It is a rare THING to do good (to be honest)

Insights

Moral scarcity

Treats virtue as a rarity, implying that ordinary life rewards cunning more than rectitude; goodness appears as an exception rather than the rule.

Preemptive alibi

Used as a self-excusing disclaimer: by lamenting how rare honesty is, the speaker softens or normalizes their own lapse, framing knavery as regrettably typical.

Cynical realism

Suggests that structures of trade and social exchange tempt or pressure people away from uprightness, so frank goodness requires unusual resolve.

Virtue-signaling paradox

Praising honesty publicly can mask private deviation; the compliment becomes cover, separating ethical talk from ethical action.

Pragmatic irony

The attached note that it is “commonly a Preface to the telling of some thievish, or knavish Action” reveals a speech-act pattern: a mock-pious opener that lowers moral expectations and pre-justifies mischief.

Semantic breadth of 'honest'

Historically, ‘honest’ could mean truthful, reputable, or chaste; the proverb leverages this broad sense, lamenting a general decay of ‘honesty’ as social respectability as well as personal candor.

Dialectal color

Kirk-toned phrasing like “It’s a bra Thing to be honest” (Scots ‘braw’ = fine, admirable) puts local warmth on a universal complaint, turning moral counsel into a wry, familiar aside.

Rara avis motif

Calling honesty ‘rare’ echoes the classical topos of the ‘rare bird’ (rara avis): a valued but seldom-seen specimen, elevating virtue while insinuating its practical scarcity.

Politeness and face-work

As a conversational hedge, the line manages ‘face’: it invites indulgence from listeners, converting likely censure into complicity through shared, humorous cynicism.

Rhetorical Devices

Irony

Commends honesty while paving the way to recount dishonesty; the praise doubles as a shield for the very breach it decries.

Hyperbole

Labeling goodness as ‘rare’ overstates to sting the conscience and amplify the comic bite of the ensuing confession.

Parenthesis

The bracketed gloss “(to be honest)” apposes and clarifies ‘do good,’ tightening the moral focus and suggesting variant recitations.

Aphorism

Crisp, portable phrasing gives the line the snap of common sense, aiding memorability and frequent social use as a stock preface.

Procatalepsis

By anticipating moral objection—‘honesty is rare’—the speaker neutralizes criticism before narrating a knavish act.