On the Decay of the Art of Lying

In 1880, the great American author and humorist Mark Twain wrote his essay "On the Decay of the Art of Lying" for a Historical and Antiquarian Club meeting in Hartford, Connecticut. Twain's humorous and satirical voice is in full flower, as he discusses the universal pastime of lying, and suggests that judicious lying should be encouraged and cultivated – as long as one strives "…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…"