Meanings
- If a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful.
You're an old woman, Emily, and there's no fool like an old fool. The man's twenty years younger than you, and don't you fool yourself as to what he married you for. Money!
1920 October, Agatha Christie, “I Go to Styles”, in The Mysterious Affair at Styles […], New York, N.Y.; London: Grosset & Dunlap, published March 1927, page 24
Translations
Catalan a cent anys, coteta verda
- a cent anys, coteta verdaif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Chinese Mandarin 人老不中用, 老糊塗最糊塗 /老糊涂最糊涂
- 人老不中用 (rén lǎo bù zhōngyòng)if a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
- 老糊塗最糊塗 /老糊涂最糊涂 (lǎo hútu zuì hútu)if a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
- 老人做的蠢事最愚蠢 (lǎorén zuò de chǔnshì zuì yúchǔn)if a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
- 人無愚於老而愚者 /人无愚于老而愚者 (rén wú yú yú lǎo ér yú zhě)if a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Dutch hoe ouder hoe zotter
- hoe ouder hoe zotterif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Finnish vanhuus ei aina tuo viisautta
- vanhuus ei aina tuo viisauttaif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
French on fait des sottises à tout âge, il n'y a que les imbéciles qui ne changent pas d'avis
- on fait des sottises à tout âgeif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
- il n'y a que les imbéciles qui ne changent pas d'avisif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
German Alter schützt vor Torheit nicht
- Alter schützt vor Torheit nichtif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Polish stary, a głupi
- stary, a głupiif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Russian ста́рого пса но́вым фо́кусам не нау́чишь, нет ху́же дурака́, чем ста́рый дура́к
- ста́рого пса но́вым фо́кусам не нау́чишь (stárovo psa nóvym fókusam ne naúčišʹ)if a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
- нет ху́же дурака́, чем ста́рый дура́к (net xúže duraká, čem stáryj durák)if a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Spanish la cabeza blanca y el seso por venir
- la cabeza blanca y el seso por venirif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Welsh henach henach, ffolach ffolach
- henach henach, ffolach ffolachif a person does not develop wisdom with age, then their foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful
Cite this entry
there's no fool like an old fool. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there's%20no%20fool%20like%20an%20old%20fool
“there's no fool like an old fool.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there's%20no%20fool%20like%20an%20old%20fool. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “there's no fool like an old fool,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there's%20no%20fool%20like%20an%20old%20fool.
Source: there's no fool like an old fool on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.