there's no fool like an old fool

there's no fool like an old fool

English

Proverb

there's no fool like an old fool

1. If a person does not develop wisdom with age, then his or her foolishness is all the more obvious and shameful.
   • 1920, Agatha Christie, chapter 1, in The Mysterious Affair at Styles:

     "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!"

Translations

no wisdom with age

Arabic: please add this translation if you can Catalan: a cent anys, coteta verda Chinese: Mandarin: 人老不中用 (rén lǎo bù zhōngyòng), 老糊塗最糊塗／老糊涂最糊涂 (lǎo hútu zuì hútu), 老人做的蠢事最愚蠢 (lǎorén zuò de chǔnshì zuì yúchǔn), 人無愚於老而愚者／人无愚于老而愚者 (rén wú yú yú lǎo ér yú zhě) Dutch: hoe ouder hoe zotter Finnish: vanhuus ei aina tuo viisautta French: on fait des sottises à tout âge German: Alter schützt vor Torheit nicht (de) Italian: please add this translation if you can Japanese: please add this translation if you can Korean: please add this translation if you can Polish: stary, a głupi Portuguese: please add this translation if you can Russian: ста́рого пса но́вым фо́кусам не нау́чишь (stárovo psa nóvym fókusam ne naúčišʹ), нет ху́же дурака́, чем ста́рый дура́к (net xúže duraká, čem stáryj durák) Spanish: la cabeza blanca y el seso por venir

See also

• you can't put an old head on young shoulders