and selfishness, even if the acts seem altruistic in nature. A more specific form of this view is called psychological hedonism. This is the view that the ultimate nature for all voluntary human action is the desire to experience pleasure or avoid pain.

Keeping these two views in mind, let us redirect our attention to the original question that was posed: Is honesty really the best policy? We, as humans, tend to expect situations to be in either black or white formats. We find it easier when there is a right, which is distinct from when there is a wrong. However, we must also acknowledge that life often does not present in such a binary manner. There are grey spots in existence, where the line between right and wrong, between black and white is blurred.

Knowing the concept of psychological egoism and hedonism, we must now ask ourselves what exactly was Benjamin Franklin talking about? What did he mean by “best policy”? Was he trying to say that life is easier when one is honest? If so, we then have to deal with the issue of white lies. White lies are trivial lies, usually told to avoid hurting someone.

Consider this: A mother, who is very sick, wishes to make one last pie (or any dish) for her son before she dies. She endured terrible hardships to gain the ingredients needed. The pie is made and served with love. But the pie is terrible to taste. Should the son be honest and tell her it is terrible, breaking her heart before her death? Or should he avoid causing hurt in her final moments?


The point I am trying to make is to persuade you, the reader, to see that honesty is not the best policy, but a convenient one. Being honest, while it displays integrity and honor like what Benjamin Franklin stood for, it tends to and should be used in a manner of convenience. Context, scenario and situation are the determining factors as to whether honesty should be the best policy at a particular time.

Doing things of convenience is almost a law of nature. It is how beings survive. Why should the rules governing honesty, which is not even tangible, be any different?

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