Without a little falsehood life would be impossible.

The line appears in Belloc’s essay “On Speaking Too Soon,” where he argues that telling the truth (especially “news”) can be socially and politically hazardous if delivered without restraint. He suggests that some degree of distortion or omission is commonly accepted so that communication remains workable and does not cause unnecessary harm.

The saying defends the idea that everyday life and social relations rely on small departures from strict truth—politeness, tact, simplification, or selective disclosure—because unfiltered candor can be damaging or unlivable.

“We are all agreed that without a little falsehood life would be impossible. Gold cannot be worked without an alloy, it is not stiff enough.”

Without falsehood life would be intolerable.