what's good for the goose is good for the gander
English
Etymology
From earlier what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander (1670s). Other early forms include “as deep drinketh the goose as the gander” (1562).[1][2]
Proverb
what's good for the goose is good for the gander
- Literally, what is good for a female goose is equally good for a male goose (gander); or, what is good for a woman should be equally as good for a man.
- If something is good for one person, it should be equally as good for another person; someone who treats another in a certain way should not complain if the same is done to them.
References
- John Heywood, The Proverbs, Epigrams, and Miscellanies of John Heywood, 1562, p. 82
- John Lyly, Euphues and his England, 1579/1580, “as deepe drinketh the Goose as the Gander”, note on p. 377