proverb · Words worth keeping
'Tis the clerk makes the justice.
'Tis the clerk makes the justice.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An official’s work can depend heavily on the person who prepares and manages its records. The saying draws attention to expertise behind visible authority.
What the words are saying
The clerk is placed in a decisive role while the justice holds the public office. The contrast can recognise how administrative knowledge, careful records and practical support enable a decision-maker to act. It can also raise a concern about decisions being shaped by someone whose role is less visible. Neither reading excuses an official from responsibility. A useful application asks who supplies the information and whether the final decision has been properly examined.
Everyday example
A committee chair acknowledges that accurate preparation by the secretary made a complex meeting possible, while retaining responsibility for the decisions.
When to use it
Use it to recognise the support and information behind an official decision.
What it does not mean
Dependence on support staff does not transfer all responsibility away from the decision-maker.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 262 · Clerk
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English