The codfish lays ten thousands eggs, The homely hen lays one. The codfish never cackles To tell you what she's done. And so we scorn the codfish, While the humble hen we prize, Which only goes to show you That it pays to advertise.

This anonymous verse circulated widely in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in English-language newspapers, magazines, and advertising trade literature as a humorous “moral” about publicity. It reflects a period when modern mass advertising and public relations were rapidly expanding alongside national brands and consumer culture. The poem’s barnyard comparison—quiet productivity versus noisy self-promotion—made it an easy fit for business columns, sales manuals, and talks on marketing. Because it was frequently reprinted without attribution (and sometimes presented as a “jingle” or “old rhyme”), it became a stock illustration of the idea that public recognition often follows those who announce their achievements rather than those who merely accomplish them.

The verse contrasts the codfish, which produces vast numbers of eggs but remains silent, with the hen, which produces far fewer yet loudly “cackles” after laying. The punchline—“it pays to advertise”—satirizes how social and economic rewards often track visibility rather than intrinsic merit. On one level it is a straightforward endorsement of marketing: if you want credit, customers, or status, you must make your results known. On another, it is a wry critique of a culture that prizes self-promotion, suggesting that public esteem can be disconnected from real productivity. Its enduring appeal lies in the memorable, comic image that turns a business lesson into folk wisdom.