They laugh the loudest who have least to lose.
Meaning: Those with nothing at stake can afford uninhibited mirth; real vulnerability silences laughter.
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 Human Nature
- In a thousand pounds of law there's not an ounce of love. — Legal systems, however comprehensive, cannot enforce compassion or genuine human connecti…
- Learning makes a man fit company for himself. — Intellectual cultivation transforms solitude into enriching self-reflection rather than l…
- The liberal man deviseth liberal things. — Generous hearts naturally conceive and pursue generous actions; abundance of spirit beget…
- The loquacity of fools is a warning to the wise. — Excessive talkers reveal their ignorance through their words, providing astute listeners…
- Love lives in cottages as well as in courts. — Genuine affection flourishes regardless of wealth or social status, not confined to palac…
- Love me little, love me long. — Modest, steady affection endures better than intense passion that burns out quickly.
From our idioms
- rozłożyć ręce — To give up; to throw up one's hands in admission of defeat or inability to act.
- bez owijania w bawełnę — Bluntly and directly, without softening or sugarcoating one's words.
- nie dać żyć — To make someone's life so difficult and burdensome that they cannot function normally.