Joseph Smith — "I am a man of truth, and I will speak the truth at all times."
I am a man of truth, and I will speak the truth at all times.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Joseph Smith
"And behold, how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men."
"I will preach on the one grand key-note of the whole volume of scripture, which is the resurrection of the dead."
"All spirits are pure that come from the presence of God."
"I have a testimony to lay before you, my testimony is that I am a prophet of God; and I know it; and I tell you in the name of Jesus Christ that I am a prophet."
"I wish to do something to distinguish myself, and so I am going to get up a religion."
Verification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: grok
1 source checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
The speaker declares honesty to be inseparable from his identity — not merely a habit but a defining characteristic. He commits to speaking truth regardless of circumstance or consequence. It's a public assertion of personal integrity, essentially saying: questioning my truthfulness means questioning who I am. Honesty here isn't policy but self-definition.
Relevance to Joseph Smith
Smith's entire ministry depended on others accepting extraordinary claims — golden plates, angelic visitations, divine revelation — on pure faith in his word. Accused throughout his life of fraud, treasure-digging deception, and fabricating scripture, his insistence on being a 'man of truth' was existentially tied to his prophetic authority. Without credibility, the religion collapses.
The era
The Second Great Awakening (1820s–1840s) produced dozens of self-proclaimed prophets across frontier America, making public skepticism fierce. Smith founded Mormonism in 1830 amid intense community suspicion toward religious innovators. In a frontier culture where a man's sworn word settled disputes, publicly claiming absolute truth-telling was both spiritual armor and social currency in an era of intense religious competition.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].