Lying is not limited to family members or the person living next door. Some of the most famous people in history have been liars.
It is really not that surprising, as most people that share some degree of fame are simply a reflection of the overall way that society conducts itself. It seems as though society has a problem with telling the truth.
When people think about famous liars, one of the most obvious things that comes to mind is politicians.
Think of Richard Nixon and his unwavering denial of any wrongdoing throughout the entire Watergate investigation, only to find that he was lying about the majority of it.
Politicians are definitely not the only famous liars. Famous sports figures often have a tendency to tell some stories of their own.
Lance Armstrong was a hero for many people, not just in the world of cycling but for everyone. He was someone that was seemingly able to accomplish what most people would consider to be utterly impossible through hard work and dedication. After being diagnosed with cancer and then coming back and winning again, many people saw him as a poster boy for never giving up and always doing your best.
Unfortunately, all of those thoughts were destroyed when it was later discovered that the reason he had been so successful in his cycling races was because he not only took performance enhancing drugs but essentially bullied everyone around him into either doing the same thing or refraining from letting anyone know what was really going on.
People that are involved in high powered business often have a tendency to lie a lot too. Charles Ponzi thought he had the ideal way to get rich by dragging people into a form of business venture called multi level marketing. It is now known as the Ponzi scheme because despite his many promises of making people rich, the only person that ever got rich was him.
Even famous religious figures are not immune to becoming compulsive liars. Televangelist Jim Bakker was able to preach the gospel to millions of people. Unfortunately, it seems as though he had a problem actually living by the examples that he was telling everyone else to live by, as questions about missing money began to arise.
Obviously, lying is a problem that exists in every corner of society and unfortunately it is often a problem that runs so deep that many people are completely unaware that the person that they admire has essentially made everything up.
Becoming famous is sometimes a good thing. Becoming famous for lying is definitely not the goal that any these people went out to accomplish, but it is essentially what they are now known for, more than anything else.
How do I stop lying to everyone when I’ve been doing it for years?
I really need help, I’m a scumbag that’s stolen money from hard working families an I’m too much of a coward to do the right thing. When I get out of jail I swear I’ll change.
Mr. Levins,
Admitting you have a problem is a good start. You can change if you want to, but it will only stick if you do it for yourself and not someone else. It takes a lot of courage to admit ones flaws and to try to change. Good luck to you. I hope you are strong enough to succeed.
You forgot to mention a very famous liar Bill Clinton!!
And now we have Donald Trump. The hugest, big liar of late.
I believe most liars do it for control. Probably starts with lying to make themselves appear better than they know themselves to be. Nicer, smarter, honest(LOL), better off, etc. Donald Trump has surpassed many by refusing to admit it even though he knows decent intelligent people don’t believe him. So long as he has the base of the ignorant and the base of the greedy he is comfortable in thinking he can’t be punished for his lies.
Well, sir, that’s what “you” think.