The Buddha regarded the telling of lies as the most serious and most destructive breach of the precepts. If you cause your listeners to misunderstand the truth, it can cause them to act unskillfully not only in this lifetime, but also in future ones as well.

"Of the various forms of wrong speech and wrong action, the Buddha regarded the telling of lies as the most serious and most destructive — perhaps because if you cause your listeners to misunderstand the truth, it can cause them to act unskillfully not only in this lifetime, but also in future ones as well. Furthermore, as he said in [Iti 25], if a person feels no shame at telling a lie, there is no evil that that person will not do."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Right Speech & Right Action"

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