The squeaky wheel gets the grease
Meaning: Those who complain the most get attention.
Origin: Usually credited to the American humorist Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw), whose 19th-century poem "The Kicker" ends: "The wheel that squeaks the loudest / Is the one that gets the grease." The attribution is not certain, but the image is plain: a dry axle announces itself, and the one that complains gets the attention. Japanese gives the opposite advice — the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and Japanese
- French: La roue qui grince reçoit la graisse (literally: The squeaking wheel receives the grease)
- Spanish: El que no llora, no mama (literally: He who doesn't cry, doesn't get fed)
- Japanese: 泣く子は餅を多くもらう (Naku ko wa mochi wo ōku morau) (literally: The crying child gets more rice cakes)
More proverbs about Communication
- It takes two to tango — Both parties are responsible in a conflict.
- United we stand, divided we fall — Strength comes from unity.
- A rising tide lifts all boats — General improvements benefit everyone.
- A chain is only as strong as its weakest link — A group's effectiveness is limited by its weakest member.
- Silence speaks volumes — What is not said can be more meaningful than what is.
- There's no such thing as bad publicity — Any attention, even negative, can be beneficial.
From our compliments & insults
- Schlauberger — A know-it-all smartass who never misses a chance to show off their cleverness.
- Dickkopf — A pig-headed, unyielding person — their skull is so thick no new idea can penetrate it.
- 空気が読めない (kūki ga yomenai) — Completely oblivious to the unspoken social mood — the person who kills the atmosphere wi…