proverb · Source-linked selection
Whatever you do, whatever you say, Tell your doctor and lawyer the truth alway.
Whatever you do, whatever you say, Tell your doctor and lawyer the truth alway.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The rhyme urges truthfulness with a doctor and lawyer whatever one does or says. It connects helpful professional understanding with an honest account.
What the words are saying
The repeated whatever gives the instruction unusually wide reach. A qualified application can discuss avoiding misleading information in a relevant conversation without prescribing unlimited disclosure or legal strategy. The verse gives no particular relationship, jurisdiction or assurance about confidentiality. Its useful focus is accuracy in the information a person chooses to provide.
Everyday example
Someone gives an accurate account of a task-related difficulty rather than changing facts to make the situation sound easier.
When to use it
Use it to discuss truthfulness in a relevant helping conversation.
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What it does not mean
It is not medical or legal advice or a guarantee of confidentiality.
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 1675 · Truth
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English