“Judge people by the results of their actions and manoeuvres, and not by the stories they tell.”

The Daily Laws, May 28, The Effective Truth

It is an uncomfortable truth of human nature that people will often say whatever benefits them or justifies their actions.

As moral and social beings, we have a strong impulse to present ourselves in a favourable light—sometimes even a sanctimonious one.

And our words, though seemingly harmless, offer the perfect means of shaping how others see us.

We highlight our virtues to friends or romantic partners while quietly omitting our faults.

We list achievements and strengths in job interviews, leaving out our failures and flaws.

These carefully crafted narratives are intentional—they are designed to influence perception.

What is troubling is that, despite knowing this tendency in ourselves, we are often too quick to accept others at face value.