In general, I'm pretty forgiving about lies, especially if they're not hurting anyone. So any lie in which I feel no one has really been hurt I choose to be OK with. People have all kinds of complexes and vulnerabilities. So if someone lies and I catch them, I always try to come up with a plausible, acceptable reason why they might have chosen to lie. For example, I invite a friend out but they cancel at the last minute because they have to go to work, but then I'm at the office and don't see them. Well--maybe they had a stomach problem and didn't want to tell me. Of course, this comes down to whether or not you truly like and trust your friend. Too many mysterious lies make a person sketchy and I'm really cautious about letting "sketchy" people into my life.

The category of lies that truly gets under my skin (apart from the obviously, major wrong immoral lies, like infidelity, making up nasty stories about someone, etc.) are the lies people tell to make themselves seem better than others. This is distinct from insecure people making up lies so they feel "as good" as everyone else -- I have sympathy for that. One time, while hanging out in a group, a friend was asked about his college degree -- I knew he didn't have one, but he lied that he did. I felt sympathy for him; he felt embarrassed and didn't feel like admitting that he'd never finished. On the other hand, my aunt likes to say my cousin went to Harvard. My cousin did an extension program at Harvard after her undergraduate degree - totally different. I hate the lies people who need to feel superior tell.