"but in his voice I heard decay
the plastic face forced to portray
all the insides left cold and gray..."

Okay, last thread didn't go so well, let us all try to be adults here.

How much do you believe words and what strikes a red flag when someone talks to you? Figure most take a new persons words with a grain of salt, but how do you figure someone to be a liar? I'm not talking about your "magic" abiliby to read a character either, how far do you take it when you want to figure out if they are telling the truth?

Again, we are adults, act like it please.

At first I'm eager to believe what people tell me- when it's something good- unless it sounds too good to be true. But if I like the person, I still want to believe them. I still say actions trump words though, I can say I love you all day and treat you like crap, so my words don't mean anything.

Oh yeah, red flags when they seem to be saying what I want to hear, and things don't add up, as if they forgot to keep track of their lies over time...

I believe words don't mean chit. It's the action that determines.

I was bought up to believe and trust people. Hasn't worked out that way obviously but I still believe all new aquaintances when they tell me something. Only after getting to know someone and what they're like do I start to doubt what they say.

Just watch Lie to Me on TV, and read their micro-expressions.
Simple. Other than that, people lie near constantly so it's better to disbelieve everything that anyone says. Even your own thoughts. Or this.

Funny you say that, I'm trying to disbelieve my own thoughts, I hope it works.

It will..but only when you KNOW that the thoughts are bulls**t.

This is my answer as well.

Actions speak louder than words -- say what you mean and mean what you say.

I also add up the "little" things that don't make sense as well as inconsistencies; conflicting details in a story, etc

They can say what they want...I don't listen I'm cool like that

Some people are very clever, they lie by omission. They are telling you the truth but leaving out the things they do not want you to know.
This becomes very tricky. My ex-husb was very good at this and when I found our what was going on you can imagine how sad and hurt I was.

Do you confront them right away and state i.e. you told me something different yesterday and let them explain, or do you gracefully leave the relationship?

I know the lies are starting

When they ask me to leave here for awhile
When they tell me who NOT to talk to on here
When they have to know everything everyone is saying to me


Then the lies emerge.....

I'm guilty of little white ones. Always have been so as not to hurt someone

Oh but I have been accused of so much more
Which turn out as usual

To be nothing but more lies

I've been accused of

Being married
Having a boyfriend (at the time-no)
Lying about my pic
Having an imaginary boyfriend
Being a man!!!

The things people come up with. Sometimes I really just LMAO!!! How can you not!!!

All I can say is wow.

I will gracefully confront them at the moment I notice a problem. I am not one to allow things to build up, and I’d rather resolve a question when it’s small. For anyone trying to be deceptive, the longer you allow them to lie, the more they believe their story and the lies continue to stack.

A few, insignificant issues won’t cause me to leave but if they continue to fib (and the bigger the issues get), I will leave. They will know why too. I always give closure when I choose to leave.

Life is too short to put up with pathology from the one you love or date. My tolerance is as close to zero as one person can be but I also try to act reasonably.

My Daddy was from Texas. He always said, “If a man needs killing at least tell him why first!”

I will give a person the benefit of the doubt when it comes to talking, but if I see they don't make eye contact or they start fidgeting I know they are lying. I also go with my gut instinct on this as well.

There are ways to know if one is lying or not..face to face anyway.
Body language, facial expression and pupil dilation...are just a few ways.

I seem to remember this one the other way around.

Most people lie. We lie to ourselves, we lie to others... it is the purposeful or insiduous lies that hurt... those are the ones that matter.

I suppose if you live by the Golden Rule and you yourself are honest... that is okay. But your instincts must ne good and you must be cautious.

But frankly, a lot of people lie on the Internet.