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
Having an interest pursued for enjoyment can add something worthwhile to life. The saying celebrates a hobby, without proving that everyone needs one or that a particular pastime guarantees happiness.
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The saying praises a courtship that reaches agreement quickly. A careful reading questions whether speed actually serves the people involved.
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A useful arrangement may need firmness joined with flexibility. The stone wall contrasts rigid contact with a softness that cannot support the structure at all.
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Rushing can create waste, and wasted resources can increase tension at home. The chain of consequences highlights how one avoidable mistake may affect several parts of life.
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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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A hurried approach can create the very obstacle that slows it down. Notice when urgency is leading you to skip the steps needed to move forward reliably.
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Rushing towards a position or goal can leave someone unprepared for its demands. The sudden fall follows the hasty climb in the saying, warning about the method of progress rather than condemning quick advancement in every case.
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Acting hastily can create avoidable trouble by leaving relevant questions unchecked. The saying criticises rushed action, while its absolute wording should not make every quick decision seem wrong or every delay wise.
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Decisions made too quickly may overlook what would help them succeed. The proverb questions rushed commitment, without proving that a slow decision is always better or that urgent action must wait.
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A few dependable friendships can matter more than a large circle of casual contacts. Give close relationships enough attention rather than assuming that every acquaintance offers the same trust.
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Prepare what you can before the need becomes urgent. Waiting until a foreseeable problem arrives may leave too little time to create the protection or resources that would help.
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A task is difficult when a necessary means is missing. The absent lip exaggerates the mismatch between being expected to play and being unable to use the instrument.
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An appearance of protection can coexist with actions that hurt. Wings and bill give the same bird a sheltering and a harmful role, asking whether the offered care is borne out by conduct rather than by its presentation alone.
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A person may perform well when circumstances favour them. The fortune-and-dance image asks how opportunity contributes to success, without denying skill or claiming that fortunate conditions make every result effortless.
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A desired benefit may come with less pleasant parts that also need attention. The sweet-and-sour contrast encourages realistic expectations, but its language of deserving should not justify imposed suffering or denying someone ordinary care.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Protection depends partly on continuing to notice changing conditions. A precaution taken once may become ineffective if its assumptions or surroundings later change.
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Expecting a complete reward without effort or arrangement is wishful thinking. The ready-roasted birds exaggerate the hope that every necessary step will happen by itself.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
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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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.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Helping another person carry out an action can make you part of its consequences. The supporting role in the image matters even though it does not perform the whole act.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Relief from a troubling burden can be a worthwhile gain even without acquiring money or possessions. The proverb asks readers to recognise the value of what no longer weighs on them.
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Saving a comparatively slight thing while wasting something more valuable reverses sensible priorities. The ashes and flour contrast asks whether apparent carefulness protects what actually matters in the situation.
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The saying gives one knock to the hoop and another to the barrel. Its balanced image can suggest alternating attention between two related sides rather than striking only one.
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Help offered promptly can be especially valuable when timing matters. A useful contribution may lose much of its purpose if it arrives only after the need has passed.
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