proverb · Legacy record
Ask no questions and you’ll get no lies.
Ask no questions and you’ll get no lies.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Avoiding questions to avoid lies connects inquiry with the risk of an untruthful answer. The saying presents noninquiry as a cynical protection.
What the words are saying
A critical interpretation does not make silence a reliable route to truth. Needed questions, investigation and clarification can reveal evidence, while unanswered uncertainty can also cause harm. The phrase supplies no reason to excuse a liar or blame the person who asks.
Everyday example
A reader seeks relevant information while checking the answer’s support instead of avoiding every question.
When to use it
Use it critically to examine distrust of answers.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No truth guarantee through noninquiry or responsibility for another person’s lie 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
United States
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 wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 143; PDF page 19; collection label: United States
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- United States