The squeaky wheel gets replaced
Meaning: Constant complainers may be removed rather than accommodated.
Origin: A modern joke twist on "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," warning that in a workplace the complainer may be removed rather than helped. The original proverb is in print by 1903, but the twist has no traced first use.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and Japanese
- French: Trop de bruit nuit (literally: Too much noise harms)
- Spanish: Al que mucho chilla, le callan (literally: The one who screams a lot gets silenced)
- Japanese: 出る杭は打たれる (Deru kui wa utareru) (literally: The nail that sticks out gets hammered down)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder — Perception of beauty is subjective and personal.
- The bigger they are, the harder they fall — Powerful people suffer greater consequences when they fail.
- Beauty is only skin deep — Physical appearance is superficial; character matters more.
- East or west, home is best — No matter where you go, home remains the best place.
- Variety is the spice of life — Diversity makes life interesting.
- Speak of the devil — Said when someone appears just as they're being discussed.
From our tongue twisters
- El cielo está enladrillado, ¿quién lo desenladrillará? — A brutal test of the rolled 'r' and 'l'.
- Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid. — A 'bl' / 'br' brain-twister.
- Trentatré trentini entrarono a Trento tutti e trentatré trotterellando. — An unbroken stampede of 'tr' and 't'.