proverb · Words worth keeping
Ask my comrade, who is as great a liar as myself.
Ask my comrade, who is as great a liar as myself.
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
Agreement from an equally unreliable companion does not establish truth. Look for evidence or genuinely independent confirmation instead of treating a second voice as automatic verification.
What the words are saying
The proposed witness shares the same unreliability as the speaker. Bringing that person forward adds apparent support without resolving the original problem. The proverb concerns the quality and independence of corroboration. Two people may repeat the same story because they heard it from each other, have the same interest or share an unchecked source. Ask what each actually observed and what can be confirmed separately. Agreement can be useful evidence, but only after its basis has been considered.
Everyday example
Two posts repeat a claim and cite each other. A reader checks the original document rather than counting the posts as two independent sources.
When to use it
Use it to question circular or dependent confirmation.
What it does not mean
Association alone does not prove that a witness is unreliable. Examine the actual evidence and how independently it was obtained.
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 15; French section, paragraph 297; source wording: Demandez-le à mon compagnon, qui est aussi menteur que moi.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.