The first function of poetry is to tell the truth, to learn how to do that, to find out what you really feel and what you really think.

To tell the truth is to become beautiful, to begin to love yourself, value yourself. And that's political, in its most profound way.

There are two ways to worry words. One is hoping for the greatest possible beauty in what is created. The other is to tell the truth.

I felt like all of the American people did not believe me because of the things that were said about me, and said that people would say that it was just for the money, and it wasn't about the money. It was about what he did to me. And I knew I was telling the truth.

I told the truth, and I did it on national TV in a lie-detector test.

I am not afraid of the pen, or the scaffold, or the sword. I will tell the truth wherever I please.

I will tell the truth wherever I please.

You know I took an oath to tell the truth when I took the witness stand.

You sang in church, you know, and you didn't act at all. You tried not to act, you tried to tell the truth. The idea of being a troubadour on the road singing for your supper was very disturbing to him.

The truth is I love being alive. And I love feeling free. So if I can't have those things then I feel like a caged animal and I'd rather not be in a cage. I'd rather be dead. And it's real simple. And I think it's not that uncommon.

In order that all men may be taught to speak the truth, it is necessary that all likewise should learn to hear it.

It is dangerous for mortal beauty, or terrestrial virtue, to be examined by too strong a light. The torch of Truth shows much that we cannot, and all that we would not, see.

It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentionally lying that there is so much falsehood in the world.

Power is not sufficient evidence of truth.

Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth.