I Lied

If you can't trust Colonel Sanders, you can't trust anybody.

"You are far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote for an effective demonstration."

—Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Star Wars: A New Hope

Stock Phrase uttered in response to You Said You Would Let Them Go or a similar expression of shock at a broken promise of lenience or forgiveness. Spoken by the villain (or a particularly unmerciful hero) just before killing the hostage, blowing up the Doomed Hometown, using the Doomsday Device, or some other act of merciless badness. Sometimes spoken just after, with a smirk and a smoking gun.

Generally speaking, anyone who says this is lining up that puppy between the goal posts or even about to perform their defining act of depravity and has, in any case, revealed their cruelest colors. Expect them to rub it in with Evil Gloating, asking the heroes "Did you actually believe me when I said..."

For some reason, this often seems to take the heroes by surprise, even when the speaker has an extensive history of villainy. This is most likely because, as we all know, Villains Never Lie.

Sometimes used by a former bad guy who's made a Heel Face Turn - made the offer to rejoin Team Evil, they calmly accept, or perhaps pretend to seriously contemplate the offer, shocking any listening heroes, and about three seconds later proceed to kick ass on the side of good, taking everybody by surprise. The bad guy looks up at them and protests, "You said you're on our side!" The former bad guy says, "Yeah. I lied."

Usually said with dripping irony, which tends to fall a little flat if the speaker doesn't at least put a new spin on the phrase. Contrast Empty Promise and Villains Never Lie

Examples of I Lied include:

Anime and Manga

Sebastian: You said you would live till then.
Ciel: ...I lied.

  • While it's not the exact phrase, similar things are naturally said countless times in Liar Game, both when the villains reveal that they were just manipulating the good guys, and when the good guys pull a fast one over the villains. Commonly said in the form "This is the Liar Game; it's a game where you lie."
  • After the heroes of Monster Rancher give themselves up for a hostage, Pixie goes so far as to say that she never keeps her promises.
  • In Naruto Madara Uchiha says that the main reason he is capturing the tailed beasts is because his ultimate plan will bring about world peace. Naruto confronts him and says he really only wants power. Madara simply laughs and tells him he's right.
  • As of Bleach chapter 414, we found out that the ever Affably Evil Gin Ichimaru lied about his Bankai in his amazingly simple watch-and-wait ploy to kill Big Bad Aizen. Did we mention that he has probably been plotting this for over a CENTURY and broke the Explaining Your Power to the Enemy rule, as well as being in complete violation of the Big Bad's Complexity Addiction?
    • Aizen spent at least as long telling the rest of the soul society that his Zanpakuto just dazzled opponents with pretty reflections.
  • Late in Gundam X, Garrod threatens to destroy the Space Revolutionary Army's colony laser unless they return the kidnapped Tifa. Of course he blows it up anyway; Garrod is The Hero and there's no way in Hell he'd allow such a powerful weapon to remain in the hands of belligerents who want to destroy the Earth.
  • Rare heroic (and tear-jerking) example in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, when in a previous timeline, Madoka and Homura are lying side-by-side, having defeated Walpurgis Night but, due to not having any Grief Seeds left, about to become witches themselves thanks to The Corruption... when Madoka suddenly produces a single Grief Seed with which she cleanses Homura's Soul Gem. Then asks Homura to Mercy Kill her.

Homura: You said you didn't have any Grief Seeds left!
Madoka: I Lied.

  • In "Fullmetal Alchemist" Riza Hawkeye says this to Envy as she shoots him after she told him the Colonel calls her Riza.


Comic Books

Warlock: Master! Why did you tell us that Igor was the Promised One?
Satan: I... uh... I lied! Because that's what I do! Get over it!

  • Almost word for word from The Joker in the famous "Laughing Fish" story:

Batman: You said you'd let him go.
Joker: I'm a notorious liar.

