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Lying
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
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Publisher's Summary
As it was in Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, and Othello, so it is in life. Most forms of private vice and public evil are kindled and sustained by lies. Acts of adultery and other personal betrayals, financial fraud, government corruption - even murder and genocide - generally require an additional moral defect: a willingness to lie.
In Lying, bestselling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth in situations where others often lie. He focuses on "white" lies - those lies we tell for the purpose of sparing people discomfort - for these are the lies that most often tempt us. And they tend to be the only lies that good people tell while imagining that they are being good in the process.
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about Lying
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Andrea Ivins
- 01-09-15
Insightful - Will Read Again
This is one that I knew I would agree with but fail to implement completely. I plan on reading many times in the future to gain the strength to change. Complete honesty in this society is tough. Loved this book.
11 people found this helpful
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- Douglas
- 11-29-13
"Telling The Truth...
is being aware of what the truth is in any given moment..." This is perhaps the most pivotal line in Sam Harris' challenging essay on lying and truth telling. We must first be perfectly honest with ourselves before we can be honest with others. (Consider Emily Dickinson's "...we hide ourselves behind ourselves..." or a line from the sitcom "Community:" the biggest lies are told six inches from the bathroom mirror...") Then it all boils down to "do unto others." Harris very poignantly asked us how we would want people to deal with us on a daily basis. All, right, in way, we want politicians to "tell us what we want to hear," but if we go by rule one, being aware of the truth in any given moment, wouldn't we want the truth always given to us straight? Of course, where we are going to cringe is not with extramarital affairs, financial cheats and calculated harm, but rather with the everyday, work-a-day social lying. "Do I look good in this dress?..." "Does my son's behavior bother you?..." "Are you free to come to my party on Friday night?..." Harris makes a compelling argument--if one not all of us are probably going to run out and implement immediately--that the truth can be told in ALL situations, that these little social situations can be handled TACTFULLY, but that tactfully doesn't have to skirt the truth. In a writing class I teach based in Theories Of Morality, I tell this true story: One evening, I was teaching a five-hour block of college English classes, and it was 6:50, and I had not had any dinner and only a fairly sparse lunch. My only chance was to get to the student union and the commissary for a quick slice of dried out pizza before it closed at 7:00 and my next class started. I had ten minutes to cram some bad food in my mouth before pressing on to my next class, and a female student was leisurely strolling beside me, speaking to me about a personal manner of no earth-shattering import. I was trying to be polite and listen and respond appropriately, barely able to make out the words being spoken for the screams of hunger my body was giving forth. The student would not pick up the pace or pick up the silent visual cues that usually say "all right, got to get going! [we are done here]." And so, automatically, with no due calculation, I said, smiling gently and touching her on the arm, "you know, I have to hurry by the office to get some papers real quick before my next classes, can I catch you later?" With that, I darted toward Salish Hall, and then, when out of sight of the student, I made a mad dash for the union and got my pizza. At the time, I rationalized that this was simply sparing the student hearing, "getting a slice of crusty, sun-lamp desiccated veggie is more important right now than listening to you babble on!" But Harris says I was not being polite, but rather lazy. And it's true. I could have carefully and tactfully explained my situation to the student in the time it took to reroute to Salish and then back to the union. The small becomes the big after all, and we should not get too used to misrepresenting things, or, before long, we ]might take to George Costanza's immortal [immoral] advice to Jerry: "it's not a lie, if you believe it."
40 people found this helpful
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- R. Calkins
- 01-06-15
The truth as we don't want to see it.
I love everything Sam Harris has written. This book is no exception. I really wish I could argue with some of his ideas, but he makes such a strong case that I often have to resign myself to accept the unacceptable.
9 people found this helpful
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- randers1925
- 05-26-14
Thought provoking for secular and religious alike
Where does Lying rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Very interesting read. I am a Christian and I am interested in learning about viewpoints that differ from mine. I thought this might be an "attack on religion" book. But I found it to be very well written and I was challenged with some very thought provoking ideas. And Sam Harris packs a lot into a relatively short work.
9 people found this helpful
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- Kazuhiko
- 11-23-13
Confronting oneself
I liked the way this book made me feel a bit uncomfortable. You don't hear or read these bluntly honest opinions about the type of lies that we often consider socially acceptable (if you think about it, as the author explains, they are harmful). I did not agree with some of his arguments, but the most important thing was that this book made me re-evaluate my approach to life. I also liked the last 30 minutes where he responded to readers' questions. When there are too many books out there in which the authors stretch and repeat the same points over and over again, this to-the-point style was also refreshing.
