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
Knowing one’s own limitations can reduce self-importance. The proverb gives humility an exaggerated form; it need not mean that accurate self-understanding requires low self-worth, disregard for strengths or constant criticism of oneself.
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Useful effort that produces a result is compared to making gold. Spinning gives productive work a visible image of creating value.
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The saying mocks abandoning something dependable for an uncertain possibility without a sound reason. Its musical image puts the chooser among fools, but uncertainty alone does not make a choice foolish; the point is to examine what justifies the change.
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A period of careless or wrongful living can have consequences that last longer than the period itself. One year and seven years create an exaggerated contrast in duration.
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Ingenuity alone may not sustain an undertaking that lacks necessary resources. Wit and stock contrast a clever approach with the means that let it work.
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Strong longing can express a strong sense that something is missing. The paired words connect desire with a felt absence.
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The saying warns that someone drawn to legal disputes may get more of them than they want. Getting one’s fill can turn an initial appetite into weariness.
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The saying links successful fighting with a favourable peace. A critical reading asks what good peace requires rather than assuming victory supplies it.
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The saying claims the last person to pay avoids paying twice. It makes delay sound protective, though the wording supplies no actual arrangement that guarantees this result.
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The saying pictures someone inspecting every cloud being struck by a thunderbolt. Its warning associates intrusive curiosity with an unexpected cost.
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A plan made without considering a key person or condition may need to be revised. The host image warns against assuming an arrangement is settled before those it depends on have been consulted.
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Sensitive information can give another person power over its owner. The saying warns about disclosure, while exaggerating the resulting dependence as enslavement.
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Starting early may indicate a purpose someone wants to pursue. The saying reads an early beginning as a sign of intention rather than idle movement.
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A very intense pace may be difficult to sustain over a long task. Match the effort to the distance ahead rather than assuming that the fastest start produces the best overall result.
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In a contest decided by speed, faster performance gains the reward. The saying can encourage focused effort while inviting questions about what the contest actually measures.
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Acting quickly without enough visibility can lead to mistakes. The running-at-night image cautions against moving faster than the available understanding, without making caution an excuse for endless delay or supplying practical running instructions.
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The speaker trusts that those who must be fed will also find provision. Mouths and meat put need and its hoped-for answer beside each other.
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Displaying resources can expose them to unwanted attention. The saying exaggerates that risk as though the display proves a wish to lose them.
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The saying predicts Sunday sorrow for someone who sings on Friday. It turns enjoyment on one day into an omen about another.
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Neglecting a task can allow unwanted results to develop. The empty sowing and growing thistles contrast deliberate cultivation with what happens without it.
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Courtesy can be maintained without granting trust that conduct has not earned. The speaker returns fair words while keeping a boundary, without assuming that politeness proves either friendship or deception.
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The saying predicts that someone striking with a sword will be beaten with its scabbard. Aggression is answered through a related but different instrument.
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Repeating a mistake can be a reason to learn from the earlier experience and change the approach. The saying’s claim that injury is deserved is punitive exaggeration, not a justification for hurting or blaming someone.
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The saying mocks a husband for sharing news with his wife, implying that experience would teach silence. A critical reading questions the distrust and gender stereotype behind it.
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