De_gustibus_non_est_disputandum
De gustibus non est disputandum
Latin maxim that there is no accounting for taste
De gustibus non est disputandum, or de gustibus non disputandum est, is a Latin maxim meaning "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes" (literally "about tastes, it is not disputing").[1][2] The phrase is commonly rendered in English as "There is no accounting for taste(s)."[3] The implication is that everyone's personal preference is a merely subjective opinion that cannot be right or wrong, so they should never be argued about as if they were questions that could be settled by reason or evidence. Sometimes the phrase is expanded as De gustibus et coloribus... referring to tastes and colors. The saying is an ancient Roman adage. Its vernacular and textual origin are unknown, and a subject of debate in itself.
The phrase is misquoted in Act I of Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull. The character Shamrayev conflates it with the phrase de mortuis nil nisi bonum (in the alternative form: de mortuis, aut bene aut nihil: "of the dead, either [speak] good or [say] nothing"), resulting in "de gustibus aut bene, aut nihil", "Let nothing be said of taste but what is good."[4]
