Is it worse to lie to others or to lie to yourself?

Question

Please be honest with me.

Answer 1

Lying to others is usually to cover up a truth that may hurt them.

Lying to yourself is trying to deny a truth that hurt you.

So lie to yourself is much worse.

Answer 2

it is worse to lie to yourself rather then lie to others.Because by telling lie to yourself means you cant face yourself and will not be confident and remain confused always and will lose your own identity because you wouldnot believe yourself

Answer 3

Should I separate myself from others, when I believe that we belonged to the same eternal reality.

Answer 4

It's worse to lie to yourself because when it hurts much worse when you're the one that betrays you. You're the only one that matters, after all.

Answer 5

both are worse....if somebody can lie to himself he can lie to everybody.

Answer 6

Lying to yourself may imply that you are lying to others as well.. indirectly

Answer 7

Both are not too good for you, however, i think to lie to others is worse because you are intentionally hurting someone else and you know that you are doing it. When you lie to yourself, it is sometimes because you may not be able to take the truth, and if any one gets hurt, it will only be yourself..

Answer 8

yourself if you are not honest with yourself you cant be honest to anyone els either

Answer 9

If we are singling out 1 thing, aspect or concept---it is worse to lie to yourself because how can you tell others the truth when you can't grasp the truth yourself? Therefore if an individual will not accept the truth, they cannot possibility give the truth to someone else.

Answer 10

LOL.  Be HONEST about your priorities in LYING eh?

Well, here's the TRUTH as I see it.

A LIE is an intentional misrepresentation of information to the end of influencing a decision.

Now the TYPICAL reason for lying is to get OTHERS to make decisions that favor YOU.

So in theory it's REALLY BAD to lie to yourself because there's no point in influencing a decision you should ALWAYS be making in your best interest anyway.

And KINDA BAD to lie to others, because you can't work as a team if you can't trust anyone.  Right?  

Well, sort of.  See, any military commander know that lying to the enemy can save lives.

A placebo is a medicinal lie that saves lives & heals people.  Believing that "Anything is Possible" is a psychological lie, but it has empowered many to do great things.

As a truthseeker it kills me to say this, but it is part of the Darwinian truth.

The effect of your words is more important than their truth.

The effect of your beliefs is more important than their accuracy.

Lies can heal & the truth can harm.  

And while the truth is of great value, there is no intrinsic evil in a lie.

The evil arises from the intent of the liar.

Answer 11

to lie to others

Answer 12

I think its worse to lie to yourself cause this can be classified as denial thus can be dangerous in some cases. There is someone I know who is dear to me who had lost someone dear to them resulting in a serious problem with accepting it. However lieing to others can also have consequences.

Answer 13

Lying to yourself is far worst

Answer 14

To me, the worst thing is lying and being aware of it.  If I'm lying to myself, then I'm going to lie to others - most probably because I'm in denial or unaware that I'm actually lying.  But to be aware that I'm lying - I'm no longer ignorant, nor in denial, I'm choosing pride/ego rather than truth/humility. I do not experience peace & serenity when I'm aware that I'm lying.  I am not my authentic self until I'm honest with self AND others.  If I lied in the past and became aware of the truth at present, I always have the opportunity to own my self-deception and admit my mistakes to others.

Answer 15

Yourself.  Each of us, if nothing else, owes honesty to ourselves at the end of the day.

Answer 16

Hello. I think it is worse to lie to others as you should always be honest to people no matter how much it hurts. Take care and hope it helps.

Answer 17

...dear friend...when one lies to another, they are also lying to themselves...there's no dividing line

Answer 18

Both are one and the same.It will destroy the liar in due course of time.The most evil persons are the liars even though other four traits (Gambling, killing, thefts, rapes) appears more dangerous. If any body stick to the principle that lie should be totally eradicated then all other worst traits stated above will be curbed.

Answer 19

First of all it is worst to lie to your self,

reason is that if you cannot not lie to your self you will not lie to others.

Answer 20

either way you will are befooling yourself for your satisfaction. Lie is such a thing which can be used based on situation to situation. A lie can be for good or for bad depends when you use it. If it is benefitting others then it is good . . but if it is harming others then it is worst. Put yourself in others shoes and see what you feel and do accordingly.

Answer 21

both i gues...

Answer 22

Truth is the most valuable thing I have so I try to conserve it. I believe every time a person tell a lie, the thing that he fear grows stronger. A man can be honest to others if he himself honest to himself.

Yeah! It is worse to lie to yourself.

Answer 23

nice Q.!!

you might have a reason to lie to people....but there has to be a very strong reason to lie to yourself....

to lie to yourself is worse in terms of consequences.

love

Pluto