This phrase has always been one that I find interesting whenever it comes up. Almost everybody is too eager to utter this whenever this point comes up in conversation.

To give some context to this, I myself have never cheated, and hope to be able to still be able to honestly say so when I’m on my deathbed. However, I cannot say this with the confidence that almost everyone does. Aside from the fact that it is trivially easy to imagine a circumstance where I might hypothetically be tempted, there is also the consideration that I’m certain a great many people who once said and believed this, at some point did cheat. What rational reason do I have to think I am somehow uniquely immune to it? Despite the fact that just imagining having cheated is a very unpleasant visceral feeling, I cannot honestly conclusively say I never would.

There have been WAY too many first hand experiences with mixed company where someone whom I know has cheated (even when this knowledge came from them telling me prior) and yet they vociferously still make this claim confidently.

The point I’m getting to is that not only is this statement worthless (given the incentives or lack thereof to claim otherwise), if in response to the question of whether someone would cheat, this response is actually WORSE than worthless.

If someone can reflexively and confidently respond this way without time for thought, all this telegraphs to me is that they are not honestly grappling with the question, and simply giving the most palatable socially sanctioned response.

Thoughts?