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
The saying values a little practical judgment above a large amount of learned knowledge. Mother-wit and an older learning-related reading of clergy create the contrast.
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The saying dismisses routine talk about changing weather as an easy substitute for substance. Its insult should not be mistaken for a fair judgment of every casual conversation.
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A pleasant covering may make something disagreeable easier to accept. The sweetened pill represents how presentation can soften a difficult message, while raising the question of whether the underlying substance remains clear.
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The saying treats April and May as decisive months for what the rest of the year will yield. Keys picture their conditions as opening or closing later possibilities.
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A person quick to make assurances may also fail to remember or fulfil them. The saying warns against relying on readiness to promise alone, without making enthusiasm proof of unreliability.
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An unsuccessful effort can seem no better than doing nothing. The saying voices that discouragement, while inviting a closer look at what an attempt may still teach.
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The saying regards twenty as no worse than nineteen. It suggests that a small additional amount may make little difference in a situation already being considered.
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Two things may be very different despite being put together in a comparison. Chalk and cheese give the difference a vivid form, encouraging attention to relevant distinctions without deciding that comparison is always useless.
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A person may hear their own expectations in an ambiguous signal. Check whether an interpretation comes from the evidence or from what you already want to believe.
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The saying treats Friday as a sign of Sunday and Sunday as a sign of the whole week. It extends a short observation into a much longer expectation.
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The expression presents a larger commitment as no worse than a smaller one when their consequences are assumed equal. It can announce boldness, but that assumption needs scrutiny; beginning something does not justify escalating its cost or harm.
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What happens at an earlier stage shapes the result of the stage that follows. The saying links preparation with outcome, while leaving room for unexpected events, shared responsibilities and opportunities to correct an earlier choice.
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Your choices can create conditions you later have to live with. Consider their consequences and take responsibility for the part you can control.
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A request made at a higher level leaves room to reduce it later. The saying describes flexibility in an opening demand, while its advice needs limits: an inflated request can undermine trust or ignore what the other person can reasonably offer.
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Let your available resources help set your spending. A desirable purchase still needs to fit what you can reasonably afford alongside your other commitments.
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Pause before accepting an offer that promises an unusually large advantage. The bargain and the pause should match in scale: the more attractive the proposal, the more useful it may be to examine its terms.
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A modest source of help can be easier to use comfortably than a grand one. The little fountain suggests accessible benefit without the demands of a crowded or imposing setting.
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A shared life benefits from considering practical arrangements beforehand. The house pictures a place and means for the partnership to live.
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People without direct responsibility can imagine managing it perfectly. The imaginary wives and children expose the ease of confident advice before experience, without proving that unmarried or childless people cannot offer useful observations.
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Avoid exposing yourself to a foreseeable difficulty without suitable protection. Bare feet and thorns make preparation concrete, without blaming someone who lacks resources or assuming that every hazard can be prevented.
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Avoid adopting an untested change merely for novelty or retaining an old approach after it no longer serves. Judge the evidence and purpose rather than making timing itself the rule.
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Competing for something can tempt a person to act before judging whether the next commitment is worthwhile. The saying favours a pause before outbidding, without prescribing a purchase strategy or making every competitive response unwise.
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Outward attractiveness does not tell you whether someone is kind, capable or trustworthy. Character and conduct deserve attention beyond physical appearance.
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Beauty is not a dependable possession that can be treated like a lasting estate. The saying warns against relying on appearance as permanent security, without denying anyone’s dignity as appearances change.
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