The collection / 847 fragments
Explore passages mentioning wisdom, wise. Topic suggestions use transparent word matching, not scholarly classification. Editorial meanings and lexical matches are discovery aids, not independent authentication of a quotation.
Meaning: Do not judge a work only by how it appears before it is ready for use. The unfinished ship invites patience with the stage of construction, while leaving room for useful checks and criticism along the way.
Meaning: Good judgement includes readiness to question your own conclusion. The saying values self-checking, without requiring constant indecision or treating confidence as proof that someone has failed to think carefully.
Meaning: An object that seems unnecessary now may become useful later. The seven-year claim exaggerates that possibility, rather than giving a dependable timetable or requiring someone to keep every unused possession.
Meaning: No single person holds every means of solving a problem or gaining access. The keys suggest that knowledge, authority and opportunity may be distributed, so another person or route may help when one option fails.
Meaning: Something previously active may be easier to revive than something never started. The partly-burnt wood suggests a remaining disposition or trace, without proving that old feelings, disputes or habits will inevitably return.
Meaning: Attention directed toward one person may be intended to please someone connected with them. The child and nurse picture indirect favour, without proving that every friendly gesture has a hidden or dishonest motive.
Meaning: Spending on outward display can crowd out ordinary necessities. Fine clothing is pictured as consuming the resources that would keep the kitchen working.
Meaning: Careless decisions can create complications that others must patiently resolve. Value the work of untangling a problem, and notice what caused it.
Meaning: What you learn early can become a resource for later judgement. Knowledge may grow more useful as experience helps you understand where it applies and where it needs revision.
Meaning: Useful effort can bring an immediate sense of activity and progress, while avoidable neglect may cause trouble. The warmth image contrasts engagement with inaction.
Meaning: The saying warns that someone drawn to legal disputes may get more of them than they want. Getting one’s fill can turn an initial appetite into weariness.
Meaning: Trying to escape a small effort may lead to a larger one. This closely resembles the idle-folk saying and warns about an ineffective shortcut, without providing a fair label for everyone who pauses or needs help.
Meaning: You can provide an opportunity, guidance or encouragement, but another person must choose whether to take part. The horse image distinguishes making something available from being able to compel a willing response.
Meaning: A costly method can be disproportionate to the value of what it obtains. The silver shovel and lead invite a comparison between means and result, rather than assuming that any successful effort is worth its expense.
Meaning: A small unresolved problem can undermine a much larger undertaking. The leak and ship emphasise consequences that grow if ignored, without claiming that every minor fault will become disastrous or needs the same response.
Meaning: The phrase accuses someone of telling falsehoods readily and repeatedly. It is an emphatic criticism, not evidence that every statement by that person is false.
Meaning: Experience can help you prepare, but it cannot reveal every difficulty in advance. Leave room to adapt when a situation includes hazards that earlier lessons did not allow you to foresee.
Meaning: A person can obstruct their own view or progress through the position they take. The light image invites attention to a changeable obstacle, without making every setback self-inflicted or ignoring barriers imposed by others.
Meaning: Something helpful or attractive may also have a limitation. The light-and-shadow comparison encourages a rounded view, without predicting an equal drawback for every benefit or treating a serious harm as acceptable compensation.
Meaning: A useful signal or source of guidance is not necessarily the strongest or most comprehensive one. The proverb distinguishes a light from the sun, without dismissing small contributions or making prominence proof of reliability.
Meaning: Preferences can differ in ways that another person finds surprising. The comic cow-kissing example makes that variety conspicuous, without claiming every preferred action is harmless or that preference settles a shared disagreement.
Meaning: A feared difficulty may be less daunting than its reputation suggests. Find out what the situation actually involves before allowing an exaggerated picture to decide for you.
Meaning: An attractive appearance does not remove ordinary needs. The rosy-lips image redirects attention from admiration to practical care, without making beauty a fault or defining a person only by appearance or dependency.
Meaning: A person who secretly listens to others may hear unwelcome comments about themselves. The saying warns about eavesdropping and its consequences, without making overheard remarks reliable evidence or blaming someone for accidentally hearing hurtful speech.