proverb · Words worth keeping
He may lie boldly who comes from afar.
He may lie boldly who comes from afar.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A distant account can be hard to check, allowing an invented story to sound convincing. The saying draws attention to verification rather than encouraging dishonesty.
What the words are saying
Coming from afar places the reported events beyond the listener’s immediate experience. Boldness may then take the place of evidence. A useful reading asks what supports the account, which details can be checked and whether uncertainty is being admitted. Distance does not make a report false, and a local speaker is not automatically reliable. The point is to examine the claim without turning unfamiliarity into suspicion of a person’s background.
Everyday example
A club hears an impressive account of an overseas project and asks for the published report before repeating its claims.
When to use it
Use it when an account is difficult to check because its circumstances are distant.
What it does not mean
Do not infer dishonesty from nationality, distance or unfamiliarity; examine the evidence.
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 (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 1; French section, paragraph 4; source wording: A beau mentir qui vient de loin.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.