proverb · Words worth keeping
All truth is not to be told at all times.
All truth is not to be told at all times.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Truthfulness does not require saying every true thing at every moment. The proverb concerns timing, relevance and consideration, while leaving a clear distinction between discretion and concealment that harms other people.
Example
A facilitator saves a minor correction for a private conversation after a celebration.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The sentence qualifies the occasion for speaking rather than declaring truth unimportant. A true observation can be irrelevant, private or needlessly disruptive when delivered at the wrong moment. Consideration may involve choosing a suitable setting or asking whether the listener needs the information now. This reading cannot excuse misleading someone who depends on an accurate account, or hiding harm to preserve comfort. The question is what a particular disclosure is for and whom it affects. A useful application weighs honesty alongside privacy and care, without making tact a blanket permission to manipulate what another person is allowed to know.
When to use it
Use it when considering timing and relevance in honest speech.
Keep in mind
Discretion must not become harmful deception or concealment.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional proverb
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown