who said this?

[big yankee]

It's a wise child who knows it's own father

[Quizmonster]

I wonder whether you meant to say this the other way around..."It is a wise father that knows his own child." If so, it was Shakespeare in Act 2 Scene 2 of 'The Merchant of Venice'.

Of course, your version may be some modern writer's attempt to be clever, I suppose.

[simontarling]

what is the saying supposed to mean anyway ...... sorry another question but hopefully quizzy may explain what shakespeare meant

[Quizmonster]

Simon, In the scene from 'The Merchant of Venice' I referred to earlier, Launcelot - Shylock's servant - is making fun of his father who is blind and, obviously doesn't see him. The father says: "I know you not" and Launcelot replies: "Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of the knowing me: it is a wise father that knows his own child."

He is simply stating the truth, if you think about it. No doubt Shakespeare's audience fell about at this reference to the fact that not all wives are faithful to their husbands. As a consequence, not all children born to them are the offspring of the ladies' husbands! Any father who is certain that the child at his feet is the true fruit of his own loins is, indeed, a 'wise' man.

[Jansy]

The quote "It is a wise child that knows its own father, and an unusual one that unreservedly approves of him", is from "More Maxims of Mark" which contains popular Mark Twain quotes compiled by Merle Johnson.

[Quizmonster]

Ah! A more modern copyist, as suspected. I hadn't heard of the Twain version, Jansy. I suppose it holds as true, though in a very different way, as the Shakespeare original.