proverb · Words worth keeping
That is true which all men say.
That is true which all men say.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying treats widespread agreement as proof of truth. A careful reading questions that shortcut and asks what evidence supports the shared claim.
What the words are saying
All men saying something gives consensus an apparently final authority. Agreement can be worth considering, especially when it rests on relevant evidence, but repetition alone does not establish accuracy. A mistake can circulate widely, and dissent is not automatically correct either. A useful application examines how people reached the claim and whether they can offer independent support for it.
Everyday example
A group checks the original evidence for a widely repeated story instead of treating its repetition as confirmation.
When to use it
Use it to discuss the difference between agreement and evidence.
What it does not mean
Consensus and dissent both need assessment; neither automatically establishes truth.
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 1664 · True
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English