proverb · Words worth keeping
Truth lies in a well.
Truth lies in a well.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The truth of a matter may be difficult to reach. The well pictures knowledge lying below the readily visible surface.
What the words are saying
A deep place makes truth something that requires effort to find rather than an immediate impression. The saying can encourage inquiry and patience when an account is incomplete. It does not prove that every obvious answer is false or that a complicated explanation is more accurate. A useful reading asks which evidence is missing and what investigation can realistically clarify it.
Everyday example
Someone looks for the original record behind a disputed summary instead of deciding from the first confident account.
When to use it
Use it to encourage inquiry beyond a surface impression.
What it does not mean
Difficulty and complexity do not themselves establish 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 1669 · Truth
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English