Wisdom.

Meaning: Great energy can cause trouble when it is not guided by an understanding of the situation. Enthusiasm or force needs relevant awareness rather than being admired independently of its effect.

Meaning: When the intended use of something is unavailable, consider whether another suitable use is possible. The saying encourages adaptation to a constraint rather than insisting that the original plan is the only worthwhile outcome.

Meaning: Access to a small benefit may be preferable to taking on the burden of maintaining its whole source. The cow and bottle of milk contrast ownership with obtaining only what is needed.

Meaning: Revising a view when there is good reason can be a sign of sound judgement. The saying challenges stubbornness, without making every change sensible or every settled conviction foolish.

Meaning: When a result depends on meeting a definite target, narrowly missing it still leaves that target unmet. The saying distinguishes success from closeness, while allowing partial progress and effort to have value for other purposes.

Meaning: A crowd can be criticised for acting without shared deliberation. Many heads but no brains contrasts the number of people with the quality of their collective judgment.

Meaning: Modesty can support good conduct by leaving room for others and for correction. The saying treats it as an aid to virtue, without making quietness proof of goodness or requiring a person to conceal an achievement.

Meaning: The saying assigns good or bad outcomes to the weekday of an undertaking. Its list promises wealth, health or misfortune from timing alone.

Meaning: Obtaining money and using it well require different kinds of judgement. Consider purpose, priorities and consequences rather than assuming that earning more automatically tells you how best to spend it.

Meaning: Careless judgement can cause someone to lose money quickly. Before parting with a resource, look beyond an attractive promise and check what you are actually agreeing to receive.

Meaning: Acquiring money and using it thoughtfully are different abilities. The saying values judgement about purpose and consequences, without making earning proof of foolishness or treating spending as inherently better than saving.

Meaning: An accessory serves little purpose when the thing it is meant to hold or support is absent. The empty purse image questions preparing the container while overlooking the underlying need.

Meaning: The saying contrasts the moon’s visibility with the sun’s brightness. As a metaphor, it can describe one prominent presence drawing attention away from another.

Meaning: Favourable conditions may not last as long as expected. The morning sunshine image encourages awareness of change, without predicting that every good beginning must end badly or that enjoyment should be distrusted.

Meaning: Following a common practice can attract less criticism than standing apart. The saying observes social pressure towards conformity, but popularity and a quiet reception do not establish that a choice is right or suitable.

Meaning: The saying values a little practical judgment above a large amount of learned knowledge. Mother-wit and an older learning-related reading of clergy create the contrast.

Meaning: Do not enlarge a small difficulty until it seems overwhelming. Keeping its scale in view can help you choose a response that fits the actual problem.

Meaning: When a condition cannot be changed to suit you, consider changing your own approach instead. The mountain image encourages practical adaptation, without requiring submission to unfairness or making every obstacle something you must accommodate.

Meaning: An unreasonable request does not become sensible merely because someone agrees to it. Consider whether what is being offered is workable and appropriate rather than accepting every demand under pressure.

Meaning: Seeking still more after already having much can put existing gains at risk. The saying warns about overreaching, while its dramatic loss should not be treated as an inevitable outcome or a reason to reject every worthwhile opportunity.

Meaning: Restricting a tool or person in a way that prevents its function makes the expected result unlikely. A hindered cat cannot perform the task it is judged by.

Meaning: A pleasant distraction may leave the central problem unanswered. Music and toothache provide a contrast between enjoyment and a specific difficulty, without denying the value of comfort or supplying a rule about pain relief or treatment.

Meaning: Look for something in a place suited to providing it. The contrast between fragrance and a dog’s kennel questions a mismatched search, without establishing that an unexpected source can never offer value.

Meaning: An observed tendency may help explain why something behaves as it does. The saying can encourage realistic expectations, but calling it the nature of the beast should not excuse harmful conduct or declare a person incapable of change.