I believe that in the end the truth will conquer.

John Wycliffe, the “Morning Star of the Reformation,” once declared with unshakable conviction: “I believe that in the end the truth will conquer.” These words, simple yet thunderous, were not the musings of a man in peace, but the defiance of one surrounded by opposition. Wycliffe lived in a time when the Church wielded immense authority, when questioning its practices could mean exile, disgrace, or death. Yet he trusted that though human power might suppress it for a season, truth would not remain chained forever.

The origin of this saying lies in Wycliffe’s work translating the Bible into English, a radical act in the 14th century. The common people were forbidden to read Scripture in their own tongue; only priests, cloaked in Latin, could interpret it. But Wycliffe believed that every man and woman deserved direct access to the word of God. He faced condemnation and fury, yet he proclaimed that even if he were silenced, the truth he had uncovered and shared would rise again, triumphant in time. Indeed, though he died condemned, his words and translations lit the flame of the Reformation that would sweep Europe in the centuries to come.

History proves his confidence well-founded. When Martin Luther stood before the Diet of Worms, centuries later, he carried Wycliffe’s spirit with him. Luther’s stand—that conscience bound to truth could not be revoked—transformed the Western world. The Church’s attempts to bury dissenters like Wycliffe only fertilized the soil in which truth grew stronger. The very Bible Wycliffe translated became the foundation of faith for millions. What seemed fragile in his own day became unstoppable in the centuries that followed. Truth conquered.

But this is not only the tale of church reform; it is the tale of humanity. Whenever oppressors, tyrants, or liars have tried to bury truth, they discover that they only sow its seeds deeper into the hearts of men. Consider Gandhi’s struggle against British rule: at first mocked, then imprisoned, then resisted by force, yet in the end, his adherence to truth—satyagraha—brought an empire to its knees. Or think of Nelson Mandela, who spent decades in prison, yet emerged with truth as his shield, guiding South Africa toward freedom. In every age, Wycliffe’s words are vindicated: lies may triumph for a season, but in the end, truth rises.

This saying also teaches us the nature of truth. It is patient, it is enduring, and it does not require the sword to secure victory. Lies must be constantly defended, for they collapse without force; but truth is like a mountain, unshaken by storms, waiting for clouds to clear. Those who cling to truth may suffer, but they stand on ground that will outlast every shifting illusion. To believe in the eventual conquest of truth is to place your hope in what is eternal rather than what is convenient.

The lesson for us is clear: live courageously, knowing that though the world may resist, truth will conquer. Do not despair when liars prosper or when injustice seems to reign. These are but passing shadows. What is real and right endures beyond them. Your task is not to calculate the timing of truth’s triumph, but to remain faithful to it, even in days of scorn. Like Wycliffe, you may not live to see the fruit of your labor, but future generations will reap it.

Practically, this means speaking honestly, acting with integrity, and defending justice even when it costs you dearly. Do not twist truth for convenience, nor abandon it in the face of pressure. Teach it to your children. Live it in your work. And when discouraged, remember the long arc of history, which bends not toward falsehood, but toward truth. By anchoring your life in it, you place yourself on the winning side of time itself.

Thus Wycliffe’s words endure as both comfort and command: “In the end the truth will conquer.” They remind us that all lies, however mighty, are brittle; all oppression, however fierce, is temporary. Truth alone is eternal, and though the march toward it is slow and costly, it is certain. Let us then walk in courage, bearing this torch into our own time, so that when the ages turn, we may be counted among those who trusted in the everlasting victory of truth.