proverb · Words worth keeping
Truth may be blamed, but it can't be shamed.
Truth may be blamed, but it can't be shamed.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Criticism does not by itself disprove a true claim. The saying distinguishes hostility toward a statement from the evidence that makes it accurate.
What the words are saying
Truth is personified as able to receive blame without acquiring shame. It can encourage a person to maintain a well-supported account despite an unwelcome reaction. Yet claiming to speak truth does not exempt the speaker from checking mistakes or considering how they communicate. A useful application returns to the evidence rather than treating opposition as proof that the original statement was right.
Everyday example
Someone answers criticism by showing the relevant record and correcting a detail that the criticism fairly identified.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish an adverse reaction from a factual rebuttal.
What it does not mean
A speaker’s confidence or persecution does not prove their claim true.
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 1674 · Truth
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English