"Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold," he said. The Godfather, 1969: Don Corleone nodded. Kind Hearts and Coronets, 1949: "Revenge is a dish which people of taste prefer to eat cold." More recently, it has been called into use in three screen classics: Wherever it can be said to have originated, the proverb struck a chord in the English-speaking world. As always with translations, it is a moot point as to who can claim authorship of the proverb as an English phrase - the translator, who was the first to use the expression in English, or the original author. The italics are from the text, which implies that the phrase was already in use when the novel was written. Osbourne and published in 1846:Īnd then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say. The first example that I can find of the phrase is in the French author Eugène Sue's novel Memoirs of Matilda, which was translated into English by D. As that text doesn't appear in the novel, or any other work by de Laclos, the story appears to be a piece of impressively industrious folk etymology - not only a made up source, but made up in French. A quick search of the World Wide Web will yield confidently expressed views that 'revenge is a dish best served cold' is a translation of the line "La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froide" from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's epistolary novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, 1782. Like Fredo from The Godfather, he's foolish and naive.
A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green. Your Faults As A Son Are My Failure As A Father.' Marcus Aurelius knew the glory Rome was capable of achieving was only possible through Maximus, which is why he confessed this line to Commodus. Francis Bacon coined at least three 'revenge' proverbs: Subtle, yet profound, the Vito Corleone way. Since you can’t make a reputation with what you were GOING to do. And with those friends by your side, you can build powerful empires just like Vito Corleone. Vengeance was a frequent theme of Tudor drama and several authors wrote about it. Unlike your family, you choose your friends. It sounds as though it ought to be old, from Shakespeare or the like. This proverbial saying certainly gets about a bit - in time and space. All of the choices have different story quests that push you along, but the general goal is always the same: rule the streets of Chicago. At the start of Empire of Sin, you choose one from a variety of characters to serve as your leader each has different perks and controls a different gang. Vengeance is more satisfying when exacted in cold blood. Empire of Sin Review: Mob Machinations Served a Bit Cold.