Meaning & Analysis
One should listen to every person or side involved before making a judgment or decision.
Insights
Impartial Judgment
Emphasizes the need for fairness and objectivity, advocating that understanding all perspectives is essential to just decision-making.
Value of Dialogue
Highlights the importance of open dialogue and mutual understanding in resolving disputes and preventing misunderstandings.
Wisdom in Patience
Suggests that true wisdom requires patience and restraint, discouraging hasty conclusions based on incomplete information.
Historical Symbolism
Rooted in legal maxims like the Latin 'audi alteram partem' ('hear the other side'), the proverb embodies a foundational principle of justice dating back to ancient Rome and enshrined in common law.
Cultural Universality
The idea appears in many cultures and legal systems, reflecting a shared recognition of the dangers of one-sidedness and the virtues of balance and equity.
Psychological Dimensions
Acknowledges human tendencies toward confirmation bias and selective hearing, urging conscious effort to counteract these by attending to all viewpoints.
Rhetorical Devices
Imperative Mood
The direct command form ('Hear all PARTIES') gives the proverb authority and immediacy, reinforcing its role as guidance or instruction.
Ellipsis
The brevity of the phrase omits specifics, making it universally applicable and memorable across contexts.
Allusion
References a well-known legal maxim ('audi alteram partem'), imbuing the proverb with historical and ethical weight.
Transcription
Quotations
Audi alteram partem, here that other partye.
The common proverbe saith Let the other party be heard too.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan

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