Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then; life is dull without

Hear the ringing voice of Pearl S. Buck, whose pen captured the struggles and triumphs of human hearts: “Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then; life is dull without it.” In these words lies a call both simple and profound: that truth, though sometimes hard, is never lifeless, never stale. It is the breath of vitality, the fire that turns gray existence into something luminous. For lies, though comfortable, drain the spirit; silence, though safe, leaves the soul barren. Only the bold utterance of truth gives life its sharpness, its wonder, its radiant edge.

Pearl S. Buck, who lived between worlds—East and West, tradition and change—knew well the peril of silence and the power of truth. In her time, she bore witness to injustice, oppression, and the weight of unspoken realities. Yet she chose to speak, whether about the dignity of Chinese peasants or the struggles of women in every land. She discovered that truth, once spoken, can ignite the imagination of nations. It is not dull, but dangerous and thrilling; not safe, but life-giving.

Consider the tale of Martin Luther King Jr. Standing at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he did not flatter his age with lies, nor dull its ears with empty compromise. He spoke truth—that freedom delayed is freedom denied, that justice must roll down like waters. His words were not dull. They were fire. They were thunder. They shook a nation from slumber and set hearts aflame. This is the power of what Pearl S. Buck proclaimed: when truth is spoken, life is no longer drudgery—it becomes a story of awakening, of struggle, of hope.

But know also, my children, that truth is not always easy. It stirs, it unsettles, it excites precisely because it challenges. Those who cling to comfort and illusion will resist it, fearing the disruption it brings. Yet what is life without such stirring? A stagnant pond, lifeless and decaying. Better to endure the waves of upheaval than to rot in still waters. For the one who speaks truth lives fully, even if the path is perilous.

The ancients knew this well. Socrates, accused and condemned, refused to abandon the truth he sought. His words unsettled Athens, but his refusal to be silent has inspired centuries. His life, though cut short, was anything but dull. His death itself became a testimony that truth excites not only the speaker but also the world, even when it resists. Such is the heroic call embedded in Buck’s words: do not choose the dullness of silence; choose the fire of honesty.

The lesson, then, is clear. In your daily lives, do not hide behind falsehoods for the sake of ease. Do not let fear silence your voice when truth must be spoken. Whether in the intimacy of friendship, in the workplace, or in the public square, let your words carry sincerity. For even a small truth, spoken with courage, can awaken another soul and banish the shadows of dullness.

Therefore, live not as those who drift in monotony, but as those who dare to speak with clarity and conviction. Let your words be alive with truth—kind when kindness is needed, sharp when justice demands, steady when the world wavers. In this way, you will not only enrich your own life but also stir the lives of those around you. For as Buck declared, truth is always exciting, and to speak it is to live fully, leaving behind a world more luminous than the one you entered.