Society can exist only on the basis that there is some amount of polished lying and that no one says exactly what he thinks.

Lin Yutang’s remark treats everyday politeness as a kind of socially necessary fiction. “Polished lying” points to tact, euphemism, and the small untruths that smooth interactions—compliments, restrained opinions, and omissions that prevent needless conflict. The second clause (“no one says exactly what he thinks”) suggests that complete candor would be abrasive or destabilizing, because private judgments are often harsher, more complex, or more self-interested than what communal life can bear. The quote is less a defense of deceit than an observation about the gap between inner thought and public speech: civilization depends on self-censorship, ritual courtesy, and face-saving conventions that allow diverse people to coexist.