proverb · Words worth keeping
Listeners never hear good of themselves.
Listeners never hear good of themselves.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A person who secretly listens to others may hear unwelcome comments about themselves. The saying warns about eavesdropping and its consequences, without making overheard remarks reliable evidence or blaming someone for accidentally hearing hurtful speech.
Example
A member tempted to linger outside a closed planning meeting chooses to ask the chair for the information they are entitled to receive instead.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Listeners here can be read as people attending to a conversation not intended for them. The statement imagines that their reward is criticism rather than praise. Its never exaggerates the warning: overheard talk can contain many kinds of information, and one fragment may be misleading without its context. The proverb can discourage an attempt to obtain reassurance or advantage through covert listening. It should not excuse cruel remarks or assign fault to someone who happened to hear them. The useful response considers privacy, the completeness of the information and whether a direct, appropriate conversation would provide a fairer understanding.
When to use it
Use it when covert listening is being mistaken for a dependable route to reassurance or understanding.
Keep in mind
Accidental overhearing is different from deliberate intrusion, and hurtful remarks are not thereby excused.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their 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
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English