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
A person may seek divine help during danger and neglect that relationship once the danger passes. The saying questions gratitude or commitment that disappears as soon as the immediate need is over.
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A promise made during trouble may be abandoned when the trouble passes. The devil’s wish to become a monk disappears as soon as he feels well again.
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The saying gives the devil’s children a corresponding kind of luck. It connects a morally charged identity with fortune without explaining whether that fortune is favourable or ill.
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Someone who knows they are at fault may become watchful or defensive. The proverb describes one possible reaction, but guarded behaviour alone cannot establish wrongdoing or reveal why a person is uncomfortable.
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The saying places reverence for God at the start of wisdom. It expresses a religious account of learning and moral judgment rather than a universal test of intelligence.
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Straightforward conduct can avoid complications created by elaborate manoeuvring. Honesty may serve a relationship better than trying to control every impression or anticipated response.
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An abundance of talk may be accompanied by little practical follow-through. The saying’s absolute wording warns against confusing speech with achievement, without making a talkative person automatically ineffective or a quiet person dependable.
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A high position can expose someone to a greater loss when it is lost. The height and fall image invites humility about status and vulnerability.
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A generous person looks for ways to act generously. Devising suggests that kindness can involve deliberate planning, rather than only an impulsive gift.
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Careful attention to how work is organised can matter more than personally performing every task. A responsible supervisor helps by noticing problems, clarifying expectations and supporting people who do the work.
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Regular, informed attention from the person responsible can help a task or resource receive proper care. The owner watching the horse points to oversight, rather than a claim that surveillance alone improves things.
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Greater standing can be accompanied by greater humility rather than entitlement. The saying presents an ideal of conduct, without proving that rank establishes virtue or that someone without status has less reason to be respected.
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Being physically close to a place of worship does not ensure spiritual sincerity. The saying challenges reliance on outward religious association when conduct does not reflect the values being professed.
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The saying grants a nurse’s speech a special privilege. It presents a role as allowing talk that might otherwise be restrained, without defining the occasion or subject.
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Appreciation may disappear once the occasion or benefit has passed. Consider whether thanks reflects continuing regard or only a temporary need for someone’s help.
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Public goodwill can support a ruler’s position. Calling the people’s affection a lifeguard contrasts trust with protection supplied only by force.
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Someone who encourages another person’s wrongdoing can bear serious responsibility. The saying turns attention toward influence rather than only the final actor.
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Regret about being caught may differ from regret about the harm done. The saying asks what an apology or expression of sorrow is actually concerned with.
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Words can cause serious harm despite having no physical strength of their own. Recognise the consequences of threats, humiliation or damaging claims rather than dismissing them as mere speech.
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Words can have consequences for the person who speaks them. The tongue and head divide the act of speaking from the burden that follows.
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The saying makes remaining vicar of Bray the constant priority. In the checked anthology context, keeping the office contrasts with changing one’s declared position.
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The person or part making the most noise may be contributing least or functioning poorly. The creaking wheel invites a distinction between attracting attention and doing useful work, without treating every complaint as worthless.
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Affection can make each partner see their own relationship as especially fortunate. The exaggerated claim of one good wife exposes the partiality of personal praise.
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The saying uses racist language and treats a Black person’s skin as something washing should change. That premise is to be rejected, not turned into a lesson about human worth.
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