proverb · Words worth keeping
Every fool likes his bauble.
Every fool likes his bauble.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
People become attached to their own favourite diversions, even when others see little value in them. The bauble is a small object that matters especially to its owner.
What the words are saying
The fool enjoys a bauble that may look insignificant to somebody else. The image makes personal attachment visible: value can come from affection, habit or amusement rather than usefulness or price. It can describe a harmless enthusiasm that an observer does not share. Calling the owner a fool also exposes the speaker’s impatience, so the saying deserves care. An unfamiliar interest need not be foolish. A useful reading asks whether the attachment causes a problem, rather than assuming that one person’s taste should determine everybody else’s.
Everyday example
A friend enjoys restoring inexpensive old toys although another collector prefers valuable antiques.
When to use it
Use it for an attachment whose value is mainly personal.
What it does not mean
Do not use another person’s different tastes as evidence of stupidity.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 2; French section, paragraph 20; source wording: A chaque fou plaît sa marotte.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.