30 People Share The Lies They Once Believed And The Crushing Moments When They Discovered They Weren't True

"Watch out for drop cats.”

Stephanie

• Published in Interesting
• May 29, 2023

We live in a world where (sadly) lying is a common occurrence. Whether it's a little white lie or an elaborately executed deception, people lie all the time.

You would think we'd all be pretty darn good at telling the difference between what's true and what's not by now. But it's human nature to be trusting of others, and sometimes our naivety can get the better of us.

So, when Reddit user u/Fearless-surfur-ee asked the question, "What was the biggest lie you believed?" it shouldn't come as a surprise that the thread ended up with more than 11 thousand comments. People couldn't wait to share their funny, strange, and interesting answers.

What made the Redditor want to ask that particular question? "I remember I was in my room wondering about my childhood; we used to believe many things that weren't true at all, so I thought, why shouldn't I ask others," he explained.

"Personally, the biggest lie I used to believe was that when people die, they become invisible," the Redditor continued. It's certainly a great question, and we're so glad the OP asked it!

So, what are some lies that you've believed? Keep scrolling to read 30 of the best answers from the Reddit community.

1. Perhaps in an ideal world.

If you simply put your head down, do what you're told, and work hard, things will work out.

2. If only.

Bullies get bored if you ignore them.

3. Ouch!

That my parents were married.

Truth is my father was, just not to my mother.

4. That good old Arizona gas tea.

I had dumped some gasoline in an Arizona tea bottle to get a fire started. My sister saw me pour it on fire and she freaked thinking Arizona ice tea was flammable. I went along with it saying "Ya you didn't know that? That's why it's called Arizona because of how hot it gets there."

She was 20 yrs old. Around 5 years later we are camping and she says who's got some Arizona I can use to start this campfire. I looked at her and didn't understand. She explained I told her it was flammable. I had no recollection. She says she has been telling everyone for the last 5 years how bad it is for you and how flammable it is.

5. Those drop cats will get you every time!

I had a fraternity brother from NY come to university in Oklahoma. This was before the internet. We told him to be careful of rattlesnakes. We explained what they were. He did NOT believe. So, we took him to the library, pulled out the encyclopedia, and showed him. He then asked… what else can kill you in this state.

Without missing a beat, one of our brothers said, “They probably won’t kill you, but you have to watch out for drop cats.” He then went on to tell him how this kind of cat (40 pounds on average) evolved to use the cat trait of landing on its feet to kill its prey. They would climb trees, hanging upside down, then drop, feet down onto their prey. Only defense? An open umbrella. This guy walked to and from every class, on sunny days, not a cloud in the sky, opening his umbrella as he walked under every tree on the campus. Lasted about three weeks.

6. A sister from another mister.

When I was like 16 I found out that one of my sisters wasn’t actually my sister. She was actually just best friends with my oldest sister growing up, and she lived with my family from when she was like 12 or 13 through 18 (she and my oldest sister are 15 years older than me). Unfortunately, her parents wouldn’t sign her over for adoption and didn’t contribute anything to my mom raising her for 6 years.

Weirdest part is that my family is predominantly fair-skinned, blonde with blue eyes, but the girl I thought was my sister was a traditional Mexican with darker skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. My mom was always very tan and had darker hair throughout my childhood so I thought that my other 2 sisters and myself were the odd ones out.

7. A truth that's hard to take.

Parents love their children equally and unconditionally.

8. Some do, most don't.

That adults knew what they were doing.

9. It should, but it never does.

10. Oh yes, tax reasons.

That my dad moved out and rented a room in the house of a female friend for tax reasons.

11. The lies are endless.

If you go to college you'll get a good job and have a nice house.

Lying 90s third grade teacher.

12. You would think.

That a full career and retirement from the US Navy would guarantee me free medical.

13. Yeah right!

I’ll fill up my car with gas before work tomorrow morning.

14. The horror!

My dad got sick of having to listen to the kids shows I watched as a child, so he told me that the Power Rangers and Barney The Dinosaur died in the car crash with Princess Diana so I couldn't watch them anymore. I didn't actually question it until I was quite old, embarrassingly.

15. Sadly, it can strike at any age.

That acne would only be a problem when i was a teenager.

16. One strong hamster.

When I was very young we had a pet hamster. He got out of his cage, so my dad put the cage in the basement thinking he might get hungry and get back in.

One morning I woke up and there was the hamster in his cage in the usual place. I asked my mom how they found him and she told me she opened the door to the cellar and there he was dragging his cage back upstairs.

It wasn't until I was a teenager and remembered the exchange that it occurred to me she obviously made that up.

17. Damn straight you will!

"When I grow up, I'll always be able to do what I want, when I want."

Oh, my sweet summer child.

18. The ultimate untruth.

The American dream.

19. A rude awakening.

That America was family-oriented, cared about its citizens, and was everything I saw in movies growing up in the UK. Then I moved here. No healthcare. No guaranteed time off. Bankruptcy for cancer. Hatred for minority groups. I’ve never experienced such a culture shock. I asked for 5 weeks paid vacation when I arrived, which I got in England. I was literally laughed out of the interview. 22 years later things have not improved.

20. A sad reality.

That it's not what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts.

No matter how you cut it pretty people get better chances in life. It doesn't matter what you do, if you look like Quasimodo you can put in the most effort on a given task and they would rather swing the credit to anyone else.

21. Those darn party licenses are hard to come by.

That you need a license for children’s parties. That was the reason why I never had a party when I was little growing up. You need to get a license from the post office, but there’s only a certain amount of licenses available for that area.

22. That old chestnut, hey?

"The Tinder account was just a shared account for joking around with my friends. I never even logged in on my own."

It was in fact his account which he had been using during the last three months of our relationship. And yes, I knew how unbelievable that sounds but I refused to believe that the man I trusted so much would ever do this to me.

23. If they have to convince you it isn't, it usually is.

"My church isn't a cult."

It was a cult.

24. Forever alone.

That some day everyone meets their person and live and love together the rest of their lives. Never happens for some of us.

25. Ha! That's a good one.

That justice will always win.

26. Wait. They don't?

That carrots improved night-vision. Damn Brits and trying to hide radar use.

27. Good one, dad.

Our family was poor and lived in a house where the ceiling plaster had bowed so much that it bowed down, bulging out.

My dad told me that there was a World War II bomb buried in the ceiling. Believed it for years, absolutely terrified the entire time.

28. The betrayal is real.

On April Fools while I was getting ready for school on a cold winter day, my mom told me "School is canceled! It's a snow day!"

I ran around for a good 2 minutes celebrating before she told me, "April Fools!"

I've never felt so betrayed in my life.

29. Oh, what a waste of time school turned out to be.

That I won't have a calculator wherever I go. When I was in school, I used to believe that I needed to memorize all the math formulas and multiplication tables because I wouldn't have access to a calculator wherever I go. However, with the advancement of technology, I now carry a calculator with me all the time, in the form of a smartphone or a smartwatch. So, that belief turned out to be a big lie.

30. If only this were true.

My mom told me when I was 5 and my favorite dog died that it doesn't matter that dogs die because in 7 years they re-spawn.

So I was like "Oh, fine, see you then bud, I will be older and we will play again."

So, there you have it! 30 of the best answers from people sharing the biggest lies they've ever believed.

What about you? Have you ever found out that something you always believed was actually not true?

We would love to hear your stories. You can share them with us in the comment section.

Stephanie