Verbal Habits of Deceptive People - Statement Structures 7: Distancing Statements. No one likes to think of themselves as a liar, cheat or criminal, so unconsciously people often avoid referring to themselves in their lies - as if keeping them our of their statement means there aren't the one lying; "This would be a great thing for you to buy" rather than "I think this would be a great thing for you to buy". This is also common in language that minimalises the value of something, or impersonalises another person; Clinton's famous statement: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman".