Scentless Flowers
He who says what is not goes to hell; he who, having done a thing, says he has not done it, meets the same end. If a man transgresses one law, speaks lies, and scoffs at another world, there is no evil he will not do. The Downward Course treats dishonest speech as the hinge that opens every worse door.
Key Insight
A lie is not a private escape. It is permission for the next harm. The tongue that denies what the hands did has already chosen the path.
“He who says what is not, goes to hell; he also who, having done a thing, says I have not done it.”Full analysis
