Everybody learning English knows what a white lie means, but since it is a lie, it has always been a controversial topic. A case in point is when a patient is suffering an incurable disease, should doctor or others tell him or her the truth? People against telling a white lie insist the patients should be informed of the truth so that they can make proper decision on their rest days. And the laws entitle people to know the truth which concerns them, so telling lies to patients in fact invades their legal right. Contrary to the belief above, some people hold that telling patients their true condition risks destroying their hope, which will make the illness even more serious. Therefore, we should keep them from knowing the truth. As far as I'm concerned, I think whether people should tell a white lie or not depends on what kind of person the patient is.