Intelligence is derived from two words - inter and legere - inter meaning 'between' and legere meaning 'to choose'. An intelligent person therefore is one who has learned 'to choose between'. He knows that good is better than evil that confidence should supersede fear that love is superior to hate that gentleness is better than cruelty forbearance than intolerance compassion than arrogance and that truth has more virtue than ignorance.

Meaning: Blushing is imagined as the visible colour of moral sensitivity. The saying can praise a moment of modesty, but a bodily reaction does not prove honesty or virtue, and the absence of visible embarrassment does not establish a defect of character.

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: The saying advises winning a mother’s goodwill when seeking a relationship with her daughter. It treats family approval as useful, but such approval cannot replace the daughter’s own wishes and consent.

Meaning: A partner’s qualities matter more than the wealth attached to them. The contrast between fortune in and on a person redirects attention from possessions to character.