ProverbCommunication
English origin1599
English origin1599Empty vessels make the most noise
Meaning: Those who know the least often talk the most.
Example: “He never stops boasting, but empty vessels make the most noise.”
Origin: The Boy in Shakespeare's Henry V (1599) says of the braggart Pistol that "the empty vessel makes the greatest sound" — already quoting a familiar saying. A hollow barrel rings loudly when struck, while a full one barely sounds, and so it is with those who talk most and know least. The popular attribution to Plato is unsupported.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Dutch, and Russian
French: Les tonneaux vides sont ceux qui font le plus de bruit (literally: Empty barrels are the ones that make the most noise)
Spanish: Mucho ruido y pocas nueces (literally: Much noise and few nuts)
Japanese: 空き樽は音が高い (Akidaru wa oto ga takai) (literally: An empty barrel makes a high sound)
German: Leere Fässer klingen hohl (literally: Empty barrels sound hollow)
Dutch: Holle vaten klinken het meest (literally: Hollow barrels sound the most)
Russian: Пустая бочка пуще гремит (Pustaya bochka pushche gremit) (literally: An empty barrel rattles loudest)
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