Franklin suggests that drinking can make a person’s words less reliable. Alcohol may impair memory, judgement and self-control, so statements made while intoxicated can become confused, exaggerated or inaccurate. The saying therefore warns against assuming that speech produced under the influence should be treated with the same confidence as a sober account.

The maxim is deliberately broad and does not mean that every intoxicated person becomes dishonest or that alcohol always causes falsehood. Its wider point is that impaired judgement can weaken a person’s ability to distinguish, remember or communicate facts accurately. Franklin therefore treats sobriety as important where truth and reliability matter. The proverb cautions against relying heavily on claims made when a person’s capacity for careful judgement has been reduced.