Those who praise themselves excessively make fools of themselves. Boasting and self-promotion lead to embarrassment.
The verb 'imbrodarsi' — to soil oneself with broth or sauce, to make a mess of oneself — gives this proverb its distinctive comic image. The self-praiser who ends up spattered with broth is a figure of comedy: their arrogance and self-congratulation make them clumsy and ridiculous rather than impressive. The rhyme between 'loda' (praises) and 'imbroda' (soils with broth) is a perfect example of the phonetic wordplay that characterizes the best Italian proverbs, making the saying immediately memorable and impossible to forget once heard. The proverb appears in Italian collections from the sixteenth century and reflects a cultural value that prizes understatement and modesty, at least in public. The Italian social code traditionally has been suspicious of blatant self-promotion, associating it with unreliability and arrogance. Parents use the saying to discourage children from bragging, and it is deployed by adults whenever someone's excessive self-praise leads to visible failure or embarrassment. The English 'Self-praise is no recommendation' expresses a similar value.
The rhyme loda/imbroda and the comic imagery of soup-spattered boasting make this one of the most phonetically distinctive Italian proverbs; documented from the 1500s.
An overconfident presenter
Si vantava di saper cucinare alla perfezione e poi ha bruciato tutto. Chi si loda si imbroda.
He boasted about being able to cook perfectly and then burned everything. He who praises himself makes a mess of himself.
A boastful colleague
Diceva di essere il miglior venditore dell'azienda ma non ha raggiunto nessun obiettivo. Chi si loda si imbroda.
She said she was the best salesperson in the company but met none of her targets. He who praises himself makes a mess of himself.
A child bragging
Si è vantato di saper nuotare e poi non riusciva a fare dieci metri. Chi si loda si imbroda!
He boasted about being able to swim and then couldn't manage ten metres. He who praises himself makes a mess of himself!
Social media
Postava continuamente quanto fosse brava. Chi si loda si imbroda — poi ha fallito la prova dal vivo.
She kept posting about how good she was. He who praises himself makes a mess of himself — then she failed the live test.