There’s only two people in your life you should lie to... the police and your girlfriend.

Attributed to Jack Nicholson, this line plays as a deliberately provocative, darkly comic “rule of life.” It hinges on an inversion of moral expectations: the two figures one is most expected to be honest with—law enforcement (as a civic duty) and a romantic partner (as an intimate duty)—are named as the ones to deceive. The humor depends on cynicism about authority and on a stereotyped view of romantic relationships as fraught with jealousy or conflict. Read critically, it reflects a persona of rebellious masculinity and distrust of institutions, more than a serious ethical prescription; its significance lies in its shock value and its performance of outlaw wit.