The truth is the truth is the truth. And as long as you tell the

Hear the unwavering words of Don Lemon, forged in the fires of public scrutiny: “The truth is the truth is the truth. And as long as you tell the truth, you'll be okay in the end.” In these words lies the essence of endurance, a reminder that though truth may be challenged, distorted, or denied, it does not bend, nor does it die. Truth is not fashioned by opinion nor destroyed by lies. It stands immutable, eternal, a mountain unmoved by the storms that howl against it. And he who speaks it, though battered for a time, finds safety in the end.

The ancients too proclaimed this lesson. The Hebrew psalmist sang, “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.” The Stoics declared that to live in harmony with nature and reason was to live in truth, and therefore to live in freedom. From the temples of Greece to the deserts of Judea, wise men and prophets declared that the path of honesty was narrow and hard, but it led to peace, while lies, though easy, led only to ruin.

Consider the example of Mahatma Gandhi. Against the might of an empire, he built his campaign not on armies or weapons, but on what he called satyagraha—the force of truth. For this he was beaten, imprisoned, mocked, and yet he endured. In the end, he and his people were vindicated, for truth, though resisted, proved stronger than the bayonets of falsehood. Gandhi’s life is proof of Lemon’s words: as long as you tell the truth, you will be okay in the end—not without struggle, but with victory.

History also offers us the story of Nelson Mandela. For twenty-seven years he sat in a prison cell, condemned as a criminal and a terrorist. Yet he refused to betray his convictions or embrace lies for his freedom. He held fast to the truth that all men are equal and worthy of dignity. When at last the prison doors opened, he walked out not broken, but unbowed, and he became the father of a new South Africa. His life declares that truth endures, and that he who clings to it cannot be conquered.

Why does truth prevail in the end? Because it is reality itself. Lies may comfort, but they crumble when tested. Falsehood may deceive for a season, but it collapses beneath its own weight. Truth is the ground beneath our feet; to deny it is to walk on air. Those who cling to lies must endlessly invent, endlessly defend, endlessly fear exposure. But those who speak truth stand secure, for nothing can overthrow what is real. Thus Lemon’s words are not mere comfort, but a law of life: truth alone endures.

The lesson for us is this: do not compromise your integrity for applause, for wealth, or for ease. In the short run, lies may seem profitable, and truth may seem costly. But in the end, only truth will keep you whole. Speak honestly even when it hurts, live authentically even when it isolates you, and you will find peace in the knowledge that you stood with reality, not against it. To tell the truth is to walk on solid ground; to lie is to walk on sand.

Therefore, let this wisdom be etched into your heart: the truth is the truth is the truth. It does not change to suit opinion, nor bend to the will of men. Align yourself with it, and though storms come, you will endure. Speak it, live it, stand by it, and in the end, you will be more than okay—you will be free.