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Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure.
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“Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure.”

Jane Austen

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Source
Emma
Date
1815
Local voice
Narrator voice · Narrator
Meaning

Meaning of “Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to…”

Austen observes that even sincere accounts can contain omission, disguise, or misunderstanding, which makes careful listening and humility important in judging what people say.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Emma, Volume III, Chapter XIII, scan-backed 1816 John Murray first edition on Wikisource. The narrator observes that complete truth seldom belongs to any human disclosure while explaining that even the Emma–Knightley understanding contains mistaken conduct alongside genuine feeling.

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Speaker context

Why the local voice matters

The Emma narrator reflects on the imperfect disclosure surrounding Emma and Knightley’s mutual understanding.

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Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

CommunicationDeepFriendshipHonestyHumilityRelationshipShortThought-Provoking Quotes That Invite ReflectionTrustTruthUnderstandingWisdom Quotes About Judgment & Living WellListeningPerspective
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He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.
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“He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.”

John Stuart Mill · On Liberty · 1859
Meaning & context

Understanding a position requires serious contact with competing arguments; familiarity with only one side can produce confidence without real comprehension.

Source details

On Liberty, Chapter 2; Mill argues for open discussion because opposing views expose weaknesses and sharpen understanding.

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Regard him as loyal, and you will make him loyal.
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“Regard him as loyal, and you will make him loyal.”

Seneca · Moral Letters to Lucilius — Letter 3 · c. 63–65
Meaning & context

Seneca suggests that suspicion can become self-reinforcing: treating a chosen friend as trustworthy helps create the conditions for candid, reciprocal friendship rather than teaching defensiveness from the outset.

Source details

Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 3, Richard M. Gummere translation. Seneca immediately contrasts this with people who fear deception so strongly that their suspicions help teach others to deceive them.

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A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.
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“A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.”

Aesop · Aesop’s Fables — The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf · Traditional
Voice: Fictional character · Wise man of the village
Meaning & context

Repeated deception damages credibility beyond the original lie: once listeners have learned to expect false alarms, even a later truthful warning can fail to restore belief in time.

Source details

Joseph Jacobs, The Fables of Aesop, “The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf,” Project Gutenberg #28. The wise man of the village gives the moral after the boy’s repeated false cries cause the villagers to ignore his real warning.

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A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
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“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”

Thomas Paine · Common Sense · 1776
Meaning & context

Custom can disguise error by making the familiar feel legitimate; critical judgment requires re-examining practices that have escaped scrutiny through repetition.

Source details

Common Sense (1776), Introduction. The represented opening sentence is verified in Project Gutenberg #147 and the validated scan-backed Wikisource transcription; Paine argues that familiarity can make a wrong practice appear right before public argument unsettles the custom.

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