The Curse of Bullshit(learntoduck.net)

    The men in that far country were liars, every one. Their mere howdy-do
    was a lie, because _they_ didn't care how you did, except they were
    undertakers. To the ordinary inquirer you lied in return; for you made
    no conscientious diagnostic of your case, but answered at random, and
    usually missed it considerably. You lied to the undertaker, and said
    your health was failing--a wholly commendable lie, since it cost you
    nothing and pleased the other man. If a stranger called and interrupted
    you, you said with your hearty tongue, "I'm glad to see you," and said
    with your heartier soul, "I wish you were with the cannibals and it was
    dinner-time." When he went, you said regretfully, "_Must_ you go?" and
    followed it with a "Call again;" but you did no harm, for you did not
    deceive anybody nor inflict any hurt, whereas the truth would have made
    you both unhappy.

    I think that all this courteous lying is a sweet and loving art, and
    should be cultivated. The highest perfection of politeness is only a
    beautiful edifice, built, from the base to the dome, of graceful and
    gilded forms of charitable and unselfish lying.

    What I bemoan is the growing prevalence of the brutal truth. Let us do
    what we can to eradicate it. An injurious truth has no merit over an
    injurious lie. Neither should ever be uttered. The man who speaks an
    injurious truth lest his soul be not saved if he do otherwise, should
    reflect that that sort of a soul is not strictly worth saving. The man
    who tells a lie to help a poor devil out of trouble, is one of whom the
    angels doubtless say, "Lo, here is an heroic soul who casts his own
    welfare in jeopardy to succor his neighbor's; let us exalt this
    magnanimous liar."