To put oneself on stage: moral appearance as moral motivation This article aims to critically review the social, cultural, psychological, cognitive and hermeneutic elements of moral hypocrisy, and its manifestation as moral staging. We begin with the social usage of the hypocrisy concept to explore its value as a moral strategy. Well explore the historical and conceptual symbiosis between morality and hypocrisy to show each other’s tolerance. We will delve into empirical studies on moral hypocrisy, with its motives and inconsistencies, in order to discuss the social usefulness of moral staging. We will finish with an attempt to approach the moral staging like a possible moral heuristic, a cognitive schema and a tool of the justification system. Key words. Moral hypocrisy, moral integrity, normative frameworks, personal frameworks, moral staging.