Who serves well asks enough.
Who serves well asks enough.
Meaning in plain English
Good service can itself make a case for recognition or a fair return. The proverb values what someone contributes without making silent work a substitute for an explicit agreement.
Example
A committee recognises the organiser’s sustained work and discusses an agreed allowance rather than waiting for them to repeatedly request it.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The person serves well, and that conduct is pictured as asking enough. The point can be that a useful contribution deserves notice without elaborate self-praise. It does not follow that others will automatically recognise the work or that someone should accept undefined conditions. A fair arrangement can state expectations and compensation clearly. The saying is most useful as a prompt to notice another person’s contribution, rather than a demand that the contributor never ask for what is needed.
When to use it
Use it to recognise dependable contribution while keeping agreements explicit.
Keep in mind
Good work does not guarantee a reward or remove the need to discuss fair conditions.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 5; French section, paragraph 99; source wording: Assez demande qui bien sert.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