Never explain. Your friends don’t require it, and your enemies won’t believe you, anyway.

The earliest located appearance is as a standalone epigraph printed on the cover of the February 1904 issue of "The Philistine: A Periodical of Protest", edited by Elbert Hubbard. Soon after, newspapers reprinted it, sometimes crediting Hubbard by his nickname "Fra Elbertus". Victor Grayson later used the line in a 1908 speech while indicating it came from America rather than claiming authorship.

The remark advises against trying to justify yourself to everyone: people who already support you don’t need a defense, and people who oppose you are unlikely to be persuaded by explanations. It frames explanation as wasted effort when the audience is either already convinced or determined not to be.

Never explain: your friends don’t require it, and your enemies won’t believe you, anyway.

Never explain—your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you.

Never explain; your friends do not require it, and your enemies will not believe you.