Re:Why Be Honest If Honesty Doesn’t Pay (1990)
by billybatson on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @12:53PM
(#19265276)
I think a distinction to be made here is the difference between being "nice" and being "kind". The former is someone who would bend over backwards and not enforce or consider their own boundaries. The latter is someone who has the same intention but is mindful of what their own personal values are and having self-respect.
It's tough because they both have the same intention, but the execution of it is different. I feel somewhat shameful of not learning the distinction until very recently, but am still grateful for learning it at all.
Where I see people saying, "honesty doesn't pay off," what they are usually talking about is being a doormat. You can be an honest, nice person without letting people exploit you. In fact, it is more honest, to tell people "no, I can't do that" than to constantly bend over backwards to get people's approval.