proverb · Words worth keeping
Bad news travels fast.
Bad news travels fast.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures bad news moving quickly between people. It emphasises the rapid circulation of reports of trouble or misfortune.
What the words are saying
Travels makes information behave like a moving visitor. A useful application can ask how a troubling report spreads and whether its contents have been checked. The phrase does not prove that all negative news spreads faster than other news or that a rapidly shared account is accurate.
Everyday example
A group checks the original message before forwarding an alarming report received from several people.
When to use it
Use it to discuss circulation of troubling reports while checking their accuracy.
What it does not mean
Speed of circulation does not establish truth or a universal comparison with good news.
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 50; PDF page 11
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.