What recurring phrase expresses Gregory House’s view of patients in House M.D.?

“Everybody lies” is the recurring phrase that expresses Gregory House’s view of patients in House M.D.

House uses the phrase to argue that patients may hide information, misunderstand their symptoms, or present an incomplete version of events. In his diagnostic method, a patient’s account is evidence but not automatically reliable evidence. His team therefore checks statements against examinations, tests, records, and observed behavior.

The line became one of the show’s most recognizable catchphrases and is closely associated with House’s cynical philosophy. It does not mean that every patient deliberately deceives doctors. Rather, the series uses it to dramatize the gap between what people say and what their bodies or circumstances reveal.

The phrase is sometimes quoted as “Everyone lies,” but the canonical wording most associated with the show is “Everybody lies.” It also echoes a broader medical-drama theme: accurate diagnosis depends on gathering information from multiple sources instead of relying on a single account.