Open confession is good for the soul.
Meaning: Acknowledging wrongdoing relieves the psychological burden of guilt and shame.
Origin: Usually called a Scottish proverb, and more often heard today without the "open": "confession is good for the soul." It appears widely in print from the mid-19th century. Admitting a fault brings relief.
More proverbs about Morality
- He may well be contented who needs neither borrow nor flatter. — Financial independence and honest self-reliance free you from degrading dependence on oth…
- Call me cousin; but cozen me not. — Familiarity and kinship don't justify deception; treat relatives honestly despite closene…
- Many a good cow hath had a bad calf. — Good parentage cannot guarantee virtuous offspring; heredity alone does not determine cha…
- Of all crafts, to be an honest man is the master-craft. — Honesty requires greater skill and discipline than any technical profession.
- Crafty evasions save not the truth. — Clever dodging and indirect answers ultimately fail to conceal what is genuinely real.
- Creditors have better memories than debtors. — Those owed money recall their claims far more vividly than those owing it wish to remembe…