good wine needs no bush

English

Etymology

First recorded in the epilogue to As you Like it by William Shakespeare: "If it be true, that good wine needs no bush, ’tis true, that a good play needes no Epilogue." Here, the term bush denotes a branch or bunch of ivy formerly hung as a vintner’s sign in front of a tavern.

Proverb

good wine needs no bush

1. There is no need to boast or advertise about something of good quality.

Translations

something good does not need to be advertised

• Czech: dobré zboží se chválí samo
• Dutch: goede wijn behoeft geen krans
• Finnish: hyvää ei tarvitse mainostaa
• French: à bon vin point d’enseigne (fr)
• German: gute Ware lobt sich selbst
• Hungarian: jó bornak nem kell cégér (hu)
• Polish: dobry towar sam się chwali
• Russian: хоро́ший това́р сам себя́ хва́лит (xoróšij továr sam sebjá xválit)
• Slovene: dobro blago se samo hvali.
• Spanish: el buen paño, en el arca se vende

See also

• old wine in a new bottle