Advised a young diplomat "to tell the truth, and so puzzle and confound his enemies."

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Notes from Wikiquote

Compare Mark Twain who, in Following the Equator, said "When in doubt, tell the truth" (which is often mis-quoted as containing an additional clause providing "it will confound your enemies and astound your friends").

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Henry Wotton (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.