ProverbMoralityEnglish origin

Honesty is the best policy; but he who acts on this principle is not an honest man.

Meaning: Truly honest people don't practice honesty as calculated strategy; they act righteously regardless of consequences or advantage.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

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