advice for liars

One of the things that I do is interview applicants to the college from which I graduated. It's an interesting experience. One thing I have noticed is that, as far as I can tell, most liars (at this age at least) are not very good at it. And I'm not exactly talking about someone telling me that they put in thirty hours instead of twenty at a volunteer job; that sort of lie I could never catch. No, in this context, students are asked to demonstrate certain aspects of character and certain interests. Some of them manage it, some of them don't. The ones that don't haven't thought enough about what they're saying; they haven't thought it through.

Consider the individual who states repeatedly that they're interested in learning for learning's sake (an interest that is said to be characteristic of this university). Later, I ask them what the value of a college education is. They respond that it gives you the ability to read between the lines - for example, if someone's trying to sell you a car, an education will enable you to see through their sales pitch and see what the real deal is.

In other words, if you want to lie about something, lie about it thoroughly and resolutely. Think through the implications of the falsehood you mean to propound. What else would it commit you to?