That is true which all men say.
Meaning: What everyone believes requires no individual verification; consensus substitutes for personal investigation.
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.
More proverbs about Communication
- Speak the truth and shame the devil. — Truth-telling defeats deception by exposing falsehood's powerlessness against honest word…
- Any flat can talk of change of weather. — Even the most ordinary person can observe and comment on obvious, visible phenomena occur…
- He that tells his wife news is but newly married. — A husband who shares secrets with his wife hasn't yet learned discretion is essential to…
- Wit ill applied is a dangerous weapon. — Clever words wielded carelessly inflict harm deeper than intended, making intelligence wi…
- An honest man's word is as good as his bond. — Integrity without documentation suffices; trustworthy character renders formal guarantees…
- Words are like weights, gravity gives them effect. — Heavy words gain power through the seriousness of their context and the consequences they…
From our idioms
- pink slip — Notice that one has been fired from one's job.
- play hardball — To work or act aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.
- play one's cards right — To do all the right things and make all the right moves in order to achieve some end.