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 proverb
A promise and its fulfilment are separated by the work needed to carry it out. Good intentions matter, but a confident statement is not yet evidence of a completed result.
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Trying to rely on two incompatible options can leave you without either. Indecision or a poorly arranged compromise may fail to provide the support you need.
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The saying minimises punishment with birch twigs by claiming that it does not break ribs. The narrow comparison leaves other pain and harm outside its account.
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People with similar interests, habits or outlooks often spend time together. A shared activity or way of thinking can make a group feel familiar and easier to join.
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The saying contrasts birds of prey with singing birds. As an explicit analogy, a threatening role may be imagined as lacking the charm associated with a pleasant voice.
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A strong need can make something previously unappealing seem welcome. Bitter turning sweet pictures a change in appreciation rather than in the thing itself.
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Blushing is imagined as the visible colour of moral sensitivity. The saying can praise a moment of modesty, but a bodily reaction does not prove honesty or virtue, and the absence of visible embarrassment does not establish a defect of character.
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Something adopted from someone else may not suit your own circumstances. Adapt a borrowed method or style to the actual purpose instead of assuming it will work simply because it worked elsewhere.
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A lesson that costs something can make its consequences easier to remember. The saying values learning from experience, without requiring costly mistakes or treating every painful experience as an improvement.
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Boasting can sound impressive when encouraged, yet fail when action is required. The dog makes a noise but does not bite.
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Boasting may sound impressive, but dependable persistence is more useful. Judge what someone follows through on rather than relying only on their confident claims.
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Boasting can seem impressive while lacking what would make it convincing. The incomplete dog turns grand talk into an image of missing substance.
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An attempt to cheer someone can be unsuitable for what they are experiencing. The bagpipe pictures a noisy diversion offered during trouble, encouraging attention to the person’s needs rather than assuming that entertainment always helps.
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Do not use your energy so intensely that little remains for rest and recovery. Too many demands at once can make a busy period difficult to sustain.
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Purposeful activity can give life interest and structure, as salt adds flavour. Here business can be read as having something to do, without making paid employment the only valuable activity or treating constant busyness as a virtue.
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The saying ranks butter differently across the day: gold in the morning, silver at noon and lead at night. The metal sequence makes its imagined value decline with time.
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Habitual neglect can make harmful habits easier to acquire. The saying treats drifting away from useful activity as a kind of unintended learning.
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A thoughtful method can achieve something that courage or force alone cannot. The saying values strategy, without making deception admirable or denying that persistence and courage may still matter.
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Putting a difficulty into words can sometimes make it feel less isolating or easier to examine. The saying values telling someone who can listen without promising that disclosure resolves the problem.
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The saying links sound judgement with peace, and peace with conditions for prosperity. It presents a hopeful connection, not a guarantee that careful decisions will end conflict or provide plenty for everyone.
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Practical skill develops through doing the relevant work. Instruction becomes more useful when paired with repeated practice, feedback and gradually more demanding tasks.
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Friendly names and claims of closeness do not excuse dishonest treatment. The wordplay contrasts being called cousin with being deceived, asking that warmth in a relationship be matched by straightforward conduct.
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The saying regards calm June weather as helping corn develop well. Setting it in tune turns crop growth into a harmonious musical image.
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Use resources thoughtfully while trusting in divine provision. The saying combines practical care with religious confidence rather than establishing a promised financial return.
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