What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Meaning: Fair rules must apply equally to both parties, regardless of gender or status.
Origin: John Ray's A Collection of English Proverbs (1670) has "That that's good sauce for a goose, is good for a gander," and notes that it is a woman's proverb — a demand that husbands be held to the same rules as wives. It is still the standard argument for equal treatment.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Sweet meat must have some sauce. — Desirable things often require effort, cost, or unpleasant accompaniment to obtain them f…
- One scabbed sheep infects the whole flock. — A single corrupted member spreads moral or practical contamination throughout an entire c…
- A sceptre is one thing, a ladle another. — Different tools suit different purposes; authority and domestic work require wholly disti…
- A mere scholar a mere ass. — Accumulated knowledge without practical judgment or common sense produces foolishness, no…
- The greatest scholars are not always the wisest men. — Deep knowledge doesn't guarantee good judgment or practical sense in living well.
- On the sea sail; on the land settle. — Venture boldly where uncertainty reigns, but root yourself firmly where stability matters…
From our idioms
- give someone a fair shake — To give someone or something a chance to prove itself.
- fair to middling — Average; neither good nor bad.
- fall by the wayside — To drop out of the situation.