What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals.

The proverb contrasts the self-restraint a person exercises when sober with the reduced restraint that can accompany drinking. Someone who has been guarded may speak more openly after becoming intoxicated.

It suggests that an unguarded remark can expose a thought, feeling, or intention the speaker ordinarily keeps private. It does not mean that everything said while drunk is truthful or reflects a settled belief.

Use it when drinking appears to have led someone to reveal something they would normally avoid saying. It can be offered as a wry observation, but should not be used on its own to treat an intoxicated person's words as proof of what they truly think.