Character.

Meaning: When worthwhile learning loses respect, people may have less reason or opportunity to pursue it. The saying connects recognition with the conditions that sustain knowledge.

Meaning: Do not present yourself as committed to incompatible sides without addressing the conflict. Hounds and hare give opposed directions to the same person, without requiring rigid loyalty when circumstances or duties change.

Meaning: Generous hospitality is pictured as a home without barriers to welcome. The absence of doors exaggerates the openness of a considerate host.

Meaning: An unoccupied mind is pictured as a place where harmful ideas may develop. The saying warns about misdirected attention, but it should not turn rest, unemployment or a lack of visible activity into evidence of wrongdoing or deficient character.

Meaning: Unoccupied time can become an opportunity for harmful behaviour. The root image presents idleness as something from which other troubles may grow.

Meaning: The bird-and-nest image criticises damaging a place or relationship that supports you. A useful reading values shared care, while reporting wrongdoing or questioning an institution must not be dismissed as disloyalty simply because someone belongs to it.

Meaning: Even someone regarded unfavourably may deserve some recognition or kindness. The bone represents a modest good that should not be withheld without thought.

Meaning: A run of favourable outcomes can leave someone dazzled and less alert to limits. The saying questions judgment formed only under easy circumstances.

Meaning: Resources obtained dishonestly may be used carelessly or harmfully. The repeated “ill” joins the way something is acquired to the way it is spent.

Meaning: The saying warns that benefits obtained through wrongdoing can bring trouble rather than lasting advantage. It is a moral warning, not proof that misconduct is always punished or that prosperity demonstrates honesty.

Meaning: Brazen or disrespectful behaviour is not proof of bravery. Judge courage by the purpose and responsibility of an action rather than by how confidently someone disregards others.

Meaning: The saying suggests that excessive pride can make someone overlook the help they receive. Recognising your own effort need not prevent acknowledging other people’s contributions.

Meaning: A modest role can make its holder feel disproportionately important. The saying mocks self-importance borrowed from an office rather than earned through conduct.

Meaning: Passing up a joke can be wiser than hurting a friend for a moment’s amusement. Consider the person affected before deciding that a clever remark must be said.

Meaning: A falsehood told as a joke can still cause real trouble when someone believes it or is hurt by it. Calling it a joke does not remove the need to consider its effects.

Meaning: Do not make a settled judgement from an initial appearance alone. Gather relevant information before deciding, while still responding appropriately to a clear immediate concern.

Meaning: Kindness may ease hostility and invite a more cooperative response. Try consideration where it can help, while recognising that warmth does not reliably change every person or situation.

Meaning: 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.

Meaning: Dishonesty may gain a short-term advantage while damaging trust that matters later. Consider the lasting consequences of a deceptive act, rather than judging it only by the immediate result.

Meaning: The speaker takes a cynical view of society, dividing people into those who deceive and those who are deceived. The division expresses distrust rather than a reliable census.

Meaning: A spoken commitment can create an obligation that is difficult to undo. Consider what you are agreeing to before making a promise that later effort or regret may not easily release.

Meaning: Seeking property can lead someone to overlook the character of a person attached to it. Taking a fool by the hand pictures a connection chosen for its material benefit.

Meaning: The saying gives the final celebration to those who actually succeed. It can caution against premature boasting, but winning is not the only reason for joy, and an unsuccessful result does not remove the value of effort, participation or fair conduct.

Meaning: People who establish rules should be accountable to the standards they ask others to follow. The saying challenges a double standard, without deciding any particular legal case or assuming that every rule is fair simply because someone made it.