“An actor puts on a mask and knows they are acting. But the hypocrite puts one on without even feeling that it is there.” -Unknown
“Actors are the only honest hypocrites.” -William Hazlitt
“Hypocrisy is the most difficult and nerve-racking vice that any man can pursue; it needs an unceasing vigilance and a rare detachment of spirit. It cannot, like adultery or gluttony, be practiced at spare moments; it is a whole-time job.” -W. Somerset Maugham
The word “hypocrite” comes from the ancient Greek word hypokrites, which literally means “an actor” or “a stage player”. Over time, the word moved from describing someone performing on a stage to someone wearing a figurative mask in real life. Someone pretending to be good, moral, or different than they truly are.
Here’s the thing…Even if you could actually win friends and gain influence and power and be loved by pretending to be someone else other than who you really are, would you want to? How exhausting to have to go through life that way.
Keep it real. Save the hypocrisy for the stage.
