proverb · Words worth keeping
A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.
A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying ranks a known mistake above an unknown truth. It contrasts an acknowledged error with information not yet available.
What the words are saying
The precise basis for better remains uncertain in the supplied account. A qualified reading can value knowing what needs correction without declaring falsehood preferable to truth or advising someone to preserve an error. The unknown claim still requires evidence before it can responsibly guide a decision.
Everyday example
A reader separates a recognised error that can be addressed from an unverified claim whose truth remains to be established.
When to use it
Use it only as a qualified comparison with unresolved context explicit.
What it does not mean
No general superiority of error or reason to reject verified truth is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 991; PDF page 138
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.