Eugène Sue? Klemens von Metternich? Charles de Talleyrand? Otto von Bismarck? Susannah Frances Reynolds? Roman Proverb? Klingon Proverb? Anonymous?
Question for Quote Investigator: Individuals who seek revenge often find that careful planning and the elapse of time are required to obtain justice. The following proverb is popular with those who pursue vengeance. Here are four versions:
(1) Revenge is a dish best eaten cold
(2) Revenge is a dish best served cold
(3) Vengeance is best eaten cold
(4) Vengeance should be eaten cold
Would you please explore the provenance of this expression?
Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in the 1841 French novel “Mathilde: Mémoires D’une Jeune Femme” (“Matilda: Memoirs of a Young Woman”) by Eugène Sue. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1
Si j’avais eu le courage de me battre avec Lancry, il me semble que je l’aurais tué, tant je le haïssais; mais je vous l’ai dit . . . je suis nerveux, j’ai attendu . . . Et puis la vengeance se mange très-bien froide, comme on dit vulgairement . . .
Here is one possible translation into English:
If I had had the courage to fight Lancry, it seems to me that I would have killed him, so much did I hate him; but I told you . . . I am nervous, I waited . . . And revenge is best eaten cold, as they say vulgarly . . .
The speaking character did not take credit for the saying; instead, he indicated that it was already in circulation. Thus, Eugène Sue helped to popularize the expression, but the creator remains anonymous.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In July 1842 “The Foreign Quarterly Review” published a book review of Eugène Sue’s novel, and the critic reprinted an except containing the saying; however, the key phrase was untranslated:2
Had I had the courage to fight with De Lancry, it seems to me that I must have killed him, I hated him so much; but, as I have before told you, I am nervous. I have waited. And then vengeance, as it is vulgarly said, se mange très-bien froide.
In September 1846 “Ladies’ National Magazine” printed an article titled “Anne Boleyn” by Ann S. Stephens which contained an instance:3
When quite alone in her chamber, she began to pace the floor very slowly and lost in thought. Thus she was occupied till daylight. In all that night vigil she only uttered a single sentence, and that was – “I must wait – revenge can be eaten cold.”
Also, in 1846 a translation of Sue’s novel by D. G. Osborne was published under the title “The Orphan; Or, Memoirs of Matilda”. Thus, the saying circulated in English:4
Had I been brave enough to fight with Lancry, I think I should have killed him, so intense was my hatred of that man, but, as I told you before, I am nervous and I waited. And then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say . . .
In 1847 Eugène Sue published “Les Sept Péchés Capitaux” (“The Seven Deadly Sins”), and he used the expression again, but this time he claimed it was a Roman proverb:5
– Cet homme m’a insulté . . . en face de tous . . . oh! je me vengerai . . .”
– Enfant, – reprit l’abbé toujours souriant et paterne. La vengeance se mange froide dit, le proverbe romain, et il a raison . . . Souvenez-vous . . . et attendez.
In 1848 a translation of the novel was serialized in “The London Journal”, and the text above was rendered as follows:6
“That man has insulted me, in full company. But I will be revenged.”
“Child,” returned the abbot, with the same fatherly smile, “vengeance should be eaten cold, as the Roman proverb says – and justly too. Remember the wrong, and abide your time.
Also, in 1848 Susannah Frances Reynolds published “Gretna-Green: Or, All For Love” which contained the following passage:7
“And not one too many, – the merciless villains!” muttered another of the lugger’s men, cramming into his gun an enormous charge of shot; “but it’s all right, and we need not wait for revenge to be eaten cold, as the saying is.”
In 1879 André Theuriet published “La Maison des Deux Barbeaux” (“The House of the Two Barbels”). The book attributed the saying to French statesman Charles de Talleyrand:8
Il n’en fit rien voir, estimant, comme M. de Talleyrand, que la vengeance est un mets qui se mange froid.
He made no mention of it, believing, like M. de Talleyrand, that revenge is a dish best served cold.
In 1885 by Charles Lowe published “Prince Bismarck: An Historical Biography” by Charles Lowe. The author placed the saying into the mind of German statesman Otto von Bismarck:9
He had defended Olmütz, it is true, but only from motives of immediate policy, and with a secret resolution to “eat the dish of his revenge cold instead of hot.”
In 1893 Louisa Mühlbach published “Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia: An Historical Romance” containing a fictionalized scene during which German statesman Klemens von Metternich used the saying:10
“Your majesty,” said Metternich, in a lower voice than before, “there is an excellent Italian proverb, ‘Revenge must be eaten cold.’ Your majesty knows it?”
“Of course I do,” whispered the emperor. “I know it, and shall surely remember it. ‘Revenge must be eaten cold;’ he who wants to eat it hot, will burn his tongue. Let us wait, therefore.”
