On the Decay of the Art of Lying

by Mark Twain Narrated by Michael Goodrick

Overview

"On the Decay of the Art of Lying" is a short essay written by Mark Twain in 1880 for a meeting of the Historical and Antiquarian Club of Hartford, Connecticut. Twain published the text in The Stolen White Elephant Etc. (1882). In the essay, Twain laments the four ways in which men of America's Gilded Age employ man's 'most faithful friend'. He concludes by insisting that: "the wise thing is for us diligently to train ourselves to lie thoughtfully, judiciously; to lie with a good object, and not an evil one; to lie for others' advantage, and not our own; to lie healingly, charitably, humanely, not cruelly, hurtfully, maliciously; to lie gracefully and graciously, not awkwardly and clumsily; to lie firmly, frankly, squarely, with head erect, not haltingly, tortuously, with pusillanimous mien, as being ashamed of our high calling." The essay, Twain notes, was "offered for the thirty-dollar prize," but it "did not take the prize."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191450599
Publisher:	Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing
Publication date:	03/20/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

"When I was growing up my grandfather advised me: 'Dress British, but think Yiddish.' It was good counsel and this has ruled me most of my life. The advice, of course, suggested that I learn to build an exterior that belied my interior. I can only imagine what Mark Twain would have thought about this, but for me it was a call to practice a high art of lying. We live in an age where Truth and Trust are sisters. But while everyone is clamoring for transparency, sometimes a filter of color softens the light, and brings comfort and warmth to those friends, family, acquaintances, and passersby who need it most." —Phil Zuckerman, Publisher

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