A half truth is a whole lie.

This saying is commonly attributed to Yiddish/Jewish proverbial tradition rather than to a single identifiable author or first publication. It reflects a moral emphasis found in Eastern European Jewish folk culture on honest speech and the ethical dangers of deception by omission—telling something technically true while withholding key facts so the listener is misled. In proverb form it circulated orally and later appeared in collections of Jewish/Yiddish proverbs in English translation, where it is often used in discussions of rhetoric, propaganda, and everyday interpersonal trust. Because it is proverbial, pinpointing a definitive first attestation in print is difficult without specifying a particular collection or edition.

The proverb warns that partial disclosure can be as deceptive as an outright falsehood. A “half truth” may contain accurate elements, but if it is framed to conceal essential context, it produces a false overall impression—functionally a lie. The force of the line is ethical and epistemic: truth is not merely a set of correct statements, but a faithful representation of reality. It also critiques manipulative communication (selective facts, misleading statistics, strategic silence) by insisting that intent and effect matter. In practice, it urges completeness and candor, especially when another person’s decisions depend on what is being said.