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
The saying answers an initial lack of success with repeated trying. It treats a first setback as a reason to consider another attempt rather than a final verdict.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Speaking not well enough then not at all makes expression conditional on an imposed standard. The saying prioritises polished communication through an absolute restriction.
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Watching alone imagined to make every dog a butcher questions exposure being sufficient for skill. The saying distinguishes observing a practice from being able to perform it.
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Knowing an outcome can make an earlier choice seem easier to judge. The saying highlights hindsight, while recognising that a first decision must often be made with incomplete information.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Climbing a mountain to view a plain presents a broader perspective as requiring effort or a changed vantage point. The saying connects undertaking with understanding.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
The saying warns that an unpractised art may disappear. It emphasises continued engagement with a learned skill.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Stopping digging when already in a hole pictures ceasing an action that deepens a problem. The saying values reassessment before continuing.
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Following someone called foolish then being foolish oneself gives imitation an inherited judgment. The supplied wording includes a Jamaican label.
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Ignorance called blindness of the mind uses sight as an image for missing understanding. The saying gives learning a role in recognising what was previously unclear.
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Ignorance called slavery gives missing understanding an image of restricted agency. The saying values knowledge as a possible resource for greater choice.
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Images ranked nearer reality than written descriptions give visual representation a privileged relation to what it depicts. The saying values one medium over another.
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Easy conditions can make a task seem simpler than it is. The calm sea allows anyone to appear capable at the helm, cautioning against judging skill solely by an occasion that required little adjustment.
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The phrase pictures words entering one ear and immediately leaving the other. It describes hearing without retaining or attending to what was heard.
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Asking for advice achieves little if someone refuses to consider using it. The saying questions the purpose of the request, while leaving room to examine advice critically and reject recommendations that are unsuitable or wrong.
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Teaching corn growing instead of giving corn contrasts developing a capability with immediate provision. The saying values a skill that may support future needs.
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Not knowing preferred to being taught badly contrasts acknowledged uncertainty with misleading instruction. The saying values the quality of learning rather than instruction alone.
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Regretting afterward is criticised as foolish. The saying turns attention toward consideration before an action rather than dissatisfaction after it.
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Breaking a shell to reach an almond makes an obstacle part of gaining access to something valued. The saying asks what necessary work lies between desire and result.
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You can still make a useful improvement after delay or a mistake. Regret about the past need not prevent changing what remains within your control.
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Asking denied disgrace and not knowing called worse gives inquiry priority over embarrassment. The saying encourages seeking understanding rather than concealing a gap.
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A snail arriving as well as a fox gives a slower traveller a successful destination in the image. The saying values progress beyond a single admired pace.
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A young man questioning an old one called shameful gives age-based deference priority over inquiry. The supplied wording attributes the statement to Homer.
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The saying singles out the first step as difficult. It places the obstacle at the moment of beginning rather than describing the whole undertaking.
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The saying pairs an old dog with a hard road. As a human analogy, experience is pictured as useful for a demanding undertaking.
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