How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I tell you what I can. And what I can tell you is the doctor is engaged in very important work and he needs my help."
"But I do not? You force me into sin, James."
"Sin? What sin are you talking about?"
"The sin of false witness! The neighbors ask, 'Where is your husband, Mary Henry? Where is James?' and I must lie for you—for him. Oh, how it galls me to lie for him!"
"Then don't. Tell them the truth. Tell them you don't know where I am."
"That would be worse than a lie. What would they say about me—a wife who doesn't know where her husband's gone?"
"I don't understand why it should gall you, Mary. If it weren't for him, what would you have? We owe everything to him."
She could not deny that, so she ignored it. "You don't trust me."
"No. I simply cannot betray his trust."
"An honorable man has no need for secrets."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Mary. Dr. Warthrop is the most honorable man I have ever known. It is a privilege to serve him." (2.46-53)
This is when splitting hairs on word usage can get interesting. There's lying, and then there's the "sin of omission," which isn't exactly lying, but it's refraining from revealing everything that would be considered the truth. Who do you think has the moral upper hand in this argument?
Quote #2
"Do you see it now, Will Henry?"
"I—I think so, sir."
"Nonsense!" he cried. "Clearly you do not! Do not lie to me, Will Henry. To me or to anyone else—ever. Lying is the worst kind of buffoonery!" (2.110-112)
Dr. Warthrop has quite the way with words, doesn't he? "Buffoonery" is one of those terms that just makes us chuckle. (Use it once a day, and your life will be vastly improved.) It's interesting that Pellinore Warthrop, of all people, is telling Will Henry to never lie.
Quote #3
"Never tell me what you think I wish to hear, Will Henry. Never! I cannot rely upon you if you chose to be a parrot. It is a detestable vice not entirely limited to children. Always speak the truth, all the truth in all things at all times! No man ever rose to greatness on the wings of obsequious deceit. Now be honest. You've really no idea whether there were thirty or fifty or two hundred and fifty." (4.21)
Once again, Dr. Warthrop is chiding Will Henry for trying to please him, which seems hypocritical, doesn't it? He admonishes him to only tell the truth—and always tell the truth—which seems strange considering the secrecy that surrounds his particular calling. It's extremely hard to keep a big secret without venturing into fib territory here and there.