What the heart thinketh, the tongue speaketh.
Meaning: Unguarded speech reveals our true thoughts and character; we cannot conceal our inner nature through words.
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
- Many a true word is spoken in jest. — Humor provides cover for uncomfortable truths that people avoid stating seriously.
- Judge not a ship as she lies on the stocks. — Don't evaluate a vessel's true worth until it's launched and tested at sea.
- He tied a knot with his tongue he couldn't undo with his teeth. — Careless words spoken in haste create consequences far harder to retract than they were t…
- Laws catch flies, but let hornets go free. — Powerful people evade justice through legal loopholes while the powerless are punished fo…
- He lies as fast as a dog can trot. — Persistent deceit flows so naturally that the liar never pauses or hesitates in their fal…
- Life lies not in living, but in liking. — Contentment and satisfaction matter more than mere existence or the accumulation of exper…
From our untranslatable words
- Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
- Flâner — To wander a city slowly and aimlessly, savouring it with no destination in mind — the art…
- Retrouvailles — The joy of reuniting with someone after a long time apart.