Hear all PARTIES

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.

justiceimpartialitylisteningwisdomdialoguefairness
Analyzed with gpt-4.1 on July 10, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

Audi alteram partem, here that other partye.

1481, CAXTON, Reynard, 25, p. 57

The common proverbe saith Let the other party be heard too.

1577, H.I., Decades, II viii, I 347
a.1598, FERG., MS, no. 499
1668, R.B., p. 23

Cross References

Original Scan

Hear all PARTIES - a scanned entry from Tilley's 1950 Dictionary of Proverbs.
Scan courtesy of HathiTrust Digital Library.
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.

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Last updated: January 27, 2026