The dignity of truth is lost with much protesting.

This remark is generally attributed to Ben Jonson’s posthumously published commonplace-book of observations, *Timber: or, Discoveries* (1641). In that work Jonson collects aphorisms on rhetoric, ethics, and social conduct—often in the vein of classical moralists—aimed at diagnosing how language and behavior affect credibility. The line appears in the context of counsel about persuasion and reputation: when someone insists too loudly on their own honesty or correctness, the very act of repeated protest can make an audience suspect weakness, insecurity, or deceit. The maxim reflects early modern anxieties about public credit, honor, and the performative nature of truth-telling in courtly and civic life.

Jonson’s aphorism suggests that truth does not need loud self-defense: excessive protest can make even a true claim seem insecure, performative, or manipulative. The more insistently someone asserts their honesty, the more they invite suspicion that they are trying to compensate for weakness in their position. The “dignity” of truth lies in its steadiness—its capacity to stand without theatrical insistence. Read socially, the line is also a warning about rhetoric: overemphasis, repetition, and indignation can degrade credibility, turning truth into mere argument or propaganda. It anticipates the modern intuition behind “the lady doth protest too much,” where protest itself becomes evidence of doubt.