Honesty is a complicated trait. We might admire someone who is honest as long as their opinion does not reflect negatively on ourself. The honest truth can be painful.
Yet, we strive to be honest. Those who are not are considered to be unreliable. Then again, honesty must be expressed with care. There is harsh honesty and empathetic honesty. If asked for our opinion, we tend to temper our honesty depending on the subject and the recipient. Intellectual honesty is something we should always strive to achieve but interpersonal honesty might lead to unnecessary complications or undesired consequences.
In the end, only we know when we are being honest. We don't want to lie but we don't want to offend. Like it or not, we must choose to be honest, depending on the circumstances.
