Already I had learned from thee that because a thing is eloquently expressed it should not be taken to be as necessarily true; nor because it is uttered with stammering lips should it be supposed false. Nor, again, is it necessarily true because rudely uttered, nor untrue because the language is brilliant. Wisdom and folly both are like meats that are wholesome and unwholesome, and courtly or simple words are like town-made or rustic vessels -- both kinds of food may be served in either kind of dish.
¶ Confessions, Bk. V, ch. 6 (AD 398)
Vars. on middle sentence: ""A thing is not necessarily true because badly uttered, nor false because spoken magnificently." "A thing is not necessarily false because it is badly expressed, nor true because it is expressed magnificently."