    • Jason Todd's mother tells this to him after selling him out to the Joker.
  • The second issue of the four part miniseries that started Sonic the Hedgehog has Robotnik doing this to Sally when she meets with him to bargin for his father's life. As it turns out, Sally had anticipated this and the real plan was to get an analyzation of the roboticizer. This plan was screwed up when Sonic rescued her because Sally didn't bother to tell anyone besides Rotor the plan.
  • In the Judge Dredd story arc that revives Judge Death, the other three Dark Judges tell this to the poor fool they coerced into freeing Judge Death on the promise that they'd let his wife go: "WE LIED!"
  • Used by the authorities in Young Justice, after they had promised Red Tornado and his wife that they'd let him off for acting out against a court order separating him from his daughter.
  • In Sin City: The Big Fat Kill, Becky was promised to be allowed to live after she ratted out the Old Town Girls. Manute, the Big Bad of the story never says these words but considering he made the promise and then had Becky killed anyway...


Fan Works

Silver: Are you good or are you bad?
Shadow: Oh, I'm good. Definitely good. I'm in this max-security hell-hole because I robbed a grocery shop to pay for the meds for my dear ole granny.
Silver: Really? They put you in here just for that..?
Shadow: No, it was a lie. Criminals do that sort of thing. I'm a murderer and a rapist and they didn't even want to risk putting me in a regular prison.

Rule-of-Three: Well, let’s see… I could honor my side of the bargain, which would make Jalie and my master very angry… Or I could renege on it, which would make them quite pleased… Tough decision… (Starts to assume his true form.) Oh, who am I kidding? It’s an incredibly easy decision!
Penelope: That dirty bastard...
Rule-of-Three: There are three rules to dealing with demons, like me... One, always get payment in advance. Two, always watch your back. And the third rule is... [transformation is now complete] Well, the third rule is, just don't make deals with them at all! They tend to lie!

Lorelei: You were stalling? You knew Rule-of-Three was lying?
Ophelia: Oh please, it couldn't have been more obvious if his pants were on fire.

Film

  • In Sister Act, on allowing Deloris to stay in the convent:

Reverend Mother:That is not a person you can hide. That is a conspicuous person, designed to stick out.
Monsignor O'Hara: You took a vow of hospitality for all in need.
Reverend Mother: I lied.

Matrix: Remember, Sully, when I promised to kill you last?
Sully: Yes. That's right Matrix, you did!
Matrix: I lied. (Drops Sully to his death)
Cindy: Where's Sully?
Matrix: I let him go.

Ted Kennedy: Remember when I said I'd kill you last?
Arnold Schwarzenegger: No! I don't rem- Ohh! You're doing a line from my movie!
Kennedy: I lied.
Arnold: I know how it goes!
[Kennedy drops Schwarzenegger to his death (with him screaming "You suck")]

  • Damodar says the exact line in the Dungeons & Dragons movie. Most of the audience saw it coming from around the opening credits.
  • In Inkheart, the Big Bad Capricorn lies—a lot—in order to get people to do what he wants, and such gets one of these in about every scene he's in, in addition to being honestly baffled that people are surprised. At one point, he lies about having lied.
  • In the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Live Action Adaptation starring Dolph Lundgren, Skeletor won. He got He-Man to surrender, give up his sword, let himself be tortured, because he left He-Man's friends back on Earth. Said friends found their way back to Eternia and attacked Skeletor's forces, and when they attacked back He-Man shouts that Skeletor promised not to hurt them. The weird thing here is that technically, Skeletor did honor his part and his forces are actually defending themselves. However, Skeletor is drunk with power at this point so fulfilled this trope just to fulfill it. (He's evil). Which galvanizes He-Man to kill him. Whups!
  • Used by Gary Oldman's character in Air Force One:

Grace Marshall: You said you were gonna release us.
Ivan Korshunov: Forgive me, I lied.

Buford: Now, I'm warning you Marshal, I'm here on a personal matter, if you want to live to see your boy grow up, you'll ride out of here for a few hours and leave me be.
Strickland: Let's go, boy.
[Buford shoots Strickland anyway]
Strickland's Son: PA!!
Buford: I lied, Marshal!

