Dead men tell no tales.

The proverb “Dead men tell no tales” expresses a blunt logic: once someone is dead, they cannot testify, confess, or reveal what they know. It is often invoked to underline the finality of death as a guarantee of secrecy—whether in criminal plots, political intrigues, or personal scandals. In literature and drama, the line can function as a darkly pragmatic justification for silencing a witness, or more broadly as a reminder that truth can be permanently lost when those who hold it are gone. The saying’s enduring force lies in its compressed, proverbial certainty and its moral chill.