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 (French-language collection)
An ordinary day can feel much harder when a basic need is unmet. Consider material conditions before judging another person’s mood, attention or performance.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A sore place can make ordinary handling unwelcome. Consider previous difficulty or present discomfort before assuming that another person’s resistance is unreasonable.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
A gift offered with warmth can provide both practical help and a sense of being cared for. The manner of giving matters alongside the thing that is given.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A dependent can change the route or pace of a task. The ass and her colt make an apparently indirect journey understandable in relation to another creature’s needs.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Putting a difficulty into words can sometimes make it feel less isolating or easier to examine. The saying values telling someone who can listen without promising that disclosure resolves the problem.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Care and generosity should include the people closest to you. Helping elsewhere does not excuse neglecting responsibilities to those who depend on you in everyday life.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A person experiences the weight of their own difficulties directly. Recognising that perspective can help people take another’s burden seriously without ranking whose life must be hardest.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Courtesy in making a request does not oblige someone to accept it. A refusal can be equally courteous, preserving respect without pretending that every reasonable-sounding request can be granted.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Delivering welcome news can make a person feel confident about approaching others. The expected response affects how readily someone speaks or asks for attention.
Read the explanation and example ↗quote · Samuel Johnson
Wanting to do good is not enough: careless action, unintended consequences or repeated failure to act can still produce a bad result.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A cure can cause more harm than the small problem it addresses. Correct gently and proportionately rather than pursuing a spotless result at someone’s expense.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
How you say something can change how it is received. Tone contributes to the message alongside the literal words, especially in sensitive conversations.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Playful words can turn into a serious conflict or injury. Keep humour attentive to its effects, especially when the person targeted does not share the amusement or asks for it to stop.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Acts of kindness can encourage further kindness, like planted grain producing more grain. A considerate action may spread through example or reciprocity beyond its immediate benefit.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A modest gift can help sustain a friendship by expressing attention. The value lies in considerate remembrance, rather than the price of the present or an obligation to exchange things.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Physical horseplay can impose discomfort or injury on another person. Humour should leave people free to participate rather than making their body the object of a joke.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Visible participation does not always reveal private feeling. Someone may join a celebration while feeling unhappy, uncomfortable or simply less enthusiastic than others assume.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
A helpful act is a reason to respond with kindness or assistance when you can. Mutual generosity can strengthen a relationship without requiring an exact repayment for every favour.
Read the explanation and example ↗quote · Atterbury (identity unresolved)
The sentence presents Jesus as a particular defender and supporter of people who are poor or suffering. 'Patron' means protector or advocate here, not a customer.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Useful help responds to the need a person actually has. The itching place represents a specific concern that a general offer may fail to address.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Speaking gently need not cost the speaker anything essential. A considerate choice of words can make a difficult exchange more bearable without surrendering a necessary point.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Care often directs attention toward those who depend on us. Notice their needs without assuming that concern requires constant supervision or leaves no room for independence.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A creature already in poor condition is pictured bearing another burden. The lean dog and fleas draw attention to compounded difficulty, without making thinness a character judgement or suffering an inevitable fate.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A modest gift can still provide useful help. Its value depends on the recipient’s need and the way it is given, not only on its size.
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