Overdog: You have a very enviable life force, a life force you're going to share with me.
Nicki: But... you said if I made it through, I'm free.
Overdog: (with a Slasher Smile) I lied, nobody goes free!

Lando: That was never a condition of our agreement, nor was giving Han to this bounty hunter!
Vader: Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?
Lando: ...No.
Vader: Good. It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a garrison here.

    • ...and

Darth Vader: Calrissian. Take the princess and the Wookiee to my ship.
Lando: You said they'd be left at the city under my supervision.
Darth Vader: I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.

    • There's also the scene from A New Hope where Leia bluffs about the location of the rebel base and Tarkin immediately orders the destruction of her home planet, telling her she is "far too trusting".
      • Well, Tarkin said he would blow up Alderaan if she did not tell him the base's location. He never said that he would not blow up Alderaan if Leia did tell him the location.
      • Reversed a few minutes later when Tarkin is absolutely shocked to learn Leia lied about that location. Vader responds with "I told you she would never consciously betray the rebellion".
    • Also, in the Expanded Universe, Vergere. "When will you learn that everything I tell you is a lie?"
    • And let's face it, From a Certain Point of View is just Jedi for I Lied.
  • The Mask: "You said you wouldn't hurt him!" followed by the obligatory smug "I lied".
  • Gollum/Smeagol does this in the film version of Return of the King. The variation here is the Split Personality. Frodo always knew that "Gollum" couldn't be trusted, but he thought that "Smeagol" would keep his word to obey him. When Smeagol turns on Frodo near the end, they have this exchange:

Frodo: Smeagol promised!
Gollum: Smeagol LIED!

    • Peter Jackson said in the DVD Commentary that they put that line in so it would be clear to the audience that both sides of the split personality couldn't be trusted (since Smeagol had snapped and gone as crazy as Gollum) and make Smeagol/Gollum's Karmic Death acceptable.
  • Heathers: J.D. tells Veronica that using "ich luge" bullets will only pierce the skin of the jocks, not kill them. "Ich lüge" is German for "I'm lying."
  • Used by the good guy in Star Trek III the Search For Spock:

Kirk: Help us or die!
Maltz: I do not deserve to live.
Kirk: Fine. I'll kill you later.
(later)
Maltz: Wait. You said you would kill me.
Kirk:: I Lied.

    • Worth pointing out, in a nerdy way, that from the Klingon perspective, this makes Kirk very much a villain. It's considered a great deal of dishonor for a Klingon to be captured alive rather than killed in battle.
  • In the film Freejack, Mick Jagger gets the very last line in the film, when asked by Emilio Estevez about his sudden change of loyalties. It is delivered with such scenery chewing glee that it may be the Platonic Ideal of "I Lied".

Vacendak: I LIED!

  • In Demon Knight, The Collector says this directly to one character just before he is Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves.
  • A somewhat more meta-example: Scary Movie‍'‍s tagline was "No Mercy. No Shame. No Sequel." When Scary Movie 2 came out, their tagline was: "We lied."


Literature

  • An Elf attempts that on Magrat in Lords and Ladies. However, she was one step ahead and had already persuaded him to hold Schrodinger's Claymore Mine.
  • In The Thrawn Trilogy, Grand Admiral Thrawn speaks to ex-Imperial-agent Mara Jade about the location of the long-lost Katana fleet; she doesn't know, but her current boss does. Thrawn tells her that she has a few days to go get the coordinates and lets her get back to her ship and rendezvous with her boss, but he plants a tracking device on her, shows up just after she does, and captures him. Mara is furious, and this incident is what turns her against the Empire for good; Thrawn is coldly practical. Ultimately works very much against Thrawn, making this one of the few times he succumbs to the Villain Ball.
  • Word for word in the Old Kingdom trilogy. "You told me you weren't one of the Seven!" "I lied. It's one of the reasons I'm the Disreputable Dog."
  • Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels: Believe it or not, the heroes (anti-heroes may be a better term) use this a number of times on the villains! The Vigilantes used this on the bad guys in Final Justice. Jack Emery, and Harry Wong at least pull this on a pedophile polygamist sheriff and his two deputies in Under The Radar. Jack made an offer that the first one who told them what they needed to know would be set free. Deputy Clyde took the offer and told them everything he knew. When he was done, he said that he told them everything he knew and now they have to keep their word. Jack does not release him, and states that he will be set free, but Jack didn't say where! Clearly, the intention is to put them in prison where they belong! Deputy Clyde was unhappy, and he mouthed off some racist remarks at Harry Wong, resulting in him being knocked out.


