ProverbCommunicationAmerican origin1737

Well done is better than well said

Meaning: Actions and results are far more valuable than promises and fine words.

Who said it? Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1737

Origin: Benjamin Franklin printed it in Poor Richard's Almanack (1737). Franklin filled the spare corners of his almanac with sayings like this one, many adapted from older collections, and it sums up his lifelong preference for practical results over fine words.

Equivalents in Spanish, German, and Turkish

  • Spanish: Obras son amores, que no buenas razones (literally: Deeds are love, not fine words)
  • German: Taten sprechen mehr als Worte (literally: Deeds speak more than words)
  • Turkish: Lafla peynir gemisi yürümez (literally: A cheese ship doesn't sail on talk)

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