ProverbMorality
Latin origin
Latin originA liar should have a good memory.
Meaning: Falsehoods require constant mental effort to maintain consistency, making deception exhausting for the forgetful.
Who said it? Quintilian, Roman orator
Origin: The Roman orator Quintilian wrote that a liar needs a good memory — mendacem memorem esse oportet — and Montaigne repeated the point in his Essays. A lie has to be remembered and kept consistent; the truth takes care of itself.
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