When someone says,
“I want an honest opinion,”
they usually DON’T truly want
an honest opinion.
They usually want validation.
They want you
to agree with
whatever they’ve decided.
People who truly want
honest opinions
don’t usually preface their statements
that way.
They, instead,
will make it easy
for you to have
a different opinion.
They might give you
alternatives,
giving you the sense they’re undecided.
(I couldn’t decide
between this light blue or another color.)
Or they will guess
at a different opinion.
(Does this make the book
look too dark?)
Consider saving your honest opinions
for folks who really want to hear it.