Live-Action TV

  • Mystery Science Theater 3000. Mike points out Pearl Forrester promised that she wouldn't make them watch any more bad movies if he and the 'bots helped him.

Pearl: (thoughtfully) You know, I think I lie because I'm evil.

    • Of course, Mike and the robots knew she would break her word, and helped her because it benefited them (Servo told Mike, "I don't want to have to see you in a toga.")
    • Earlier in the series, Forrester and Erhardt would respond to Joel's accusation of lying with, "What do you want from us? WE'RE EVIL!"
  • Law and Order: Criminal Intent: In the pilot episode, Goren says this to the girlfriend of the episode's Big Bad to prove he's not above breaking the rules to serve the law.

Gia: (to her boyfriend) We're already dead. You killed us.
Eames: (straight-faced) Guess again, Gia. You're gonna live a long, happy life.
Beat while Gia looks at Goren in surprise.
Goren: I lied. Sorry.

  • Red Dwarf, episode Justice: Lister and the Simulant agree to come unarmed to "talk":

Simulant: Guess what? (Pulls out hunting knife.) I lied.
Lister: Guess what? (Allows pole to slide from the arm of his jacket.) So did I.
Simulant: But I lied twice. (Pulls out a handgun.)
Lister: I didn't think of that.

  • Lost's Ben Linus should have this printed on a t-shirt.
  • From the 2008 Doctor Who Christmas special "The Next Doctor":

Miss Hartigan: But you said I would never be converted!
Cyberman: That was designated: a lie.

    • Rule 1: The Doctor Lies
    • River and Amy in "The Time of Angels".

River: This won't hurt a bit. (Injects Amy, who cringes) There, you see? I lied.

Henry: We had a deal. I get you Fainburg's marbles, you leave my family alone!
Uzi: I lied.

    • This, however, was an act. His alter-ego Edward anticipated the betrayal and coached Henry on what to do and say.
  • Supernatural's Dean Winchester is trying frantically to save his daddy when he gets stonewalled by a demon. He tortures her, bargains for information, then sends her back to burn in hell with this trope.

Meg: You son of a bitch, you promised.
Dean: [snarling right in her face] I lied!

  • The West Wing features Arnie Vinick pulling one in response to having been caught lying to the religious Right. His secretary yanks the rug out from under him.

Vinick: Are you finished?
Sheila: Oh yeah.
[...]
Sheila: (sudden outburst) I could have told you that wouldn't work! That he would leak it and you'd be forced to confirm or deny it!
Vinick: I thought you said you were done?
Sheila: I lied!

  • Scrubs - After J.D protests at not being invited to the christening of one of Dr Cox's kids...

Doctor Cox: Of course you're coming. In fact I want you to be the baby's God Father
JD: *emotionally* I...am...honoured
Doctor Cox: *imitating him* I...am lying.

    • In an earlier episode, the Janitor offers to drive J.D to his then-girlfriend Molly the night before she's due to leave...and dumps him on the highway instead. "It's been four years. How do you not get how this works yet?"
  • Heroes

(Matt traps Sylar in his own mind)
Sylar: *unbelieving* You said you would help me.
Matt: Yeah, well... Guess there is still a little of you left inside me. Because I lied. Enjoy hell.

  • Used in the X-Files episode "Shadows", though not in a sinister way. Mulder lies to the doctors who called him, saying he can't help them, as he's never seen anything like their case before. He was lying, though given that the team that requested his help were stingy on the details, it was more of a snarky revenge.

