proverb · Traditional
Don’t cry over spilt milk.
The saying discourages crying over milk already spilled. It asks for attention to what can still be done after an irreversible loss.
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What does it mean?
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.
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197 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Don’t snap your fingers at the dogs before you are out of the village.
Do not provoke a threat while you are still exposed to it. Restraint can be a practical way to leave a difficult situation safely.
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Every cloud has a silver lining.
The saying gives every cloud a silver lining. It encourages looking for a possible benefit within a difficult situation.
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Every dog has its day.
The saying gives every dog its day. It offers encouragement that someone overlooked may yet have an opportunity or success.
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Every path has its puddle.
The saying gives every path a puddle. It pictures some inconvenience or obstacle along whichever route one chooses.
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Failures are but mileposts on the road to success.
The saying makes failures mileposts on a road to success. It gives setbacks a place within an ongoing attempt rather than treating them as its final meaning.
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Fair and softly as lawyers go to heaven.
The saying uses lawyers going to heaven as an image for proceeding gently or slowly. Its comparison has a possible satirical edge, while the exact tone is not supplied.
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Fair and softly go far in a day.
A steady, gentle approach can carry a task further than impatient effort. The saying values sustainable progress, without making slowness a virtue in itself or claiming that every situation calls for the same pace.
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Fall seven times. Stand up eight.
The saying follows seven falls with eight rises. It urges renewed effort after setbacks through an exaggerated count.
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First creep and then go.
Learn the basic steps before attempting a more demanding task. Gradual preparation can help, while the appropriate starting point depends on the learner and the skill involved.
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Forbearance is no acquittance.
Holding back from demanding something is not necessarily giving up the claim. Patience or temporary restraint should not automatically be read as forgiveness or final agreement.
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Forced fruits fail in flavour.
Rushing a process can weaken the result someone hoped to obtain. The forced-fruit comparison invites attention to suitable development, without claiming every fast method is inferior or presenting the saying as gardening evidence.
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Get thy spindle and thy distaff ready, and God will send thee flax.
Prepare the means to do a task instead of waiting passively for everything to arrive. The tools come first, while the materials are pictured as coming through providence.
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God is never in a hurry, but He is always there at the proper time.
God never hurried and always present at the proper time expresses confidence in divine timing. The saying gives patience a religious assurance.
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Good things come to those who wait.
The saying promises good things to people who wait. It encourages patience when a result has not yet arrived.
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Good things require time.
The saying associates good results with time taken to develop them. It encourages patience rather than expecting every worthwhile thing immediately.
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Grass grows not upon the highway.
The saying pictures a heavily used route as unsuitable for grass. As a metaphor, it can connect repeated activity with what has little room to establish itself.
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Great oaks from little acorns grow.
The saying grows great oaks from little acorns. As an analogy, a small beginning may develop into something substantial.
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Great oaks grow from small acorns.
The saying grows a great oak from a small acorn. As an analogy, a modest beginning may develop into a substantial undertaking.
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Haste over nothing but catching fleas.
Most tasks deserve enough care to avoid needless rushing. Catching fleas supplies a comic exception: the saying favours considered action, but its exaggerated wording does not rule out occasions when speed is useful.
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He expects to find water at the first stroke of the spade.
Expecting water from the first stroke of a spade makes an outcome arrive before the necessary work. The image questions premature expectations while leaving room to assess whether further effort is worthwhile.
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He fisheth on that catcheth one.
A small success can encourage someone to continue an undertaking. The fishing image captures the motivation of a first result, while one success does not establish that repetition is worthwhile or guarantee that another result will follow.
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He goes not out of his way that goes to a good inn.
A worthwhile pause can belong to the journey rather than interrupt its purpose. The good-inn image values suitable rest or provision, without recommending a particular destination or claiming every detour is beneficial.
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He has eaten his corn in the blade.
Using a resource before it has matured can consume the benefit expected later. The young crop represents an anticipated return spent or destroyed too soon.
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