Age before honesty.
Age before honesty.
Meaning in plain English
The saying places age ahead of honesty in a terse order of precedence. It can be read critically as asking whether seniority is being allowed to outweigh conduct.
Example
A committee respects a senior member while still examining an inaccurate account rather than excusing it because of age.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The two qualities are put into a hierarchy without a reason for it. Respect for experience need not require giving dishonest behaviour priority. A useful discussion asks what a particular decision should recognise: years lived, relevant knowledge or the reliability of someone’s actions. The wording alone does not settle whether the hierarchy is sincere or ironic.
When to use it
Use it to question how precedence is granted.
Keep in mind
Tone and setting may change the reading; age does not establish honesty.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-04. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 14 · Age
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