The one winking his eye will give pain, and the one foolish with his lips will be trodden down.”​—Proverbs 10:9, 10.

The situation is different with the person who gives in to dishonesty for selfish gain. A deceiver may try to mask his untruthfulness with crookedness of speech or with body language. (Proverbs 6:12-14) The winking of his eye with malicious or deceptive intent may cause victims of his deception much mental anguish. But sooner or later, the crookedness of such a person becomes known. The apostle Paul wrote: “The sins of some men are publicly manifest, leading directly to judgment, but as for other men their sins also become manifest later. In the same way also the fine works are publicly manifest and those that are otherwise cannot be kept hid.” (1 Timothy 5:24, 25) Regardless of who is involved​—whether a parent, a friend, a marriage mate, or an acquaintance—​dishonesty eventually gets exposed. Who can trust a man who has a reputation for dishonesty?