Hypocrisy: pretending to have qualities or beliefs you do not To get away with saying one thing and doing another, it helps to put some distance between your words and acts. It may not work to say “I always give to panhandlers I pass on the street” as you pass, and ignore, a panhandler on the street. You might prefer to say that at another time and place, or to say something more abstract, with muddier implications about your specific behavior.