empty vessels make the greatest sound
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Foolish people often talk the most
Literally: hollow objects produce loud noises
Examples
The politician's empty promises proved that empty vessels make the greatest sound
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “empty vessels make the greatest sound” mean?
Foolish people often talk the most Literally: hollow objects produce loud noises
Is “empty vessels make the greatest sound” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.