Quote by Adrienne Rich: “Lying is done with words and also with silence.”

Deception isn't only about what you say — choosing not to speak when truth is needed is its own kind of lie. Rich is pointing to how silence can be as dishonest as a false statement, particularly in relationships where withholding truth causes the same damage as fabricating one.

Rich wrote this in her 1978 essay Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying. The second wave feminist movement was examining not just political rights but the personal dynamics of power, honesty, and authenticity in women's relationships and inner lives.

American poet and essayist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in twentieth-century feminist and political poetry. Her 1973 collection Diving into the Wreck and her essays in On Lies, Secrets, and Silence shaped feminist literary theory for generations.