Words worth understanding
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4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
One feature does not determine the overall appeal or value of a person. A whole impression can differ from a judgment focused narrowly on one detail.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Something that appears completely full may still admit a small addition. Check the actual limit before treating a convenient description as an exact measure of capacity.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Frequent familiarity can reduce appreciation. Something useful or valuable may be taken for granted because it is always present rather than because its worth has diminished.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A label may describe what is offered without proving what is actually inside. Check relevant contents or evidence before relying on the description alone.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A usually gentle person can still reach a limit. Do not interpret calmness as endless tolerance or assume that anger can arise only in people who appear forceful.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A choice or situation usually has more than one aspect. Look beyond its attractive face to understand the drawbacks, limits or obligations that accompany it.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
People often recommend the cause they already favour. Consider their commitments and interests when evaluating enthusiastic advice rather than treating it as neutral by default.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
People selling or making something tend to praise it. Treat their description as one perspective and look for relevant evidence before deciding its quality or suitability.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The venom placed in the tail warns that a difficulty may lie at the end. Examine the final detail before assuming the whole arrangement is harmless.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A system may depend on one central mechanism. Identify what actually enables the other parts to work before focusing only on their visible activity.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Think about likely consequences before taking an important step. Checking the risks and your options can prevent a hasty decision that is difficult to reverse.
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 direct account may be more useful than many repeated second-hand reports. Check where information comes from instead of treating the number of people repeating it as independent evidence.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Repeated closeness to love or fire can make an initially intense experience feel familiar. Familiarity may change attention without removing what matters.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Reporting what was observed rather than merely heard values direct evidence and clarity about a source. The saying asks a speaker not to pass on an unexamined account as their own observation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Directly witnessing something can make it more convincing than hearing a claim about it. Seeing a result may help resolve doubt, though appearances still need interpretation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Something of high quality may still contain an unwanted residue or limitation. Appreciate its strengths while examining the particular imperfection instead of expecting complete purity.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Days arrive in succession without being identical. Attend to the circumstances of the present day rather than assuming yesterday’s experience is a complete guide.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
An outer edge may give a worse impression than the larger material it borders. Inspect both before deciding whether an unappealing detail represents the whole.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Something concealed can retain considerable intensity. The covered fire cautions against assuming a quiet surface reveals the strength of what lies beneath, without making hidden feelings a certainty.
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)
Things sharing a name or outward category may differ in their qualities. Compare the particular examples before treating every member of a group as interchangeable.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Even something small can have a noticeable effect nearby. Do not assume that limited size makes a person, contribution or obstacle entirely without consequence.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
What is visible now may not show all that someone has available. The speaker’s other coat challenges a conclusion drawn from the single garment an observer can see.
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