Scully: You lied. You have seen this before, I can tell. You lied to them.
Mulder: I would never lie. I willfully participated in a campaign of misinformation.

  • In the CSI:NY episode Point of no Return, Stella promises George Kolovos that she won't send him to Cyprus (where he's a wanted criminal) in a shipping container if he gives up his partner Sebastian Diakos. He does...and she locks him in the container anyway.

Kolovos: Wait, we had a deal!
Stella: I lied.

Klingon General: You were supposed to be creating Augments!
Phlox: I lied.

  • Another (mostly) heroic version; Brenda Johnson of The Closer often lies to her suspects about all the crimes they're being charged with until after she's gotten their confession, but in a Season 6 episode she actually says the trope title. She tells the perp that his drive-by shooting didn't hurt anyone, but if he confessed to the crime and explained why he tried to have the target killed, the LAPD wouldn't arrest him for the property damage caused by the shooting. He confesses, she reveals that three US Army soldiers were killed, and that he'd be getting the death penalty. Her "I lied" when he shouted that she said nobody was injured was positively gloating.
  • On one episode of Frasier Martin tries to trick Niles into signing a document so that he won't have to go get a physical, by having a cop friend of his pull them over and offer to flash his badge and get him out of the ticket only if he signed. After Niles apparently does so Martin says, "I lied," and explains the ruse to him. Niles responds, "I lied. I just drew you a picture of a dog."
  • During the Community pilot Britta promises Jeff a date if he'll stop the fighting he started. After Jeff uses his manipulative bastardry to calm the group down, she uses these words exactly.
  • Played extremely straight by the Burn Notice episode No Good Deed. Quoth the villain of the week, Eve, "Remember that part about me letting you live if you helped me rip off my buyer? I Lied." (Of course, Westen, being Genre Savvy, had never actually believed her; he was just buying time for Fiona to put together a rescue.)
  • "I told you you shouldn't trust me."


Newspaper Comics

  • Peanuts. Lucy and that damned football. No matter how many times she promises Charlie Brown that this time she'll let him kick it, she will ALWAYS yank it away just to humiliate him yet again.


Professional Wrestling

  • In an example of an actual good guy doing this, WWE's Eddie Guerrero (RIP) would do this all the time as part of his "lie, cheat, steal" gimmick. Usually he would enter into a match with a Heel, promising not to cheat during the match. Then, when he won as a result of cheating and was called out on it, he would shout to his opponent, "I lied, homes!" causing the audience to roar with approval.
  • This trope would also be played with when he teamed up with his nephew Chavo Guerrero. He'd tell him, "We may lie, cheat and steal, but at least we're honest about it!"
  • On Night of Champions 2010, Chris Jericho participated in a Six-man elimination match for the WWE Championship with a personal promise that, should he fail to win, he will leave WWE for good. Naturally, when he quickly lost during the match, the 'net was in an uproar since that was not the way for someone as popular as Jericho to go... then he appeared on the next episode on WWE Raw with this little message on his Twitter account.

Chris Jericho: Hey Internet... I'm a Heel. Heels lie, therefore if I say something boastfully and renege on it, it's not an official stipulation. Smarten up!


Tabletop Games


Videogames

  • StarCraft: Brood War, and the main reason Kerrigan really works as a villain.

Mengsk: Kerrigan, you murdering bitch! We had a deal!
Kerrigan: Oh, come on, Arcturus. Did you really think I'd allow you to come into power again? You practically fed me to the Zerg on Tarsonis! You're directly responsible for the hell I've been through! Did you honestly think I'd let you get away with that?
Mengsk: But you said revenge was secondary to defeating the UED!
Kerrigan: I lied. I liberated this planet because it was the UED's primary staging point, not because I was under any obligation to you. I used you to destroy the Psi Disrupter. And now that I've got my Broods back, you're no longer necessary for my plans. I think I'll leave you here, Arcturus, among the ashes of your precious Dominion. I want you to live to see me rise to power. And I want you to always remember in your most private moments that it was you who turned me loose in the first place.

