Meaning & Analysis
When a person speaks in praise of themselves, it is considered offensive and unpleasant to others, much like a foul odor.
Insights
Arrogance and Social Reputation
The proverb serves as a strong condemnation of arrogance and a warning that self-aggrandizement is socially repulsive. It suggests that boasting undermines one's own credibility and social standing, as genuine worth is recognized by others, not self-proclaimed.
Authenticity and External Validation
Praise that is self-administered is inherently biased and lacks the objective validation that makes commendation meaningful. The proverb implies that true honor and respect can only be conferred by external sources.
Undermining One's Own Achievements
The act of boasting about one's accomplishments paradoxically diminishes their value. The focus shifts from the deed itself to the unattractive character trait of the boaster, effectively 'tainting' the achievement.
The Virtue of Humility
The proverb champions the virtue of humility, suggesting that a person's actions and character should speak for themselves. Modesty is presented as a social strength, while self-praise is a sign of weakness and insecurity.
Historical Virtue of Modesty
The proverb's roots, evident in the 1484 Caxton quotation, reflect a long-standing Western cultural emphasis on humility, where merit is demonstrated through actions rather than proclaimed by words. This principle aligns with classical and biblical virtues of modesty.
Psychological Revulsion
The powerful olfactory metaphor of a 'stink' connects a social transgression (boasting) to a primal, physical revulsion. This suggests that the aversion to arrogance is not merely a matter of etiquette but a deeply ingrained psychological response to perceived egotism.
Literary and Social Grace
Shakespeare's use of the sentiment in 'The Merchant of Venice' ('This comes too near the praising of myself') highlights its significance in Elizabethan society as a marker of social grace and self-awareness, distinguishing refined individuals from boors.
Rhetorical Devices
Olfactory Metaphor
The visceral metaphor of a 'stink' creates a powerful and memorable negative sensory association with self-praise, equating a social flaw with a physical repulsion.
Synecdoche
The 'mouth' stands in for the act of speaking and the ego behind it, effectively localizing the offensive behavior to the source of the boast.
Antithesis
The proverb creates a sharp contrast between the positive nature of 'praise' and the deeply negative sensory experience of a 'stink', highlighting the repellent effect of self-adulation.
Transcription
Quotations
No fowler a thyng is to the man than with his mouth to preyse hym self.
The prayse were great, spoke from anothers mouth.
Which is such, that if I doe not praise it, it is because men say, that proper praise stinkes, but my Squire will informe you what I am.
Hast thou that auncient, true saide sawe forgot, That a mans praise in his owne mouth doth stinke?
That which had been great, if another had reported it of them, vanisheth, and is nothing, if he that did it speak of it.
A mans praise smells sweet out of anothers mouth, but stinks out of his own.
Remember that nothing makes a mans breath stink worse than commendations of himself.
It is a stinking praise comes out of ane's ain mouth.
Shakespeare Citations
This comes too near the praising of myself. Therefore no more of it.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.