Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then examine its imagery, practical application and limitations.
2,058 selected entries have editorial explanations. An explanation is not independent authentication of an attribution. Start with the individually source-checked classics ↗
proverb · Traditional
Greater resources or support can bring greater expectations about their use. The saying invites responsible consideration without making a gift an unlimited debt or granting the giver control over the recipient.
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Conduct can provide a better basis for judging someone’s contribution than their own praise or criticism of themselves. The saying favours evidence in action, while honest self-description, reflection and asking for help still have a useful place.
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Accept ordinary nourishment without embarrassment. The saying challenges the idea that attending to a basic need is shameful, while leaving room for considerate manners and another person’s comfort.
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Do not present conflicting positions to different people in order to mislead them. The saying criticises duplicity, while allowing honest changes of mind and appropriate differences in how you communicate.
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Do not carelessly undermine what you are trying to offer. Calling one’s own fish stinking pictures damaging speech about an undertaking one hopes others will accept.
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Do not abandon a friend when they need reasonable help in a difficult situation. Dependability includes showing up when support is inconvenient, rather than only when company is enjoyable.
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Do not make exaggerated announcements of your own merits. Sounding a trumpet turns self-praise into a loud public performance.
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No one is incapable of sound judgement all the time, and everyone can make a foolish choice sometimes. Assess the particular action rather than turning one mistake into a complete account of the person.
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The saying dismisses singing while eating as something only fools and fiddlers do. It joins an insult with an occupation to enforce a rule of behaviour.
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The saying values honesty above other skills, presenting trustworthy conduct as an achievement in itself. Technical ability is more useful when people can also rely on how it is exercised.
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Poor foundations are unlikely to produce a good result. Grain and seed turn the connection between a starting point and its outcome into a growing image.
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The saying judges foolishness in old age especially harshly. It implies that experience should have brought better judgment, though age alone cannot establish what someone has learned.
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Past recognition may fade unless it is supported by continuing substance or renewed attention. Feeding old praise gives reputation the needs of a living thing.
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A helpful act is a reason to respond with kindness or assistance when you can. Mutual generosity can strengthen a relationship without requiring an exact repayment for every favour.
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The saying rationalises a greater wrongdoing when punishment is imagined to be the same. The sheep and lamb expose a dangerous escalation in the speaker’s reasoning.
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Practical circumstances may require limited accommodation with something a person dislikes. Holding a candle to the devil represents reluctant assistance, but the saying does not make every compromise acceptable.
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Acknowledging a fault openly can help someone face it and seek repair. The saying values honesty about what happened, without requiring every private matter to be disclosed or promising that confession alone resolves its consequences.
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The saying suggests that an available chance can tempt someone to steal. It does not make theft inevitable, excuse the person responsible or blame someone for being the target of a wrong.
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The saying presents pain as payment for harmful pleasures. Its wage metaphor makes an unwanted consequence appear to follow an earlier indulgence.
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Be generous toward others while taking your own conduct seriously. The absolute refusal of self-pardon needs to be tempered with responsibility and self-compassion.
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Expressions of sympathy, assurances and criticism are easier to offer than practical help. Notice whether words meet the actual need or are being substituted for a useful contribution.
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Overconfidence can lead someone into a mistake that brings embarrassment. The saying warns against letting pride replace a realistic check, without proving that every confident action will end badly.
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Promises can be fragile when they are made without care or commitment. Treat an assurance as something that needs dependable follow-through, rather than as a completed result.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Fine clothing cannot establish the character of the person wearing it. The weeping garments turn outward distinction into criticism of conduct, rather than a judgement of anyone’s human worth.
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