35 people found this helpful
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- Dustin
- 01-06-15
Amazing
Amazing book/ essay yet again from the incomparable Sam Harris. Many of these ideas are familiar to us but Harris does what he does best and sheds light where many times there is none.
7 people found this helpful
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- Coredapple
- 01-02-15
The black and white truth on lying!
How ethical are white lies? Sam Harris gives us reasons where even white lies can be detrimental to us or people around us. A very insightful read. The addition of his responses to readers' questions where saying the truth might not be an easy solution, and his responses to them are very welcome. Totally recommended for aspiring politicians!
7 people found this helpful
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- Brock
- 11-19-13
To tell the truth (or not)
This was a really enjoyable, short reminder of the importance of telling the truth- always. Harris does a great job of explaining why he doesn't believe there's ever a good time to lie, even though it may seem like it's the best thing to do at the moment; like when a girlfriend asks if a dress makes her look fat. I know life is complicated, but I really like the straightforward way Harris makes his case that honesty really is the best policy.
23 people found this helpful
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- Benito
- 08-10-14
Practical and thought-stimulating
Where does Lying rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top 5, for sure.
What did you like best about this story?
Sam Harris does an excellent job of describing why lying does much more harm than good. The example scenarios he uses are not far-fetched, nor manufactured expressly to back up his own points. After listening, I have certainly re-examined my own thinking upon this matter, which is all I can ask for from a book. His ability to waste no words in getting his point across is most impressive - the book is a little over 1-hour long!
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Lying, not all it's cracked up to be.
5 people found this helpful
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- Teri Ambrose
- 01-05-14
Inspirational, quick read
I'm writing this review months after listening. I enjoyed the book at the time, but what has me inspired to come back and write a review is the fact that the general premise of this book has stuck with me so well. I used to routinely tell seemingly innocent lies to grease the wheels of easy social interaction. Small things, not big boldface lies. Morality totally aside, the author contends that everyone would benefit from committing to being truthful. Personally, I now find that I really enjoy the authenticity of owning and saying the truth in even the smallest of circumstances. I don't mean hurting people's feelings or anything like that. There is certainly diplomacy and kindness to consider, too. This book argues for the premise that it's just plain smart, emboldening and genuine to be an honest, straightforward truth-teller.
17 people found this helpful
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- Judy Corstjens
- 09-25-16
Disappointingly short and narrow.
This is more of an essay than a book, and it barely scratches the surface of an interesting subject. In fact, a better title would be ‘White Lies’, because that is where Harris focusses his attention and where he has some worthwhile, commonsense, advice. So if you are worried about your ability to handle your reception of a badly chosen gift, this book may help.
Harris rather assumes a well-behaved, well-intentioned population living under a benign government under the rule of law, and misses a whole world of more thorny lying, both the causes and dilemmas. When you have given a youth sanctuary in your house and the murderous pursuer knocks on your front door, should you lie or should you rather consider a truth-respecting negotiation with the putative murderer that would perhaps give him the chance to reconsider his ill-chosen path, and you the chance to hand him to the police without endangering your neighbours? Mr Harris does not consider the case where the murderer is the police, as unfortunately occurs in rather large parts of the globe. Mr Harris does not discuss the impact of Political Correctness on open, honest, free speech, which is certainly even part of ‘White Lies’. He does not discuss how to deal with slanderous lies propagated on the internet and how an innocent person or company should try to countermand this modern pathology. He does not consider how we may lie to ourselves, and ignores the interesting research on dishonesty by Ariely in recent years. So overall, a rather small and limited take on a vast and complicated topic.
Narration. Mr Harris narrates himself. He frequently uses the phrases ‘Human Beans’ and “Lian’” (for lying). Just saying, it’s different from how I pronounce these key words, though I appreciate it’s just a question of accent.
11 people found this helpful
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- Mr. R. Mallia
- 01-12-17
Very good essay. Very short
Really good topic very well written and narration was great. However very short with half taken up with answers to questions. I felt it left me with more questions than answers about the truth philosophy
4 people found this helpful
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- Prakhar Srivastava
- 07-09-16
An Intriguing Discussion
Harris explores the concept of lying in almost all of its manifestations. From white lies to acts of deception, the overwhelming reaction to Harris' arguments is that lying simply has no role to play in a society that wishes to be progressive and rewarding.
Some of his anecdotal arguments may particularly strike a cord with your personal history of lying.
Certainly worth the read or listen.
