proverb · Traditional
Happy is the wooing, That is not long a-doing.
The saying praises a courtship that reaches agreement quickly. A careful reading questions whether speed actually serves the people involved.
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668 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Hard upon hard makes a bad stone wall; But soft upon soft makes none at all.
A useful arrangement may need firmness joined with flexibility. The stone wall contrasts rigid contact with a softness that cannot support the structure at all.
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Haste over nothing but catching fleas.
Most tasks deserve enough care to avoid needless rushing. Catching fleas supplies a comic exception: the saying favours considered action, but its exaggerated wording does not rule out occasions when speed is useful.
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Haste trips up its own heels.
A hurried approach can create the very obstacle that slows it down. Notice when urgency is leading you to skip the steps needed to move forward reliably.
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Hasty men never lack woe.
Acting hastily can create avoidable trouble by leaving relevant questions unchecked. The saying criticises rushed action, while its absolute wording should not make every quick decision seem wrong or every delay wise.
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Hasty resolutions seldom speed well.
Decisions made too quickly may overlook what would help them succeed. The proverb questions rushed commitment, without proving that a slow decision is always better or that urgent action must wait.
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Have not the cloak to make when it begins to rain.
Prepare what you can before the need becomes urgent. Waiting until a foreseeable problem arrives may leave too little time to create the protection or resources that would help.
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He can ill pipe that wants his upper lip.
A task is difficult when a necessary means is missing. The absent lip exaggerates the mismatch between being expected to play and being unable to use the instrument.
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He dances well to whom fortune pipes.
A person may perform well when circumstances favour them. The fortune-and-dance image asks how opportunity contributes to success, without denying skill or claiming that fortunate conditions make every result effortless.
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He giveth one knock on the hoop, and another on the barrel.
The saying gives one knock to the hoop and another to the barrel. Its balanced image can suggest alternating attention between two related sides rather than striking only one.
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He goes a-sorrowing, who goes a-borrowing.
Borrowing can bring obligations or difficulties after the initial benefit. Understand the arrangement before accepting it rather than treating temporary access as though nothing will later be required.
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He had need rise betimes that would please everybody.
Trying to please everyone can demand more effort than one person can reasonably provide. The need to rise early is an exaggeration that questions universal approval as a workable goal.
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He hath a good judgment who is apt to distrust his own.
Good judgement includes readiness to question your own conclusion. The saying values self-checking, without requiring constant indecision or treating confidence as proof that someone has failed to think carefully.
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He is not wise that is not wise for himself.
Judgement that helps others should also be considered in one’s own choices. The saying questions advice disconnected from the adviser’s conduct, without making personal advantage the only purpose of wisdom.
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He is wise enough that can keep himself warm in winter.
Practical provision for a basic need is one form of wisdom. Winter warmth draws attention to everyday care rather than impressive claims of knowledge.
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He knows enough who knows how to live and keep his own counsel.
Practical understanding includes navigating daily life and choosing what to say or keep private. The saying values discretion without claiming that silence is always the wisest response.
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He knows on which side his bread is buttered.
Someone understands where their advantage comes from and acts to protect it. The saying often points to self-interest behind a choice, especially when loyalty or agreement brings a benefit.
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He lies as fast as a dog can trot.
The phrase accuses someone of telling falsehoods readily and repeatedly. It is an emphatic criticism, not evidence that every statement by that person is false.
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He measures your corn by his bushel.
Someone may assess your situation using their own standards or experience. Check whether that measure fits what is being judged instead of assuming that their reference point is universal.
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He must stoop that hath a low door.
When a situation has a real constraint, adjust your approach to pass through it. Flexibility can help where insisting on your usual posture will not.
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He needs must go that the devil drives.
Strong pressure can make a person feel they have little choice about moving forward. The devil driving supplies a forceful image of compulsion, while leaving room to examine the choices that remain.
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He stands in his own light.
A person can obstruct their own view or progress through the position they take. The light image invites attention to a changeable obstacle, without making every setback self-inflicted or ignoring barriers imposed by others.
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He that bites on every weed must needs light on poison.
Trying every available thing without discrimination is pictured as eventually biting a poisonous weed. The warning favours judgment over indiscriminate sampling; it is a figurative caution, not evidence that curiosity is dangerous or a guide to identifying safe plants.
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He that buys a house ready wrought, Hath many a pin and nail for nought.
An already completed undertaking may include useful details that would take effort to provide separately. The finished house pictures the value of work already done.
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