What’s the origin of the phrase ‘There’s no fool like an old fool’?
The proverbial saying ‘There’s no fool like an old fool’ is first found in a place we might expect to find it, that is, an early and comprehensive collection of English proverbs. There are a few of such but, in this case, it is John Heywood’s 1546 glossary A Dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe tongue:
But there is no foole to the olde foole, folke saie.
Apart from what it means and where it originated, there’s not a great deal more to be said about this proverb.
See also: the List of Proverbs.