all falsehoods are equal, which is not the case; or on some fond
craving for a show of perfection, which is sometimes very inimical
to the reality. The practical, as well as the high-minded, view in
such cases, is for a man to think how he can be true now. To attain
that, it may, even for this world, be worth while for a man to admit
that he is inconsistent, and even that he has been untrue. His
hearers, did they know anything of themselves, would be fully aware
that he was not singular, except in the courage of owning his
insincerity.

-----

Ellesmere. That last part requires thinking about. If you were to
permit men, without great loss of reputation, to own that they had
been insincere, you might break down some of that majesty of truth
you talk about. And bad men might avail themselves of any
facilities of owning insincerity, to commit more of it. I can
imagine that the apprehension of this might restrain a man from
making any such admission as you allude to, even if he could make up
his mind to do it otherwise.

Milverton. Yes; but can anything be worse than a man going on in a
false course? Each man must look to his own truthfulness, and keep
that up as well as he can, even at the risk of saying, or doing,
something which may be turned to ill account by others. We may
think too much about this reflection of our external selves. Let
the real self be right. I am not so fanciful as to expect men to go
about clamouring that they have been false; but at no risk of
letting people see that, or of even being obliged to own it, should
they persevere in it.