Part of the king run, Proverbs 16:10–15.
Quick answer
Good kings prize truth-tellers: the counselor who speaks what is right rather than what is welcome, because honest words are the scarcest resource in any throne room.
Read both lines
Authority attracts flattery the way light attracts insects, and the person at the top slowly loses access to the truth; a ruler surrounded by agreement is flying blind. So the wise king treasures the adviser who will say the unwelcome thing, and the proverb instructs both parties: kings, cultivate truth-tellers; counselors, be one. The principle scales down from thrones to every desk where someone has the power to punish honesty.
Related: Proverbs 25:12 · Proverbs 27:6 · 2 Samuel 12:1–7
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. Full copyright information. Scripture provided by API.Bible.
Go Deeper
If this verse has been used to put weight on you that it was never carrying, ask about it directly.