Old mistakes need more friends than new truths.
Old mistakes need more friends than new truths.
Meaning in plain English
Old mistakes needing more friends than new truths pictures established errors depending on support. The saying contrasts defending a familiar error with recognising a fresh correction.
Example
A group considers new evidence about a familiar practice instead of defending it only because it has longstanding supporters.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Friends personifies the supporters of an idea, while the supplied gloss describes mistakes disliking truths. A qualified reading questions attachment to an error without assuming every old belief is false or every new claim true. Evidence must assess the particular claim; social support alone does not establish its correctness.
When to use it
Use it to discuss support for an established error with evidence required.
Keep in mind
Neither age, novelty nor number of supporters determines truth.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 977; PDF page 136
Reuse and collection notes ↗ - Attribution confidence
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Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
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