Children and fools speak the truth.
Meaning: Unguarded honesty emerges from those lacking social filters or awareness of consequences.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and German
- French: Les enfants et les fous disent la vérité (literally: Children and madmen tell the truth)
- Spanish: Los niños y los locos dicen la verdad (literally: Children and fools speak the truth)
- German: Kinder und Narren sagen die Wahrheit (literally: Children and fools tell the truth)
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From our compliments & insults
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