speak for oneself

speak for oneself

English

Verb

speak for oneself (third-person singular simple present speaks for oneself, present participle speaking for oneself, simple past spoke for oneself, past participle spoken for oneself)

1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see speak,‎ for. To provide an opinion only on one's own behalf.

   I'm here speaking for myself, not for my company.

2. (idiomatic) Expressing disagreement with an opinion expressed by another.

   Speak for yourself! I think it's a great idea.

3. To have obvious meaning; to require no explanation.

   His fantastic record as a manager speaks for itself.

   His actions speak for themselves.

Usage notes

• In the imperative especially (speak for yourself!), this term has a context of "I don't agree" or "believe what you like", hinting that the statement may be true for the speaker, but is not for all the group.

Translations

expressing disagreement

French: parle pour toi !

Russian: говори́ть за себя́ impf (govorítʹ za sebjá)

to have obvious meaning

French: parler de soi-même (fr) German: für sich selbst sprechen

Hungarian: magáért beszél Russian: говори́ть за себя́ impf (govorítʹ za sebjá)

See also

• speak for
• spoken for