A small lie

On April 25, 2013, Ex-President Jimmy Carter was giving a talk at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and during his speech, he recalled a story that happened after he retired from the White House. A female journalist interviewed his mother, Lillian. She was reluctant at first, but finally she accepted. When the journalist arrived, she knocked on the door and told her she could come right in. The journalist had some tough questions for her, aggressive at times, and rude also. She asked Lilian, ‘your son had promised to always tell the truth. Do you think he ever lied?’ Lillian answered her ‘I think my Jimmy always tells the truth’ The insistent journalist persisted, ‘But during his presidency, did he ever tell a small lie?’ Lillian responded ‘I think he did.’ The journalist fired back ‘Well then, he did lie! If he even said a small lie, he lied.’ The journalist kept insisting ‘how do you describe a small lie? And the mother replied, and ended the conversation this way: ‘Like when you knocked at my door, and I opened the door for you and told you what a pleasure it was to speak to you!’