Comment by HeyLaughingBoy

Honesty is often overrated by geeks and it is very contextual.

The canonical question is "Honey, does this dress make my ass look fat?" The honest answer may be "yes." But that answer could be hurtful and result in a seriously pissed off girlfriend/wife for a while.

The easy answer is "no." Dishonest, but no hurt feelings. A better response is often to deflect the question entirely and say, "I think you look much better in that purple dress you used to like."

That's what Sam did here: he deflected the question before it even arose.