About this quote

Being truthful turns out to demand more than good intentions; it takes care with the details. Loose, careless speech spreads small falsehoods with no lie ever intended. Accuracy becomes a discipline of its own: checking before you assert, weighing your words, refusing the convenient approximation.

When to use it

• A reporter double-checks the exact wording of a quote before printing rather than trusting his memory of the interview.
• A doctor phrases a diagnosis precisely so the patient doesn't walk away frightened of the wrong thing.
• A father corrects the small exaggeration in his own story once he hears his kids repeating it as fact.