Under the higher law, under the great law of morality and righteousness, he is precisely as guilty if, instead of lying in a court, he lies in a newspaper or on the stump; and in all probability the evil effects of his conduct are infinitely more wide-spread and more pernicious.
This passage, from an essay on public ethics, argues that lying in public discourse, such as in newspapers or speeches, carries the same moral guilt and potentially greater harm than perjury in court.
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More from Teddy Roosevelt
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles.
The good citizen will demand liberty for himself, and as a matter of pride, he will see to it that others receive the liberty which he thus claims as his own.
Practical equality of opportunity for all citizens, when we achieve it, will have two great results.
I deeply appreciate your letter, and I realize to the full the heavy responsibility it puts upon me.
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