Live Not by Lies

by
Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist, historian, and outspoken critic of the Soviet Union and its totalitarian regime. Born in 1918, he served in World War II and was later imprisoned in a labor camp for criticizing Joseph Stalin in a private letter. His experiences in the Soviet Gulag system profoundly influenced his writing, leading to notable works such as “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich,” “The Gulag Archipelago,” and “Cancer Ward.” Solzhenitsyn’s fearless advocacy for truth and his condemnation of state-imposed lies earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970. His essay “Live Not by Lies” encapsulates his belief in the moral imperative to reject falsehood and live with integrity.

 

 

“Live Not by Lies” is an essay by Alexander Solzhenitsyn written in 1974. Here is the full text:

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Live Not by Lies

**A. Solzhenitsyn**

And the simplest and most accessible key to our self-neglected liberation lies right here: **Personal non-participation in lies!**

Though lies may conceal everything, though lies may control everything, still not with any help from me. This opens a breach in the imaginary encirclement caused by our inaction. It is the easiest way for us to fight it: The most accessible for anyone, and most devastating for the lies. Because when people renounce lies, it simply cuts short their existence. Like an infection, they can only exist in a living organism.

Our way must be: **Never knowingly support lies!**

Having understood where the lies begin— and many see this line differently—step back from that gangrenous boundary. Let us not glue back the flaking scales of the ideology, not gather back its crumbling bones, nor patch up its decomposing garb. And we will be amazed how swiftly and helplessly the lies will fall away, and that which is destined to be naked will be exposed as such to the world.

And thus overcoming our temerity, let each man choose:

**Will he remain a witting servant of the lies, or has the time come for him to stand straight as an honest man, worthy of the respect of his children and contemporaries?**

And from that day onward he:

– Will not write, sign, or publish in any way a single line distorting, as he understands the truth;

– Will not utter such a line in private or public conversation, nor read it from a crib sheet, nor speak it in the role of an educator, canvasser, teacher, or actor;

– Will not allow himself to be compelled to attend demonstrations and meetings if they are contrary to his desire; will neither take into hand nor raise into air a banner or slogan in which he does not fully believe;

– Will not raise a hand to vote for a proposal which he does not sincerely support;

– Will not depose, nor hand on for storage, to anyone who has been compelled to do so by his superiors, a hand or a vote for a person whom he considers unworthy or of whom he is indifferent;

– Will not allow himself to be dragged to a meeting where there is expected a forced and distorted discussion of a question;

– Will immediately walk out from a meeting, session, lecture, performance or film showing if he hears a speaker tell lies, or purvey ideological nonsense or shameless propaganda;

– Will not subscribe to, nor buy in retail, a newspaper or journal that distorts or hides the underlying facts.

Of course, we are not called upon to step out onto the square, shout out the truth, and say out loud what we think—this is scary, we are not ready. But let us at least refuse to say what we do not think!

Our path is not a bold one by human standards. But let us refuse to lie about anything whatsoever. Let us then walk straight out of the path of lies, where we know it starts and we can define it clearly.

This is our path, the easiest and most accessible one, which does not demand superhuman efforts, nor is it a path of martyrs. But it is not an easy path, but one which is sure to draw us in, forcing us to make choices and to risk our lives.

It is easier, of course, to keep lying to ourselves and others. But let us at least refrain from telling lies that are known to be lies. We have already fallen so low that the lies are naked and visible to all. And as soon as we all start to refuse to lie in this way, we will see the whole lies apparatus come crashing down. For it is nothing more than an illusory lie that it hides from us. And as soon as the lies fall away, the nakedness of its deception will be exposed, as if we had performed a miracle.

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1 thought on “Live Not by Lies”

  1. Live Not by Lies… what a refreshing concept.

    It’s interesting that, for all of the vaunted ability of the communist either in this country or behind the iron curtain to control what we read or think and turn us into zombies, the communist countries produced people like Solzhenitsyn and Vaclav Havel and pieces like Live Not by Lies and The Power of the Powerless, respectively.

    I’m not saying that we should let the Dems go any further to control thought via social media, I’m just saying that us fearing the tyrannical Dems controlling, absolutely, our youth and turning them into drones and not being able to do anything about it, is overblown.

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