3 people found this helpful
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- Miguel
- 05-27-16
Interesting analysis with some interesting points
I've enjoyed this book as it was an interesting analysis of the implications of lying and how it's something completely normal but not as necessary as we think.
Nonetheless, I wouldn't call it a life changing dissertation, and not very dense in content. hence the 4.
2 people found this helpful
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- Maxim Kuznetsov
- 03-15-16
Good but short
It's worth a listen if you have a credit you don't want to go to waste or are a fan of Sam Harris's other work however if you are looking for an audiobook longer than an hour you must look elsewhere
2 people found this helpful
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- Joe
- 02-18-16
Will make you think
Any fans of Sam Harris will love this. A very short but concise essay on Lying and the moral questions it raises. I like how this is relevant and can be applied to everyone listening to it. I was left giving serious thought to the actions of myself and people around me.
At just over 1 hour long it doesn't exactly feel like value for money(even at the £1.99 sale price) It was, however, the most interesting dog walk I've ever had.
2 people found this helpful
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- Alison Campbell
- 02-15-16
Thoughtful, thought provoking discussion
Excellent, concise discussion of the purpose and consequences of all types of lying, deception and withholding of truth. I could listen to Sam Harris for hours, he has such a rolling peaceful voice. Much food for thought. I listened in one sitting and got to the end only to wish it was longer.
2 people found this helpful
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- Philbert Stevenson
- 12-11-13
Well worth the purchase price
Would you listen to another book narrated by Sam Harris?
I would listen to another book written by Sam Harris but it would have to be cheaper than his other books currently are if narrated by himself because he speaks a little too fast for such brain-food.
Any additional comments?
I thoroughly enjoyed this little book, I really appreciated the extra section which answers questions raised by readers of the ebook.
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- Yas
- 01-13-15
Very insightful!
Worth a listen.. or two. Definitely have some food for thought! I w kills recommend.
6 people found this helpful
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- Tancredi Valeri
- 07-19-21
Platitudes
No genuine philosophical argument is presented here. The issue of lying is discussed in purely pragmatic terms, rather than from the point of view of fundamental principles. The author merely points out the obvious fact that lying should be minimized because it tends to produce a variety of undesirable results: lying complicates life, diminishes trust, is an obstacle to intimacy, etc.
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- callum.price
- 04-28-20
packs a huge punch in a short book
dont listen to many short books that can have a huge impact on my understanding of a subject.
would highly recommend to anyone who lies.. and those who dont
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- Anonymous User
- 07-28-21
Worthless
By far and away, the worst audible book to which I have listened. I rarely leave full reviews, but this deserves a special mention. I found it comical that his answer to most questions at the end began with: “well, that is a difficult one”, and then he went on a convoluted way of trying to rationalise a white lie/semi-truth. His unnecessary anti-religion sentiment continues as per usual. His dull voice did not suit narrating the audiobook (and this is coming from a listener who generally prefers the authors be the narrators!). All in all, a very disappointing endeavour, and a waste of an Audible credit.
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- R8N
- 09-10-20
Stupendous
Sam Harris is phenomenal
I love this book, probably my favourite of his books. Great
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- Beth
- 12-04-19
worth the read
a great little book about lying and how it effects the people around you and society and the way it effects you.
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- John P.
- 09-29-19
Concise and obvious yet rarely followed
As usual, this writing from Sam Harris is written in a way that is so inherently logical is just seems obvious, yet everyone still lies. Helped me to do a reset of my brain, which in turn rid me of much needless anxiety. Highly recommended
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- Anthony
- 09-17-19
Being Honest about Lying
Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it’s main benefit was that it provided context and structure to concepts that need to be spoken about and fleshed out.
I would not say that this book provides as much insight as other books written by Sam Harris, but is something to consider moving forward in life and worth the short time it takes to listen to.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-03-19
Made me think
Sam always makes one to question one's believes and ingrained patterns.
I certainly took away some hints on how to phrase things differently.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-27-19
Fascinating, but short
Sam Harris exceptionally articulates why lying is such a disgraceful act. Excellent personal reminder to maintain honest communication with everyone in your life. Only negative is that it is very short.
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- KZ
- 08-11-19
Intelligent and solid
Really enjoyed this book, a vital acknowledgement for all people of all eras. May more of us flow with truth.
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- Max
- 06-06-19
Great, as all of Harris's work is.
Clear, concise, forthright and insightful. The topic is investigated honestly, and without dogma, but also Harris nonetheless doesn't pull his punches. I love this man's work!