The truth that seems discouraging does in reality only transform the courage of those strong enough to accept it; and, in any event, a truth that disheartens, because it is true, is still of far more value than the most stimulating of falsehoods.

Unsourced variant: A truth that disheartens because it is true is of more value than the most stimulating of falsehoods. - Wisdom and Destiny (1898)