Honesty is the best policy. — English proverb · Smartyfair

Honesty is the best policy.

English proverb

Source foundWisdomAncient

In plain words

Telling the truth is always the right choice to make.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 88% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Earliest recorded English use: Sir Edwin Sandys, Europae Speculum (written 1599, published 1605) — 'who think honestie the best policie'; a first-print attestation of a proverb, not a coinage
Work: Sir Edwin Sandys, Europae Speculum
Occasion: 1605
Sources checked: phrases.org.ukChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Cites Sandys' Europae Speculum, 1599, with the original spelling quotation

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