Starkiller: You told me you'd stay away!
Vader: I lied, as I have from the very beginning.

    • It's just a bad idea to believe Vader - he may tell the truth in broad statements, but he's not good with promises. Even when he'd be better off keeping his word. As was the case in this scenario.
    • Also shows up in the dark side ending of the sequel:

Vader: I lied when I said the cloning process was not yet perfected.

  • Caulder/Stolos employs this in Advance Wars: Days of Ruin in response to The Mayor's protests that the former promised the civilians food, supplies and a cure to The Virus they're infected with if they handed over Isabella/Catleia. He then tops it off by revealing that the medicine sample he'd just handed over to the Mayor as a gesture of goodwill (which he'd immediately taken), well:

Caulder: Oh, and that medicine you took was not the antidote. Hello? Can you hear me? Mr. Mayor? ...Fascinating.

"I trusted you!"
"Well, that was a stupid move. But then again, you never were very bright, were you?"

  • In Baroque, the Coffin Man pulls a decidedly non-villainous one of these on the protagonist (and the player). In one of his Tutorial Dungeons, after teaching you the basics of combat, he announces that there are a whole lot of tough Meta-Beings on the next floor, so you'd better be prepared! Once you descend to the next floor, you find it empty, and the Coffin Man laughingly says, "I'm a liar."
  • Professor Layton and the Unwound Future features Dimitri Allen's picross map. He gave it to Layton, telling him that the map, when marked, showed the location of the infrared sensors he rigged the building with. However, after solving the picross map, turning the map 180 degrees reveals that all you did was spell LIE upside down.
    • The European version (...and the Lost Future) has a slightly different puzzle, but the effect is the same. Dimitri claims to have set bombs in the Thames Arms, and gives you the map and challenges you to find them before they go off. The locations of the alleged "bombs" spell out exactly how much time you have left: infinity.
  • In Tales of Symphonia, Zelos ends up uttering a variant of the line when he takes a Face Heel Turn and betrays the party to Yggdrassil during the climax. In all but one of the endings, the line gets a reprise when it turned out he was a Fake Defector and betrays Yggdrassil to the party's benefit.
    • In a subversion, Lloyd utters this exact line to Colette for an entirely different reason using coffee. He gives her a cup of coffee, which she assumes to be hot, and then says he had Genis make iced coffee, making her note that it's cold. By falling for his lie and changing what she had said, Colette confirms she has lost her sense of touch.
  • Dragon Age II has an unusual Anti-Hero example in Fenris, who promises a magister that he'll let her go if she tells him where his long-lost sister is. She tells him - then Fenris reaches into her chest and crushes her heart.
  • On Lilly's route of Katawa Shoujo, when Hisao finds out he did poorly on an English test, Emi offers to show him her results. The two agree to show their results on the count of three, only for Hisao to renege on his promise.


Webcomics

  • Featured here in Casey and Andy... stated by Quantum Cop, a virtual embodiment of law and order. Apparently, all that time spent hanging out with Mad Scientists and a Gentle(wo)man Thief has taught him a thing or two.
  • "What? I'm evil. I lied." is a Running Gag/Catch Phrase for most of the villains in Bob and George.
  • In Eight Bit Theater, when confronted with Chaos, Red Mage asks to have some time to prepare for their battle, in order to stall. He tells them to take as much time as they need. Then he adds, "As long as it only takes 24 hours." When Red Mage questions this, he responds "I'm Chaos!"

"Remember the Castle of Ordeals? And how we had to defeat our tragic flaws to become heroes of legend? I didn't defeat mine. I did this..." [Cue spectacular black tendril murder.]

"The super villain lied... Oh it can't be so, be still my heart."

Chameleon: (to his men) Kill them all.
Virus: You said no one else would get hurt!
Chameleon: Pattener cultist, duh. Have you met my boss? Morth the Betrayer?

