True or False

We all are aware of the great king Harishchandra who was known for his honesty. He would always say the truth and nothing but the truth. Our parents too have taught us to always be honest and to always say the truth. But, as we grow up we learn that being truthful at times be harmful and we either hide the truth by abstaining from the situation or we lie. On top of this we justify this by saying that if our lie does not cause others any loss or pain then it is not wrong.
Is telling a lie in any way justified? Not that I am in any way a completely truthful person. We have always lied though not harmful. Some of us would lie to our girlfriends or wives that she is beautiful. Another instance some of us would say the food, someone dear to us, prepared is very tasty even though it is pathetic. Another instance is that we would lie to our bosses to get a day off. The justification we give is that this the price we pay for socialization.
Can't we completely truthful? I feel that lying is one of the cause for the stress we undergo. If we are completely truthful then I think lot of our stress would be nullified.
I know the answer that I would get. Being completely truthful is not being pragmatic. This is in no way a self realization or an advice blog but a thought.
One last thing, do NOT come to a conclusion that I am complete liar after reading this blog. I have always tried to be truthful to the maximum extent possible even if it means harm to me. For example, if I have committed a mistake then I would gladly accept the responsibility for the same and would never put the blame on others and similarly with appreciation. I would never steal that from the person who deserves it. For if I do it then I can never sleep peacefully.