ProverbCommunication
English origin1647
English origin1647Listeners never hear good of themselves.
Meaning: Eavesdroppers discover harsh truths because people speak candidly when unobserved, unlike flattery offered face-to-face.
Origin: Already called "the old proverb" in a 1647 newsbook, which gives it as "Hearkeners never hear good of themselves," and collected by John Ray in 1678. Eavesdroppers are warned that what people say behind your back is rarely flattering.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese
French: Qui écoute aux portes entend souvent sa propre honte (literally: He who listens at doors often hears his own shame)
Spanish: Quien escucha, su mal oye (literally: Listeners hear no good of themselves)
German: Der Horcher an der Wand hört seine eigene Schand (literally: The eavesdropper at the wall hears his own disgrace)
Portuguese: Quem escuta, de si ouve (literally: Whoever eavesdrops hears about himself)
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