The collection / 2,056 fragments
Traditional sayings from a documented English collection, with reviewed meanings for an expanding editorial selection.
Meaning: Something modest that you already have can be preferable to a grander prospect that remains uncertain. The cottage and kingdom contrast present possession with an anticipated benefit, without proving that every change or ambitious plan is unwise.
Meaning: Seeking thoughtful advice can remain useful even when circumstances change. The saying values counsel as a practice, without proving that an old recommendation stays accurate or that every adviser understands the current situation.
Meaning: Plans made while drinking may be poorly considered. The saying recommends reconsidering a decision before relying on the confidence of the moment.
Meaning: Important choices about partnership and livelihood can benefit from a range of advice. Consulting all the world exaggerates the value of hearing beyond one’s own view.
Meaning: A secret is easiest to keep when it has not been shared. The joke leaves only one of the three people present, highlighting the loss of control once others know, without proving that every confidant is untrustworthy.
Meaning: Refusing every relevant suggestion can make cooperation harder. The proverb values openness to useful guidance, while its absolute wording should not deny someone help, compel agreement or make any adviser automatically right.
Meaning: Do not treat an expected result as already secured. Plan with uncertainty in view rather than making commitments that depend entirely on an outcome that has not yet happened.
Meaning: The saying points to something familiar across different countries: each has a morning. Figuratively, it can soften the impression that another place is wholly alien, while differences in people’s lives and local conditions still deserve attention.
Meaning: Distance can change what news reaches you, so information about a place may become more noticeable elsewhere. The saying presents a paradox about circulation and perspective, rather than establishing that distant reports are more accurate.
Meaning: Two things or people grouped together do not necessarily make a suitable partnership. Couple and pair distinguish number from fit, without proving that differences prevent cooperation or that one person has less value than another.
Meaning: An influential supporter can sometimes secure help that money alone cannot obtain. The saying values access through a relationship, while leaving open whether that access is legitimate assistance or unfair favouritism.
Meaning: Distance from a centre of power can mean distance from its pressures and intrigues. The saying values relief from courtly concerns, but being outside influential circles does not remove every worry or make exclusion a desirable condition.
Meaning: The saying denies courts an almanac. As a qualified analogy, it can suggest that expectations about ordinary timing do not settle what happens in a courtly or legal setting.
Meaning: Polite words may be inadequate when someone needs practical support. The saying asks for tangible help instead of ceremony, while recognising that the request still needs to fit what the other person can fairly provide.
Meaning: Courtesy may be difficult to sustain when it is consistently met with disregard. The one-sided exchange highlights reciprocity, without requiring politeness to become a bargain or blaming someone for setting a necessary boundary.
Meaning: The saying contrasts idealised expectations during courtship with everyday experience in marriage. It invites attention to ordinary responsibilities before a commitment, but its gendered and absolute framing should not imply that marriage inevitably disappoints or that affection is merely illusion.
Meaning: Friendly names and claims of closeness do not excuse dishonest treatment. The wordplay contrasts being called cousin with being deceived, asking that warmth in a relationship be matched by straightforward conduct.
Meaning: Match an undertaking to the resources that can actually support it. Legs and coverlet picture the limits of available provision, encouraging adjustment without implying that a shortage is the person’s fault or that more support cannot be sought.
Meaning: An appearance of protection can coexist with actions that hurt. Wings and bill give the same bird a sheltering and a harmful role, asking whether the offered care is borne out by conduct rather than by its presentation alone.
Meaning: Wanting something too intensely can make it harder to judge what pursuing it requires. The warning concerns desire becoming disproportionate, without condemning ordinary ambition or deciding that a particular goal is not worth seeking.
Meaning: Wanting more does not by itself produce a worthwhile gain. Desire must not be mistaken for the work or judgment needed to obtain something.
Meaning: A good example or upbringing does not guarantee the same qualities in the next generation. The cow and calf distinguish the parent from the offspring, without making a child’s conduct a simple verdict on either person’s worth.
Meaning: The saying makes attention to livestock and stored grain the basis of enough provision. It names specific household resources rather than relying on a general wish for prosperity.
Meaning: The saying links cowardice with cruelty, suggesting that fear may be expressed through harm to others. Its word always makes an unjustified universal claim: fear is not proof of cruelty, and harmful conduct should be assessed through actions and their effects.