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
Do not depend on something whose relevant support is already known to be unreliable. The broken staff pictures a failed basis for reliance, without requiring every imperfect resource to be discarded or supplying practical walking advice.
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The saying warns against trusting a horse’s heel or a dog’s tooth. It singles out parts of familiar animals associated in the image with possible harm.
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Quiet appearances can conceal what an observer has not understood. The still water and silent person warn against treating lack of visible disturbance as complete knowledge.
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A true statement can be poorly presented or fail to attract admiration. Judge the evidence for what is said separately from the polish of its expression.
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Let trust grow from observed conduct rather than assuming complete reliability at once. Begin with appropriate, limited reliance and notice how someone handles it before sharing more responsibility.
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The verse separates what can be changed from what cannot, suggesting that worry alone resolves neither. Its useful reading considers available action and unavoidable limits, without claiming that feelings are voluntary or that a wise person never experiences distress.
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A third person can change the intimacy or ease of a conversation between two. The saying describes one possible social arrangement, without establishing that groups of three are unwelcome or that an outsider deserves exclusion.
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Usefulness can matter more than impressive appearance or scale. The saying directs attention toward what something helps people do.
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Courage achieves little when it is not guided by sound judgement. The saying asks a brave person to consider how an action can help, rather than treating boldness or willingness to face danger as sufficient.
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The saying treats negotiation as a sign that courage is close to surrender. A critical reading questions that assumption rather than equating discussion with weakness.
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A limited risk or sacrifice may create a chance of a greater benefit. Consider whether the possible gain justifies what is put at stake, rather than assuming every opportunity must cost nothing.
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Do not expose everything important to the failure of a single arrangement. Where practical, retain alternatives so that one setback does not remove all your options at once.
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An undertaking that promises excitement or satisfaction can also bring serious trouble. The three examples question an account that notices only pleasure.
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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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Expectations need to take difficult circumstances into account. The golden life and iron age contrast warns against expecting ease from an unhelpful setting, without making hardship inevitable or discouraging efforts to improve it.
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We may overlook a useful resource while it is reliably available. Losing it can reveal how much our daily life depended on it.
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Clear shared standards can reduce disputes about what is owed or supplied. Agree how something will be assessed instead of leaving each person to assume a different measure.
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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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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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People may ask for advice and readily offer it while being less willing to follow it. Consider whether guidance fits the situation, rather than assuming that asking means agreeing to act on every suggestion.
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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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What one person rejects may be exactly what another wants. The saying highlights differences in preference and circumstances, without proving that every unwanted thing is useful or every desire is well considered.
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A mirror can show a visible detail that another person’s advice leaves unspoken. The saying values direct observation alongside counsel, while limiting what appearance alone can reveal about character or understanding.
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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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