A lie is deception in the form of an untrue statement. This can be for a number of reasons, for example to deceive, often with the intention of maintaining a secret or reputation, or to avoid punishment.
But is lying always a bad thing? or is it even a bad thing in the first place?
Some lies are perfectly innocent, lie a child saying that they 'never touched the chocolate cake' when they clearly have it all around their face. They may know they are not telling the truth, but they may not really understand what lying is, or the consequences it can have.
When you do understand that you are lying and the upset and damage it can cause, you are, of course, responsible for your actions and it is bad. But there are cases when telling a lie can be the better thing to do.
For example, if a relative is in a fragile condition in hospital and you have been told that they haven't got much time left, but the doctors have asked you to not tell them this because they think it will cause them too much distress, it can be better to just put on a brave face and pretend that you don't know any different. This is of course a lie. However this doesn't always work, because with children, for example, they seem to have a sixth sense so they know something isn't right, terminally ill children have this awe-inspiring attitude towards their death.
In most other cases lying is not acceptable, even if you do think it's for the best. Although it can be very tempting to lie if you think you can get away with it, but there are always the chances that you will get found out eventually.
Just look what happened to Pinocchio!
Eye Direction and Lying - eye movement and direction and how it can reveal the truth or a lie
Compulsive Lying - lying as a personality disorder
Wikipedia: Lie - types of lies
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