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 (Spanish-language collection)
A long view makes present appearances seem less permanent. The shared baldness is an exaggeration about change over time, rather than a prediction of everyone’s lifespan or a criticism of losing hair.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everyone can have weaknesses or make mistakes. Remembering ordinary imperfection can encourage humility about yourself and proportionate expectations of other people.
Read the explanation and example ↗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.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Praise can cloud judgement when it becomes something a person continually seeks. Notice whether admiration is helping recognition or making honest disagreement harder to hear.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Formal study does not by itself produce sound judgment. Learning becomes useful when a person examines how to apply it rather than displaying knowledge without understanding.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
People often find other people’s ways strange while overlooking how their own ways appear. Consider another perspective before making ridicule the basis of a judgment.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Overconfidence or arrogance can leave someone unprepared for a setback. Success is more secure when confidence allows room for limits, advice and correction.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The younger birds presume to lead those with experience. The image asks whether confidence has outrun understanding, without making age alone a reason to accept or reject someone’s guidance.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Greater standing can be accompanied by greater humility rather than entitlement. The saying presents an ideal of conduct, without proving that rank establishes virtue or that someone without status has less reason to be respected.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Experience can help someone recognise an opportunity or handle a familiar task. Value the relevant knowledge without assuming age alone guarantees a better result.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Position can make something appear superior without changing its underlying size or strength. Examine the circumstances behind a comparison rather than relying on visible height alone.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
One familiar implement mocks another, despite their shared setting and possible shortcomings. The image invites a person to examine their own position before ridiculing a comparable fault.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Prudence and age do not remove the value of listening to counsel. The address to an experienced person keeps room for another perspective without requiring every suggestion to be followed.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Attention to an impressive image does not itself produce useful results. Compare claims of distinction with the work or benefit that would give those claims substance.
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Death is presented as a shared condition that worldly rank cannot remove. The saying invites humility about status, without claiming that people’s lives, losses or burial circumstances are otherwise identical.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A person trying to catch another can become caught instead. The reversal cautions against assuming complete control of a scheme and invites attention to how an intended advantage might turn back on its maker.
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