He who blusters without reason has most reason to bluster.

Meaning: Empty boasting reveals deep insecurity; the loudest voices often mask the weakest positions.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

More proverbs about Wisdom

From our untranslatable words

  • Beloruchka — Someone who dodges dirty or hard work — a person whose hands stay conspicuously clean.
  • Zapoi — A bender running for days, in which a person drops out of ordinary life entirely.
  • Saudade — A deep, nostalgic yearning for someone or something absent — tinged with the bittersweet…

Browse all untranslatable words →

← Back to Proverbs