“We tell ourselves we don't speak the truth because we don't want to hurt others, but it's far more likely that we don't want to bear the consequences of our choices.

We tell a white lie to a friend that we're "busy" the night they ask us to do something when we don't feel like going. We don't tell our partner we're mentally and emotionally checked out of our marriage, not because it will hurt them, but because of the consequences of this choice. (...)