Web Original


Western Animation

  • Heard in Batman Beyond's first season finale. After trapping dear old radioactive Daddy, his son Paxton delivers with particularly exaggerated suaveness:

Batman (Terry): No. I wouldn't have agreed to this; you said you were going to help him.
Paxton: I lied.

  • X-Men: The Animated Series

Deathbird: You promised to destroy Lilandra!
Apocalypse: I LIED.

Beast Boy: I thought you said you didn't have superpowers.
Robin: I lied. (Kicks Mammoth hard enough to send him flying several meters backwards)

"I can't be trusted."

Aggregor: I lied.
Galapagus: What a coincidence. So did I.

    • And from the original series, when a friendly (Petrosapien) alien gives Ben his hoverboard before departing.

Ben: Hold on. I thought you said you needed this to get off the planet.
Petrosapien: Selective disinformation.
Ben: Huh?
Gwen: He lied.

Commissioner Gordon: We had a deal!
Bane: Thought about it. Didn't work for me.

  • The New Adventures Of He Man

Werban: You spoke of peace! You lied!
Skeletor: Yeah, well, villains do that once in a while.

Ancient Autobot spirits: Return the Matrix!
Galvatron: I WILL! I WILL!
Ancient Autobot spirits return to the Matrix
Galvatron: Scourge! Take this and destroy it!
Cyclonus: But mighty Galvatron, you said you'd return it!
Galvatron: I LIED!

Isaac Sumdac: Decepticons? But, you told me you were an Autobot.
Megatron: And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade. But no more...

"There's one thing I forgot to mention about the dark side: you can lie your evil butt off!"

    • And Anti-Cosmo.

Professor Calamitous: "You said you'd help me! You lied!"
Anti-Cosmo: "Yes, I do that a lot. It's almost as if I'm evil!"

"But, brother of darkness, we had an arrangement!"
"I may be a "noble" dragon, but I am also a demon sorceror...and not known for keeping promises."

  • Total Drama Island has a few "I Lied" moments. There's this exchange, when Eva and Izzy are brought back into the game:

Gwen: Wait a sec, you said no one is allowed back!
Chris: I did?
Gwen: And once you leave...
Chris (in flashbacks): And once you leave on the Dock of Shame, on the Boat of Losers, you can never, never ever, ever come back!
Chris: Oh yeah, that. Yeah. I Lied.

    • And this exchange:

Lindsay: But we were going to the final three together!
Heather: Guess we're not!

    • And a variation:

Chris: Back in episode 8, teammate Beth stole the Boney Island tiki doll.
Gwen: She said she returned that!
Chris: She lied. She broke it up and flushed it down the septic tank!

  • On Jimmy Two-Shoes, Lucius does this to his father twice in one episode, when he promises to let him stay unfrozen.
  • This is done constantly on all three of the Sonic the Hedgehog shows that DiC made. Dr. Robotnik constantly makes deal after deal with Sonic and the blue guy always seems to fall for it. It doesn't matter because Sonic always ends up thwarting his plans anyway.
  • Said by Guiterrez in Freakazoid!! When given what he wants, he orders his guards to eliminate Dexter, his family, and Roddy. He doesn't even let Roddy say more than "But you said-"
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender:

Zuko: You lied to me!
Azula: Like I've never done that before.

Ranier Wolfcastle (to a pie): "Remember when I said I'd eat you last? I lied!"

    • Also this in the Tracy Ullman shorts:

Bart: Family thearpy? What the hell is this?
Lisa: You said we were going out for frosty chocolate milkshakes!
Homer: Well, I lied.

Gargoyle: You promised me Banner would remain alive long enough to change me back - (laser to the shoulder)
The Leader: I lied.

  • Megas XLR has two, both played straight and subverted:

Warlock: "Dear, sweet Kiva. I promised I'd let them go. The rest is up to them."
Megas falls into orbit of hungry dragon planet
Warlock: "Oh, come now. They might even survive the impact. Of course, they'll be in no shape to survive the Glorgnak if they do."
Kiva: "You're so predictable." *punches* "Oh, and about our deal? I lied too."

