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 (French-language collection)
A small undertaking can produce valuable results. Assess the quality and usefulness of its output rather than assuming that a larger scale is always better.
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Not everyone can hold the leading role at once. The saying can encourage respect for different contributions without treating a hierarchy as fixed or deserved.
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When the preferred course is unavailable, choose a workable response within the circumstances. The saying encourages adjustment, while leaving room to question a restriction or improve the conditions rather than treating every limit as permanent.
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A sound start can make the rest of a task easier. Clear preparation and an effective first step often prevent difficulties that would slow later progress.
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The saying gives the sweetest water to wells that are well drawn. It links the manner of obtaining a resource with the quality imagined to result.
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Actions can produce consequences connected with what was done. Sowing and reaping picture a relationship between preparation and the resulting harvest.
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A modest supply may be too small to satisfy many demands. The butter-and-hounds image asks whether the amount available fits the number and scale of needs placed upon it.
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Even a skilled person needs suitable means to do the job. Before judging their performance, consider whether the necessary tools, materials or support have actually been provided.
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Give the task you have undertaken sufficient attention and care. Thoroughness means carrying out its purpose well rather than merely appearing occupied.
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If a task has been properly assigned, let the person responsible perform it. Doing the same work yourself can defeat the purpose of arranging help.
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People may behave differently when the person supervising or restraining them is absent. Reduced oversight can reveal whether rules are being followed from commitment or mainly from fear of consequences.
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Support can become easy to find after the important work has already been done. The christening image contrasts late willingness to take a role with the help needed earlier, without making every late offer worthless.
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The saying makes an aching head worsen the whole body’s condition. As an explicit analogy, difficulty in one part of a connected undertaking may affect the rest.
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Preparation can make later work easier. The dug well pictures a foundation that must exist before a routine operation can produce its result.
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A shared undertaking may require different positions or roles rather than both people leading in the same way. The two riders picture a practical arrangement, without establishing that the person behind is less valuable or must always defer.
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Before attempting an unfamiliar or unpredictable task, check that the basic preparations are secure. The young colt and tightened saddle picture readiness for uncertainty.
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Look for the activity that makes a desired result possible. The bees and honey suggest a connection between productive work and what it yields, rather than a guarantee that every effort succeeds.
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When many people take from the same limited resource, their combined demands can exhaust it. Consider the total burden, not only how small each individual request appears.
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A strained system is likely to fail at its least capable or least supported point. The thread image directs attention to a vulnerable connection, rather than assuming that strength elsewhere will compensate for it.
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People may choose the easiest place to cross a boundary. The lowest hedge draws attention to an arrangement’s weak or convenient point, without establishing that crossing is wrong or that the people doing it are dishonest.
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Willing participation can make an action feel easier to begin. Light feet picture the energy associated with wanting to take part.
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Determination can help you find practical ways around obstacles. Wanting a result strongly enough may encourage persistence, experimentation and asking for help instead of giving up immediately.
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A future provision may arrive too late to meet a present need. The growing grass and starving horse contrast an expected resource with the time when it is required, without making every long-term plan useless.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Changing location may not remove a responsibility attached to a role. The ploughing ox questions an escape that changes surroundings alone, without declaring work unavoidable everywhere or requiring anyone to endure exploitation.
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