Meaning
Being truthful is always the wisest and most advantageous course of action, even when a lie might seem easier or more convenient in the moment.
It’s often said as advice or a moral reminder, appealing to practical benefit as much as to ethics — honesty pays off, not just that it’s morally right.
Origin
The earliest documented written appearance is by the English politician and colonial administrator Sir Edwin Sandys, a co-founder of the Virginia Company, who wrote in his 1599 work “Europae Speculum”: “Our grosse conceipts, who think honestie the best policie.” This 16th-century phrasing already shows the saying nearly in its modern form, four centuries before it became a standard piece of everyday moral advice. The saying’s continued popularity through the 18th and 19th centuries owes much to its frequent citation in American civic and educational writing, where it was held up as a practical, not merely religious, argument for truthfulness — the idea that honest dealing serves one’s own long-term interest, not only the interests of others.
Examples
My father always told me honesty is the best policy.
She admitted her mistake because honesty is the best policy.
In business, honesty is the best policy in the long run.
A: “Should I tell them the truth?” B: “Honesty is the best policy.”
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Honesty is the best policy' mean?
Being truthful is always the wisest and most advantageous course of action, even when a lie might seem easier or more convenient in the moment.
It’s often said as advice or a moral reminder, appealing to practical benefit as much as to ethics — honesty pays off, not just that it’s morally right.