Learn English – What’s the meaning of phrase “Never let it be said…”

idiomsliteraturephrase-meaning

I've met it in China Mieville's book "Perdido Street Station".

Never let it be said I don't collect the best

And I still can't figure is he collecting the best or not?

Best Answer

"Never let it be said that ..." means "Don't let it be said that ..." means "Don't allow anyone to say that ..." So what it means is, if anyone ever says that this person doesn't collect the best, you should correct them. You should explain to them that, no, that's wrong, this person does collect the best. You shouldn't allow anyone to say that the person doesn't collect the best, without arguing with them. It should never go unnoticed, you should always try and make sure people don't get away with saying that.

That's what the expression means literally. In reality, it's usually used figuratively, just as an intensifier. So it really just means "I definitely collect the best" (and anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken. So misguidedly mistaken that you should always correct them.) But the bit in brackets is not usually meant seriously. Usually, as I say, "never let it be said that xyz" means "xyz is very wrong".

So here, "never let it be said I don't collect the best" means "the idea that I don't collect the best is really wrong" means "I most definitely collect the best".