it's not the whistle that pulls the train

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1. Boasting and loud talk should not be mistaken for the work that produces real achievements; bravado is no proof of action.

   Until then, remember, don't brag, it's not the whistle that pulls the train.

   1962, American Flint, volume 62, American Flint Glass Workers' Union, page 17

   2 more examples

   “In the words of the nursery rhyme,” says Mr. Green, “‘it isn't the whistle that pulls the train.’”

   1956 July 1, James Reston, “Washington: It's Not the Whistle that Pulls the Train”, in New York Times, page E8

   The shiny aluminum body of the 1928 Peerless race car with its rumble seat and purchase price of 50 dollars must have put Kenwood in a boastful mood because Grandma Proper immediately stated, “Kenwood you must remember that it is not the whistle that pulls the train.”

   2005, Eve-Lyn Woodard, Resounding Echoes, →ISBN, page 113