Zoroaster — "Choose the truth. And if the truth is inconvenient, choose it anyway. But maybe …"
Choose the truth. And if the truth is inconvenient, choose it anyway. But maybe grumble a little.
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More from Zoroaster
"The greatest wisdom is to know oneself. The second greatest is to know where you put your keys."
"The wicked shall be punished, but the righteous shall be rewarded."
"I who have set my heart on watching over the soul, in union with Good Thought, as I praise and proclaim you, O Wise Lord."
"Between these two, the demons have not chosen aright, for delusion came upon them as they consulted, so that they chose the worst thought."
"Therefore, you who are living, make known these doctrines to those who are striving for the Lie, so that they may not bring about a second destruction for themselves."
About Zoroaster (c. 1500-1000 BCE (debated))
Iranian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism, the first major religion of cosmic dualism between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Angra Mainyu). Closely associated with The Buddha (near-contemporary Eastern moral-cosmological revolutionary). For an intellectual contrast, see Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher of 'beyond good and evil' — Nietzsche appropriated Zarathustra's name for Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883) precisely to invert the original's moral cosmology — the historical Zoroaster founded the good-versus-evil framework Nietzsche's character announces the end of.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Commit to honesty even when it costs you comfort, money, reputation, or ease. The convenient answer is almost never the true one, and picking truth anyway is the whole point of integrity. You don't have to enjoy it or pretend the sacrifice is painless. Complain, vent, feel the sting, but still make the honest choice. Character is built by what you do when lying would be easier.
Relevance to Zoroaster
Zoroaster built an entire religion on the axis of Asha, meaning truth and cosmic order, against Druj, the lie. He taught that every person chooses daily between these forces through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. His own life was reportedly one of rejection by his tribe and patrons before King Vishtaspa accepted him, so he personally paid the inconvenience cost of choosing truth over social comfort.
The era
Zoroaster likely lived between 1500 and 1000 BCE on the Iranian plateau, among pastoral Indo-Iranian tribes worshipping many daevas through bloody animal sacrifice and intoxicating haoma rites controlled by priestly elites. He preached a radical monotheism centered on Ahura Mazda and ethical choice rather than ritual appeasement, challenging entrenched clergy, warrior raiders, and kin loyalties in a tribal world where breaking with ancestral gods meant exile or death.
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