well done is better than well said
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: "Well done" is better than "well said"
Sense 1
Meaning · English
It's more important to take action than to just talk about it
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Sense 2
Meaning · English
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “well done is better than well said” mean?
It's more important to take action than to just talk about it
Is “well done is better than well said” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.