proverb · Traditional
Fair exchange is no robbery.
The saying separates a fair exchange from robbery. It makes fairness the condition that distinguishes a swap from taking advantage.
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586 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Fair fall truth and daylight.
The saying welcomes truth and the clarity represented by daylight. It values bringing matters into view, while leaving room for privacy, considerate timing and a fair way to establish what is actually true.
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Fair feathers make fair fowls.
Attractive presentation can make something look more appealing. The fine feathers explain the favourable impression, while leaving open whether what is being presented also has the qualities someone needs.
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Fair words butter no cabbage.
The saying denies that fair words butter cabbage. It contrasts pleasing speech with the practical contribution a task needs.
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False friends are worse than open enemies.
The saying ranks false friendship as worse than open hostility. It emphasises the difficulty of relying on someone whose goodwill is deceptive.
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Fancy may bolt bran and think it flour.
A strong preference can make something seem better than it is. Imagining bran as flour pictures wishful judgement, without proving that every hope or favourable opinion is mistaken.
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Few people are out of the reach of slander.
Almost anyone can become the subject of a harmful false report. The saying recognises vulnerability to slander rather than treating accusation as proof of wrongdoing.
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Few words and many deeds.
The saying prefers many deeds with few words. It gives action greater emphasis than talking about intended action.
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Fields have eyes, and woods have ears.
A conversation that seems private may still be overheard. Do not assume an open or apparently empty place guarantees that sensitive words will remain confidential.
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Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
The saying shifts shame from the deceiver to the person deceived when deception happens twice. It urges learning, but places a harsh judgment on repeated trust.
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Fools think themselves wise to the very last.
A person may remain confident in a mistaken judgement instead of examining it. The saying criticises unearned certainty, without giving an observer a fair basis to dismiss someone permanently as a fool.
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For a man to live in peace, he must be blind, deaf, and dumb.
Peace said to require being blind, deaf and dumb equates nonengagement with avoiding disturbance. The saying uses disability terms in a harsh image of withdrawing from what happens around oneself.
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Forgetting a debt doesn’t mean it’s paid.
A forgotten debt remaining unpaid distinguishes memory from completion of an obligation. The saying warns that ignoring a matter does not resolve it.
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Foxes, when they cannot reach the grapes, say they are not ripe.
People may dismiss something they cannot obtain to make disappointment easier to bear. Check whether the criticism reflects the thing itself or a response to being denied it.
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From a child and a crazy person you learn the truth.
A child and a person labelled crazy supplying truth contrasts unguarded speech with conventional restraint. The saying uses a demeaning label to imagine candour.
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From confessors, doctors, and lawyers, do not conceal the truth of your case.
The saying values an accurate account when seeking help from a trusted adviser. Its list of professional and religious roles contrasts useful understanding with an account that conceals relevant facts.
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From the promise to the deed is a day’s journey.
A day’s journey from promise to deed gives a commitment and its fulfilment a distance between them. It distinguishes saying something from completing it.
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Gems must not be valued by what they are set in.
Judge something by its substance rather than by the setting around it. The gem and its mount distinguish underlying quality from presentation, without making context irrelevant to how something is used or understood.
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Get the money honestly if you can.
The instruction asks for money to be obtained honestly if possible. Its condition makes honesty sound like a preference rather than a firm limit.
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Good wares make quick markets.
Useful, sound goods can attract buyers more readily. The saying encourages attention to quality while exaggerating its ability to secure a quick sale.
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Good words without deeds Are rushes and reeds.
Pleasant promises are insubstantial when no useful action follows. Look for the work that supports an assurance rather than treating an agreeable statement as enough.
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Great boast, small roast.
Impressive claims can conceal a modest result. The contrast between a large boast and a small roast invites comparison of what was promised with what was actually provided, without treating confidence itself as dishonesty.
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Great cry and little wool.
Much noise or visible effort may produce little useful result. The contrast between a great cry and little wool asks what has actually been achieved, rather than treating a dramatic presentation as evidence of substance.
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Great eloquence will not change wrong into right.
Eloquence unable to make wrong right distinguishes persuasive expression from ethical justification. The saying asks for more than impressive words.
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