In 1913 a newspaper in Olympia, Washington credited the saying to Bismarck:11
Revenge, said Bismarck, is a delicacy that should be eaten cold.
In 1920 “The Motto Book: Being a Collection of Epigrams” by Elbert Hubbard was published posthumously. The saying was included without attribution:12
Revenge should be eaten cold
In 1942 H. L. Mencken published the compilation “A New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources” which included this entry:13
Vengeance is a dish that should be eaten cold.
ENGLISH PROVERB, not recorded before the XIX century
In 1969 “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo contained the following:14
Don Corleone nodded. “Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold,” he said.
In 1982 the movie “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” was released with movie star Ricardo Montalban who played the character Khan Noonien Singh. Montalban delivered the following line:15
Ahh Kirk, my old friend. Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold. It is very cold in space.
In conclusion, French author Eugène Sue popularized this saying via his 1841 novel “Mathilde: Mémoires D’une Jeune Femme”, but the attribution within the book was anonymous; hence, the creator remains unknown. In 1847 Sue suggested that the saying was a Roman proverb; however, QI has not found any support for this assertion. Famous people such as Klemens von Metternich, Charles de Talleyrand, and Otto von Bismarck have received credit, but these attributions are unlikely because they occurred many years after the saying entered circulation.
Image Notes: Picture of pumpkin soup served chilled from RitaE at Pixabay. The image has been cropped and resized.
Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Terry Teachout and Laurence Horn whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Teachout mentioned the instance in Mencken’s compilation. Horn mentioned attributions to Eugène Sue and others. Also, thanks to Gary Martin of “The Phrase Finder” who pointed to “Memoirs of Matilda”. Thanks to Jesse Sheidlower for spotting a typo. Any remaining errors are the responsibility of QI.
- 1841, Mathilde: Mémoires D’une Jeune Femme (Matilda: Memoirs of a Young Woman) by Eugène Sue, Volume 3, Third Edition, Chapter 17, Quote Page 53, Librairie de Charles Gosselin, Paris, France. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1842 July, The Foreign Quarterly Review, Volume 29, Number 58, Article 7: Book Review of Eugene Sue’s Mathilde, Start Page 451, Quote Page 458, Chapman and Hall, London. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1846 September, Ladies’ National Magazine, Volume 10, Number 3, Anne Boleyn by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, Chapter 3, Quote Page 107, Column 1, Published by Charles J. Peterson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1846, The Orphan; Or, Memoirs of Matilda by Eugène Sue, Translated by D. G. Osborne, Volume 1 of 2, Chapter 35: Revelations, Quote Page 303, T. C. Newby, London. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1847, Les Sept Péchés Capitaux (The Seven Deadly Sins) by Eugène Sue, Volume 1, Chapter 15, Quote Page 173, Chez L. E. Bosch et Fils, Utrecht. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1848 January 1, The London Journal, The Seven Cardinal Sins by Eugene Sue, Start Page 274, Quote Page 279, G. Vickers, London. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1848, Gretna-Green: Or, All For Love by Susannah Frances Reynolds, Quote Page 407, Column 1, Published for the Proprietor by John Dicks, London. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1879, La Maison des Deux Barbeaux (The House of the Two Barbels) by André Theuriet, Chapter 3, Quote Page 48, Paul Ollendorff, Paris. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1885, Prince Bismarck: An Historical Biography by Charles Lowe, Volume 1: From Waterloo to Versailles, Chapter 4: Diplomatic Career, Quote Page 146, Cassell & Company, London. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1893, Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia: An Historical Romance by Louisa Mühlbach, Translated from the German by F. Jordan, Chapter 54: The Emperor Francis and Metternich, Quote Page 476, The Chesterfield Society, London. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1913 May 2, The Washington Standard, Section: Some Press Comments, Bryan and Clark (Acknowledge Puyallup Valley Tribune),Quote Page 6, Column 3, Olympia, Washington. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1920 Copyright, The Motto Book: Being a Collection of Epigrams by Fra Elbertus (Elbert Hubbard), Quote Page 45, The Roycrofters, East Aurora, New York. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1942, A New Dictionary of Quotations on Historical Principles from Ancient and Modern Sources, Selected and Edited by H. L. Mencken (Henry Louis Mencken), Section: Revenge, Quote Page 1031, Alfred A. Knopf. New York. (Verified with hardcopy) ↩︎
- 1969, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Chapter 28, Quote Page 403, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
- YouTube video, Title: Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold | Kahn | Star Trek 2, Uploaded on August 2, 2019, Uploaded by: Hansenvision, (Quotation occurs during 25 second run time of video clip) (This video excerpt is from the 1982 movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) (Accessed on youtube.com on March 5, 2025) link ↩︎