Jump to content

De gustibus non est disputandum: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m It is about "taste" singular -- not "tastes".
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Latin maxim that there is no accounting for taste}}
{{short description|Latin maxim that there is no accounting for taste}}
{{italic title}}
{{italic title}}
'''''De gustibus non est disputandum''''', or '''''de gustibus non disputandum est''''', is a [[Latin]] [[maxim (saying)|maxim]] meaning "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes" (literally "about taste, it should not be disputed").<ref>"De gustibus non est disputandum". ''The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy'', Third Edition. 2002</ref><ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/de%20gustibus%20non%20est%20disputandum "de gustibus non est disputandum"]. ''[[Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary]]''.</ref> The phrase is commonly rendered in English as "There is no accounting for taste(s)."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bartlett|first1=John|title=Familiar Quotations|date=1992|publisher=[[Little, Brown]]|location=Boston|isbn=0-316-08277-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/familiarquotatio1992bart/page/118 118]|edition=16|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/familiarquotatio1992bart/page/118}}</ref> The implication is that everyone's personal preference is a merely subjective opinion that cannot be right or wrong, so they should never be argued about as if they were. Sometimes the phrase is expanded as ''De gustibus et coloribus...'' referring to tastes and colors. The saying is an ancient Roman adage. Its vernacular and textual origin are unknown, and a subject of debate in itself.
'''''De gustibus non est disputandum''''', or '''''de gustibus non disputandum est''''', is a [[Latin]] [[maxim (saying)|maxim]] meaning "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes" (literally "about taste, it should not be disputed").<ref>"De gustibus non est disputandum". ''The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy'', Third Edition. 2002</ref><ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/de%20gustibus%20non%20est%20disputandum "de gustibus non est disputandum"]. ''[[Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary]]''.</ref> The phrase is commonly rendered in English as "There is no accounting for taste(s)."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bartlett|first1=John|title=Familiar Quotations|date=1992|publisher=[[Little, Brown]]|location=Boston|isbn=0-316-08277-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/familiarquotatio1992bart/page/118 118]|edition=16|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/familiarquotatio1992bart/page/118}}</ref> The implication is that everyone's personal preference is a merely subjective opinion that cannot be right or wrong, so they should never be argued about as if they were. Sometimes the phrase is expanded as ''De gustibus et coloribus...'' referring to tastes and colors. The saying is an ancient Roman adage. Its vernacular and textual origin are unknown, and a subject of debate in itself.


The phrase is misquoted in Act I of [[Anton Chekhov]]'s play ''[[The Seagull]]''. The character Shamrayev conflates it with the phrase ''[[de mortuis nil nisi bonum]]'' (in the alternative form: ''de mortuis, aut bene aut nihil'': "of the dead, either [speak] good or [say] nothing"), resulting in "de gustibus aut bene, aut nihil", "Let nothing be said of taste but what is good."<ref>{{Cite book | last = Chekhov | first = Anton | authorlink = Anton Chekhov | others = trans. by Stephen Mulrine | title = The Seagull | publisher = Nick Hern Books Ltd | year = 1997 | location = London |chapter=Introduction | pages =xvii | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0VmB4tPlnIAC&pg=PR17 | isbn = 1-85459-193-2 }}</ref>
The phrase is misquoted in Act I of [[Anton Chekhov]]'s play ''[[The Seagull]]''. The character Shamrayev conflates it with the phrase ''[[de mortuis nil nisi bonum]]'' (in the alternative form: ''de mortuis, aut bene aut nihil'': "of the dead, either [speak] good or [say] nothing"), resulting in "de gustibus aut bene, aut nihil", "Let nothing be said of taste but what is good."<ref>{{Cite book | last = Chekhov | first = Anton | authorlink = Anton Chekhov | others = trans. by Stephen Mulrine | title = The Seagull | publisher = Nick Hern Books Ltd | year = 1997 | location = London |chapter=Introduction | pages =xvii | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0VmB4tPlnIAC&pg=PR17 | isbn = 1-85459-193-2 }}</ref>

Revision as of 09:49, 8 April 2023

De gustibus non est disputandum, or de gustibus non disputandum est, is a Latin maxim meaning "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes" (literally "about taste, it should not be disputed").[1][2] The phrase is commonly rendered in English as "There is no accounting for taste(s)."[3] The implication is that everyone's personal preference is a merely subjective opinion that cannot be right or wrong, so they should never be argued about as if they were. Sometimes the phrase is expanded as De gustibus et coloribus... referring to tastes and colors. The saying is an ancient Roman adage. Its vernacular and textual origin are unknown, and a subject of debate in itself.

The phrase is misquoted in Act I of Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull. The character Shamrayev conflates it with the phrase de mortuis nil nisi bonum (in the alternative form: de mortuis, aut bene aut nihil: "of the dead, either [speak] good or [say] nothing"), resulting in "de gustibus aut bene, aut nihil", "Let nothing be said of taste but what is good."[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "De gustibus non est disputandum". The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002
  2. ^ "de gustibus non est disputandum". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
  3. ^ Bartlett, John (1992). Familiar Quotations (16 ed.). Boston: Little, Brown. p. 118. ISBN 0-316-08277-5.
  4. ^ Chekhov, Anton (1997). "Introduction". The Seagull. trans. by Stephen Mulrine. London: Nick Hern Books Ltd. pp. xvii. ISBN 1-85459-193-2.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=De_gustibus_non_est_disputandum&oldid=1148788057"