proverb · Traditional
Don't stop the plough to catch a mouse.
Do not interrupt an important undertaking for every minor distraction. Weigh the interruption against the value of keeping the main task moving.
Read the explanation and example ↗Words worth understanding
What does it mean?
Start with the thought in plain English. Then explore the imagery, a practical example, when to use it, and what the saying does not mean.
4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
861 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Don't throw the baby out with the bath-water.
The saying warns against discarding a baby with bath-water. As an analogy, it asks a change to preserve what is valuable while removing what is unwanted.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Don’t try kicking against the wind.
The instruction warns against kicking against the wind. As an explicit analogy, it questions an effort aimed at a force that the chosen action cannot usefully change.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Don’t work to get rich.
The instruction rejects getting rich as the purpose of work. It questions making wealth accumulation the sole aim of effort.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Dreams are what you hope for; reality is what you plan for.
Dreams as hopes and reality as what one plans for separate aspiration from practical preparation. The saying asks that an aim engage with actual conditions.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Drive not a second nail till the first is clenched.
Secure one necessary step before adding another that depends on it. Check the foundation of the next action rather than expanding work on an arrangement that is still unsettled.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Early sow, early mow.
Beginning a task earlier can allow its result to arrive earlier. The sowing-and-mowing image connects preparation with timing, but an early start is useful only when conditions suit the task; speed alone does not guarantee readiness or quality.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Empty bags cannot stand upright.
The saying pictures an empty bag unable to stand upright. In the supplied reading, it points to the support a person needs to function.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Evening orts are good morning fodder.
The saying makes evening leftovers useful as morning fodder. It presents material left over at one time as provision for a later use.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every bird must hatch her own egg.
Each person has responsibilities that others cannot completely fulfil on their behalf. The bird tending its own egg points to a necessary personal contribution, while leaving room for shared care, practical support and different capacities.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every man as his business lies.
People may need to act according to the particular responsibilities or circumstances before them. The saying invites attention to the task that actually belongs to someone, without making occupation the whole of their identity.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every man to his trade.
A task benefits from attention to the skills it requires. The saying favours relevant expertise but should not prevent someone learning beyond their present occupation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every man will shoot at the enemy, but few will go to fetch the shaft.
People may readily join an attack or criticism while few accept the effort of following through. Consider who will take responsibility for the costs and practical work behind a forceful response.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Every tub must stand on its own bottom.
An undertaking needs a sound basis of its own. The tub’s bottom pictures the support without which the container cannot fulfil its purpose.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everybody must row with the oars he has.
The saying asks everyone to row with the oars they have. It turns available tools into the starting point for making progress.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everybody's business is nobody's business.
When a task is vaguely assigned to everyone, each person may assume someone else will do it. Shared responsibility works better when the next action and its owner are clear.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everyone must row with the oars he has.
The saying makes each person row with the oars available to them. As an analogy, begin with the means one actually has.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everyone stones the tree that bears fruit.
A fruit-bearing tree stoned by everyone pictures productive or valuable things receiving unwanted attention. The saying links benefit with pressure or attack.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everything is the worse for wearing.
Use can cause wear that needs attention. The saying warns about deterioration while overlooking ways that use can also improve skill, familiarity or value.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Expect not at another’s hand what you can do by your own.
When a task is within your own capacity, waiting for another person may needlessly delay it. The saying encourages taking an available step without making assistance or cooperation signs of weakness.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Failure is nature’s plan to prepare you for great responsibilities.
The saying portrays failure as nature’s preparation for greater responsibility. It offers a hopeful purpose for a disappointing result.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Failure is not an option.
The saying excludes failure from the available options. It expresses determination or the importance a speaker places on success.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
The saying treats failure as an opening for a better-informed new beginning. It emphasises reflection before another attempt.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Failure is the tuition you pay for success.
Calling failure tuition compares an unsuccessful attempt with the cost of learning. It suggests that a setback may offer useful experience.
Read the explanation and example ↗