谎言（LIES ）

马克吐温对谎言有众多精美的论述。他曾写过一本《论腐朽的谎言艺术》（On The Decay of The Art of Lying）。收集一些并译成中文供大家欣赏。--柳树河

 

1. 有一句伟大的谚语：小孩和傻子从不撒谎。由此不难得出：成人和智慧的人从不说实话。（Note that venerable proverb: Children and fools always speak the truth. The deduction is plain: adults and wise persons never speak it.）

 

2. 只要你竭尽全力，说多大的谎言也会有人相信。（The most outrageous lies that can be invented will find believers if a man only tells them with all his might.）

 

3. 由谎言带来的荣耀很快就会变成极讨厌的累赘。让人相信一个谎言很容易，但让人再次相信就很难。

（The glory which is built upon a lie soon becomes a most unpleasant incumbrance. How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again!）

 

4. 谎言—一个在上帝面前厌恶的东西却一直是人类麻烦时的帮手。

（Lie -- an abomination before the Lord and an ever present help in time of trouble.）

 

5. 和华盛顿相比，我有更高更伟大的原则标准。华盛顿只是不会撒谎；可我会，但我不撒。

（I am different from Washington; I have a higher, grander standard of principle. Washington could not lie. I can lie, but I won't.）

6. 礼貌的最高境界不过是一座从底到顶由慈善和无私的谎言荣美所建立起来的优美大厦。

（The highest perfection of politeness is only a beautiful edifice, built, from the base to the dome, of graceful and gilded forms of charitable and unselfish lying.）

 

7. 如果他们愿意，就让他们肆无忌惮、毫无目的地去撒谎吧。至于你和我，我们来个人生约定：我们只在利益面前撒谎。

（Let others lie, wantonly, gratuitously, if they will, but let you & me make it the rule of our life to lie for revenue only.）

 

8. 谎言在真理还在穿鞋的时候已经跑了半个世界了。

（A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.）