From confessors, doctors, and lawyers, do not conceal the truth of your case.
From confessors, doctors, and lawyers, do not conceal the truth of your case.
Meaning in plain English
The saying values an accurate account when seeking help from a trusted adviser. Its list of professional and religious roles contrasts useful understanding with an account that conceals relevant facts.
Example
Someone seeking help with a project explains the missed deadline and the changed brief rather than presenting only the part that makes them look good.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Confessors, doctors and lawyers are presented as people asked to understand a case. The literary point is that an adviser’s response can be affected by what they are told. This is not a statement about present professional duties, confidentiality or what someone is legally required to disclose. A responsible reading considers the purpose of a consultation and legitimate privacy rather than demanding unlimited revelation. Its concern is a deliberately misleading account, not a rule that everybody is entitled to every private detail.
When to use it
Use it as a historical expression of candour in seeking advice, with professional and privacy limits kept distinct.
Keep in mind
No medical, legal or confidentiality rule is established by the proverb.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 2; French section, paragraph 27; source wording: A confesseurs, médecins, avocats, la vérité ne cèle de ton cas.
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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