Blushing is virtue's colour.
Blushing is virtue's colour.
Meaning in plain English
Blushing is imagined as the visible colour of moral sensitivity. The saying can praise a moment of modesty, but a bodily reaction does not prove honesty or virtue, and the absence of visible embarrassment does not establish a defect of character.
Example
A speaker becomes visibly embarrassed after receiving praise, but the committee evaluates the speaker’s work from the evidence rather than that reaction.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The phrase turns an outward sign into a colour associated with an inward quality. It imagines someone who feels modesty or discomfort when attention falls on a moral question. As a poetic image, that association can make sensitivity seem visible. As a test of another person, it is unreliable: the saying supplies no evidence connecting a particular reaction with the truth of what someone says. A person’s conduct and account of events need to be considered on their own terms. The image is better used to describe a moment gently than to judge someone by appearance.
When to use it
Use it as a poetic description of modesty, rather than a test of character.
Keep in mind
Visible embarrassment and moral integrity are not interchangeable evidence.
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 138 · Blushing
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 ↗
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