If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

The remark treats truthfulness less as lofty virtue than as a pragmatic strategy: lies require ongoing maintenance—keeping stories straight, tracking what was said to whom, and avoiding contradictions. Truth, by contrast, is self-consistent and therefore easier to live with. Twain’s humor sharpens the point by reducing morality to memory management, implying that deceit is not only ethically suspect but cognitively expensive. The line also gestures toward a broader social critique: dishonesty entangles people in performative identities, while truth frees one from the anxiety of being found out. Its enduring appeal lies in this blend of moral counsel and commonsense psychology.

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
“Tell the truth and you won’t have to remember anything.”
“If you tell the truth you need not remember anything.”