One of the most important traits in relationships and friendships is honesty. Everyone has caught themselves lying for some kind of reason, whether it’s from trying not to hurt someone and their feelings, or to get away with something. Honesty implies being truthful to one another and speaking upright without ever lying. When people are honest with each other, it strengthens relationships and builds trust. People that lie know that feeling of guilt within themselves that sits there. Being honest is the best policy because it strengthens relationships, It can cause less guilt, and it makes you trustworthy and builds your reputation.

Why Honesty is Important 

Honesty is one of the foundations for trust in any relationship. When you’re dishonest about something to someone, that tells a person a lot about you, and none of it is good. Honestly helps someone know who you really are. No one really wants someone around them that is dishonest; everyone would want someone that they can trust, someone that you’re able to tell anything to, and someone that you can really rely on. Let’s say someone asks you for your opinion, whether a haircut looks good, or if an outfit is okay to wear out in public. You want to be honest and tell them how you really feel about it. It may hurt them but it’s better for them to know rather than you keeping up on a lie that might hurt them more in the future. Honesty strengthens and improves relations between people and gives you lifelong friends, also helps the other person know that they can believe you and your promises, along with commitment.

The Guilt 

Lying is never really a good thing, but all of us do it anyway. Some of us even find it easier to lie than to be honest. Most of the time you get caught in the act or the other person eventually finds out. We all feel guilty depending on the lie because you know it’s wrong. Sometimes the guilt goes away but other times it lasts until you actually own up to what you lied about. It sticks to us. It’s better to just tell the truth and get it off your chest because then it’s not causing you any trouble with how you feel with that guilt, and so the person’s feelings don’t get further hurt because of the fact that you lied. Being honest also gets rid of any stress you may have from doing it, gives you peace of mind. An honest person wouldn’t have to deal with keeping secrets, or have to deal with the stress of it either.

People should really understand how important honesty is. It’s one of the biggest qualities in any kind of relationship. Just be honest with the people around you, you don’t want to be filled with regret later on, and most certainly don’t want to hurt those around you that you have lied to.