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)
A person who is secure in a skill may have less need to prove it through conflict. The source’s absolute wording offers an ideal of restraint, not a guarantee about the behaviour of skilled people.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Answering foolish noise with the same noise can make the responder part of it. The braying image questions imitation as a useful way to address an unproductive exchange.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
The saying praises allowing anger to pass rather than keeping a grievance alive. Its moral judgement is too simple: lasting anger does not by itself show that someone lacks good character.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The comparison warns about unchecked appetite by portraying it as more destructive than open violence. It is rhetorical emphasis, not a reliable comparison of deaths or a dietary rule.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Practical understanding includes navigating daily life and choosing what to say or keep private. The saying values discretion without claiming that silence is always the wisest response.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
If someone has become angry without good reason, they cannot fairly demand compensation merely to restore their mood. The saying separates calming down from receiving amends, while leaving genuine grievances open to examination.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Hold back words that would be better left unsaid. The image of keeping the tongue behind the teeth encourages restraint in speaking, rather than requiring silence about a genuine concern or something that needs to be reported.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Keep your speech under considered control rather than letting impulse set its tone. Firm words can remain measured, accurate and proportionate without becoming an unnecessary attack.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Gentleness should not be tested by deliberately provoking harm. The bloodhound and lip image makes trust compatible with respecting another’s limits, rather than treating tolerance as permission.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Composure can help you face an unfavourable situation. Presenting a steady manner is useful when it supports action, but it should not require denying what has gone wrong.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A closed door denies entry to the figure of temptation. The saying makes a firm boundary part of refusal, without proving that unwanted pressure always disappears once someone says no.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Listen more and speak with greater restraint. Giving other people room to explain can improve your understanding before you decide what contribution is useful.
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