Jonathan Swift, Mary, the Cookmaid's Letter. Rabelais, Works, Author's Prologue to, Book V. Beaumont and Fletcher, Wit Without Money, Act IV, scene 1. Henry IV, Part I, scene 1, line 59.

Tell truth, and shame the devil.

— Jonathan Swift on Truth

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Tell truth, and shame the devil." in the context of "Jonathan Swift, Mary, the Cookmaid's Letter. Rabelais, Works, Author's Prologue to, Book V. Beaumont and Fletcher, Wit Without Money, Act IV, scene 1. Henry IV, Part I, scene 1, line 59." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Truth" (Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 818-22.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Jonathan Swift

About Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer and satirist. Acclaimed as one of the finest prose satirists in the English language, he was also well known for his poetry and essays.