Danny: You lied to me.
Freakshow: Yes. Yes I did. Goodie for me.


Real Life

  • Adolf Hitler got away with this an amazing number of times. "Did I promise my stormtroopers power, respect, and a decent income? Nah, just kidding, I'll kill them when they're no longer useful to me. Did I say I won't re-militarize the Rhineland? I lied. Did I say I'll stop asking for more land after I get Austria? I lied. Did I say I'll leave the Czechs alone if they just give me the Sudetenland? I lied. Did I say I wouldn't invade the Soviet Union? I can't believe you people are still falling for this!" As late as 1941, Josef Stalin was shocked that Hitler broke his promise of peace with the Soviet Union and launched a massive invasion. Shocked! After Hitler had written extensively about invading Russia in Mein Kampf, and after he had broken every other peace agreement he ever made...
    • Hitler didn't make every agreement intending to break it, he just broke them anyway. In the Stormtrooper example, for instance, he wasn't technically "lying" in the sense that he had intended to honour the promise when he made it, but a combination of his own paranoia, the need to get the Army on-side, and the fact that the Stormtroopers were rapidly alienating most of the German people with their loutishness and radicalism led him to go back on it later. For some reason people seem to see Hitler as a planner, right down to the most excessive detail - he wasn't. He had ideas, but most of his foreign policy was made essentially off-the-cuff - it was this recklessness in decision making (the fates of nations or the movements of troops would be decided in five minutes between courses at lunch) that led to him making several serious blunders.
    • Also, the historical record indicates that both Stalin and Hitler were planning to betray each other. Stalin wasn't so much shocked that Hitler would betray him (believing that Hitler would eventually invade in 1942) but more that he would do it while still at war with the British and earlier than he expected.
      • Betray each other is slightly too strong, at least for the Soviets. It would be more accurate to say that the Soviet Union wished to pursue foreign policy goals that would be contrary to German interests - such as securing a seaport in the Eastern Mediterranean and gobbling up the Baltic states, whilst still maintaining normal, if not necessarily friendly, relations with the Third Reich.
    • Let's not forget what Josef Goebbels stated: "The principle and which is quite true in itself & that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily." In short, "The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed."
  • Then-Attorney General of Louisiana Jack Gremillion was walking by the governor's office when he recognized a contingent from Pearl River waiting to see then-Governor Huey Long. Gremillion went into Long's office. "Governor, those people from Pearl River who you had me promise a road to are here." "What the hell road are you talking about?" asked Long. Gremillion reminded Long that he had specifically ordered him to promise the Pearl River folk a road during the recent campaign. "Hell, I don't have time for them. Send them away." Gremillion pleaded, "But Governor, what can I tell them?" "Tell 'em I lied!"
  • Quoth George H. W. Bush: "Read my lips: NO NEW TAXES."
Some time after the quote, he got a bill that would have fulfilled one of his other promises, but would've increased taxes. He was forced to break one or the other, and either choice would've cost him the re-election. Nevertheless, any politician worth his salt should realize that he can't know what crisis might occur during his or her term of service, let alone what steps might be necessary to resolve it. A promise as grand as "no new taxes" is unreasonable, and a politician who makes such a promise is playing on the voters' naivete. It may not be strictly malicious, but it's disingenuous to call it anything other than a lie.
  • Newt Gingrich mentions this in the context of the trial of a terrorist, a naturalized American citizen from Pakistan, who had placed a car bomb in Time Square. Asked how he could do what he did after taking the oath to uphold the US Constitution, he simply answered: "You are my enemy. I lied."
  • This is pretty much North Korea's entire diplomatic strategy.
    • And domestic policy.
  • In April 10, despite Bashar al-Assad's repeated promise to ceasefire on attacks across the country to suppress uprising and desire for political reform to United Nations envoy Kofi Annan, who hoped for a six-point peace plan for country, the Syrian president did not pull his troops and heavy equipment out of towns and cities which still continued to assault protestors.


Other examples

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