proverb · Words worth keeping
Paper bears anything.
Paper bears anything.
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
Words can be put on paper whether they are sound or false. A written statement still needs evidence; its appearance in a document does not make it trustworthy.
What the words are saying
Paper accepts what a writer puts on it without judging the claim. That absence of judgement is the point of the image: recording an assertion and establishing it are different acts. A polished document can contain an error, an exaggeration or a promise that has not been fulfilled. Look for the reasons, sources and conditions behind the words. The saying need not suggest that all writing is unreliable. It asks the reader to supply the scrutiny that the material carrying the words cannot provide.
Everyday example
A volunteer checks the evidence behind a printed claim about an event instead of repeating it solely because it appears in an official-looking leaflet.
When to use it
Use it when the existence of a written claim is being mistaken for proof.
What it does not mean
Writing can preserve excellent evidence; evaluate the particular document instead of dismissing everything in print.
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 33; French section, paragraph 654; source wording: Le papier souffre tout.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.