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: Something attractive can come with difficulties or risks that deserve attention. The rose and its thorns pair appeal with a limitation, without making enjoyment foolish or predicting that every desirable choice will cause harm.
Meaning: An activity involving a known difficulty can expose a person to its characteristic costs. The thorn image makes a foreseeable consequence tangible.
Meaning: Reconsidering an initial judgement can reveal something useful that was missed. The saying values a second look, without proving that the later thought is always better or that every decision should be delayed repeatedly.
Meaning: Threats do not always become actions. The saying distinguishes an announced harm from its fulfilment but offers no reliable measure of the danger in a particular case.
Meaning: Respect for small resources may contribute to managing larger ones. The threepence and groat exaggerate the connection if they make one habit a test of future worth.
Meaning: People often favour advice that reflects their existing habits. The liking for thrifty sayings invites a question about whether a proverb informs judgment or merely confirms it.
Meaning: A favourable opportunity may need action while its conditions last. The high tide pictures a moment when progress is easier than it will be later.
Meaning: A later change can remove what an earlier change supplied. The ebb and returning tide picture a temporary gain that may not stay in place.
Meaning: Take a worthwhile opportunity while it is available. A timely action may be more useful than waiting until the moment has passed and trying to recover it afterwards.
Meaning: A person can choose silence when speaking would be poorly timed or unhelpful. The saying invites judgment about an occasion rather than a permanent duty to remain quiet.
Meaning: Careless words can create constraints for their speaker. Confining the tongue pictures restraint before a statement produces consequences that are harder to manage.
Editorial context: Restraint in speech does not mean keeping harm secret. Seeking help, reporting problems and expressing disagreement can be necessary.
Meaning: Hold back words that would be better left unsaid. The image of keeping the tongue behind the teeth encourages restraint in speaking, rather than requiring silence about a genuine concern or something that needs to be reported.
Meaning: Trying to secure too many things at once can prevent keeping any of them well. The grasping image cautions against overextension, without proving that every ambitious or varied undertaking is beyond a person’s capacity.
Meaning: Judge an action or undertaking by what it produces rather than by its outward show. Look at conduct and results when deciding whether a promising appearance is supported by substance.
Meaning: Abruptly disrupting an established source of stability can be harmful. The old tree’s removal supplies a warning that should remain a metaphor rather than a rule about people’s age.
Meaning: Attention to individual details can obscure the larger situation they form together. The wood-and-trees image asks for a wider view, without making detail unimportant or implying that a broad impression is always enough.
Meaning: Avoid seeking a gain in the middle of disorder or conflict when doing so may draw you into trouble or unfair conduct. This warning takes a cautious view of an opportunity another saying might celebrate.
Meaning: Do not make a small matter more troublesome than its consequences justify. The saying encourages proportionate attention, while the label trifle must be examined rather than used to dismiss another person’s legitimate concern.
Meaning: An unspoken trouble can be especially unsettling when it cannot be understood or addressed. The saying draws attention to the burden of what remains hidden.
Meaning: Trust given before a reasonable check can lead to regret. The saying encourages care while exaggerating the duration of the possible consequence.
Meaning: Do not depend on something whose relevant support is already known to be unreliable. The broken staff pictures a failed basis for reliance, without requiring every imperfect resource to be discarded or supplying practical walking advice.
Meaning: The saying warns against trusting a horse’s heel or a dog’s tooth. It singles out parts of familiar animals associated in the image with possible harm.
Meaning: A true statement can be poorly presented or fail to attract admiration. Judge the evidence for what is said separately from the polish of its expression.
Meaning: Let trust grow from observed conduct rather than assuming complete reliability at once. Begin with appropriate, limited reliance and notice how someone handles it before sharing more responsibility.