Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then explore the imagery, a practical example, when to use it, and what the saying does not mean.
4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
When an intermediary cannot resolve a matter, approaching the person with actual authority may be more effective. First understand the roles and the available route for doing so.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A cure can cause more harm than the small problem it addresses. Correct gently and proportionately rather than pursuing a spotless result at someone’s expense.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
It can be easier to leave a risky situation before becoming deeply involved. The riverbank and bottom distinguish an early exit from a much harder recovery.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
How you say something can change how it is received. Tone contributes to the message alongside the literal words, especially in sensitive conversations.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A satisfying moment can be a good stopping point. Continuing solely to extend a success may expose the gain or enjoyment to unnecessary loss.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Formal study does not by itself produce sound judgment. Learning becomes useful when a person examines how to apply it rather than displaying knowledge without understanding.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Some established things need no interference merely because they are present. The image invites a reason for changing an arrangement, without making preservation a rule in every case.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Practical comfort can matter more than other people’s laughter. The speaker chooses warmth over approval, while leaving open whether the criticism concerns harmless appearance or something that needs attention.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Think about likely consequences before taking an important step. Checking the risks and your options can prevent a hasty decision that is difficult to reverse.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Affection runs in different directions: one person loves someone whose attention is elsewhere. The short exchange portrays a painful mismatch rather than a shared relationship or an obligation to return affection.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Check the important details before taking an action that is difficult to reverse. A small amount of preparation can prevent an avoidable mistake, without requiring endless checking.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Having power does not establish that an action is fair. Assess the claim and its consequences rather than treating someone’s ability to impose a decision as its justification.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Money can create pressure, temptation or conflict as well as opportunities. The burning image warns that having or pursuing resources does not automatically make a person’s situation easier.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Remembering many details does not by itself show how wisely they are assessed. The saying separates recall from the judgement needed to use it.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Provoking someone to behave badly can help produce the very trouble you expect. Avoid turning a risky impulse into a challenge to prove it.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Darkness can reduce visibility and make help or companionship harder to find. The warning encourages considering conditions rather than assuming ordinary safeguards remain equally available.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A protective measure has limits when confronted by a stronger or different threat. Consider what a safeguard can actually resist rather than treating its presence as complete security.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Experience inside an organisation can reveal its evasions better than an outside view. Familiarity may improve oversight, though it does not establish anyone’s honesty.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
An impossible demand cannot become achievable merely because someone insists on it. Responsibilities should be considered alongside actual capacity, conditions and the means available to fulfil them.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Visible participation does not always reveal private feeling. Someone may join a celebration while feeling unhappy, uncomfortable or simply less enthusiastic than others assume.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
People often find other people’s ways strange while overlooking how their own ways appear. Consider another perspective before making ridicule the basis of a judgment.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The saying portrays a harsh choice between imposing force and receiving it. Its narrow contrast can expose a struggle for dominance while hiding cooperative alternatives.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A modest expenditure can help obtain a larger benefit. The small fish represents a deliberate investment whose possible return should justify what is given up.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Living with an unchangeable condition may require finding a workable attitude toward it. Acceptance of a limit does not mean approving injustice or giving up available choices.
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