Cunning needs clothes. Truth goes naked.

What it means

A lie needs dressing up to pass. The truth can stand there plain and still hold. If a story needs too much costume, be suspicious of it, including your own.

The source

"Cunning needs clothes. Truth goes naked." This Scottish proverb is recorded in Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 75. Translated by Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862).

"Craft maun hae claes, but truth gaes naked."

Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862), Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 75. Text read at archive.org.

Who said it

Proverbs of the world (Every age). Sayings from the Latin, Greek, Norse, Japanese, Chinese and more, each traced to an old source in its own language.

Questions

What does "Cunning needs clothes. Truth goes naked." mean?

A lie needs dressing up to pass. The truth can stand there plain and still hold. If a story needs too much costume, be suspicious of it, including your own.

Who said "Cunning needs clothes. Truth goes naked."?

Scottish proverb. Source: Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 75.

What is the original wording?

Craft maun hae claes, but truth gaes naked (Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862)). Translated by Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862).

Is "Cunning needs clothes. Truth goes naked." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"Cunning needs clothes. Truth goes naked." (Scottish proverb, Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 75, trans. Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/cunning-needs-clothes-truth-goes-naked