Zoroaster — "The liar shall perish, but the truthful shall dwell in the House of Song."
The liar shall perish, but the truthful shall dwell in the House of Song.
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More from Zoroaster
"If one would have a friend, then must one also be willing to wage war for him: and in order to wage war, one must be capable of being an enemy."
"I counsel you to always choose the better way. Unless the better way involves a really steep hill. Then, maybe consider a detour."
"Form no covetous desire, so that the demon of greediness may not deceive thee, and the treasure of the world may not be tasteless to thee."
"And the reward of the evil man shall be the darkness of the nether world."
"May your wisdom grow with each passing day. And may your hair stay where it is."
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
Those who deceive will face destruction, while honest people will earn a place of eternal joy and harmony. The saying draws a sharp moral line: dishonesty leads to ruin, while truthfulness leads to paradise. It frames truth not as a social nicety but as the defining virtue that determines a person's ultimate fate, promising that integrity is rewarded beyond this life even if liars seem to prosper in the moment.
Relevance to Zoroaster
Zoroaster founded a faith built on the cosmic struggle between Asha (truth, order) and Druj (the lie, chaos). As a priest-prophet reforming ancient Iranian religion, he taught that every person chooses sides through their thoughts, words, and deeds. The 'House of Song' (Garo Demana) is his term for paradise, reserved for the righteous. This quote distills his entire theology: truthfulness is not merely ethical but the very mechanism by which the soul reaches heaven.
The era
Zoroaster lived in Bronze Age eastern Iran (roughly 1500–1000 BCE) among pastoral tribes practicing polytheistic rituals involving animal sacrifice, intoxicants, and warrior raiding. Oaths and verbal contracts governed tribal society, so lying destabilized the entire social order. His reform elevated one supreme god, Ahura Mazda, and introduced revolutionary concepts later absorbed by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: heaven, hell, judgment after death, and a final cosmic battle where truth defeats deception.
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