proverb · Traditional
A promise is a pleasant declaration.
A promise called a pleasant declaration separates agreeable wording from fulfilment not yet demonstrated. The saying asks what an assurance amounts to.
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What does it mean?
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861 matching explanations
maxim · Publius Syrus
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Constant movement or change can prevent someone from accumulating lasting commitments, resources or attachments. Whether that is a loss or a benefit depends on what the person values.
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A sceptre is one thing, a ladle another.
Different roles require different tools and responsibilities. The sceptre and ladle contrast ruling with everyday provision instead of making one task interchangeable with the other.
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A short cut is often a wrong cut.
A shortcut often becoming a wrong turn contrasts reduced effort with an unsuccessful route. The saying asks whether omitted steps were necessary.
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A small leak will sink a great ship.
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.
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A small pack suits a small pedlar.
The size of a task or stock should fit the capacity available to handle it. The pedlar’s small pack pictures a manageable load.
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A spark can start a great fire.
The saying grows a great fire from a spark. As an analogy, a small beginning may have large consequences.
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A spot is most seen on the finest cloth.
A small flaw can attract particular attention against an otherwise excellent background. The cloth represents high quality or strong expectations, while the spot explains why one defect may seem disproportionately conspicuous.
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A spur in the head is worth two in the heels.
Inner purpose can motivate more effectively than repeated outside pressure. The spur in the head stands for a reason someone understands or accepts, while the spurs at the heels represent urging imposed by others.
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A stitch in time saves nine.
Dealing with a small problem early can prevent it from becoming a larger, more difficult problem later. Timely attention often saves extra work and disruption.
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A stumble may prevent a fall.
The saying suggests that a stumble may prevent a fall. A smaller setback can reveal a problem before it becomes larger.
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A thin meadow is soon mowed.
A task with little material to deal with may be finished quickly. The thin meadow pictures a small amount of work, suggesting that speed of completion should be considered alongside the task’s size and substance.
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A thousand dogs can’t catch up with a gazelle.
A thousand dogs unable to catch a gazelle gives a single creature an advantage over a large number. The saying distinguishes quantity from what the pursuit requires.
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A tight cord is near snapping.
A tight cord near snapping makes excessive tension an image of approaching failure. The saying asks whether a burden is becoming unsustainable.
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A tradesman who gets not loseth.
The saying treats a tradesperson’s lack of gain as a loss. It judges merely standing still as insufficient within the commercial activity it imagines.
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A whet is no let [hindrance].
The saying declares a whet no hindrance. It treats a sharpening or refreshing step as compatible with progress rather than necessarily delaying it.
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A woman's work is never at an end.
The saying describes work associated with women as continuously recurring, especially household and care tasks. It can make an overlooked burden visible without establishing that such work naturally belongs to women.
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A young man idle, an old man needy.
Neglecting available opportunities to prepare for the future can leave someone with fewer resources later. Youth and old age frame the consequences over time.
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Ability in itself is not much when denied opportunity.
Ability denied opportunity is described as insufficient on its own. The saying distinguishes having a capacity from being able to exercise it.
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Accidents will happen.
The saying expects accidents to occur. It acknowledges unintended events rather than treating every result as fully controlled.
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Account not that work slavery That brings in penny savoury.
The saying argues that paid work should not be called slavery. A critical reading distinguishes compensation from the freedom and fair conditions that a worker also needs.
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Actions speak louder than words.
The saying gives actions a louder voice than words. It asks that conduct carry more weight than a declaration alone.
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After a famine in the stall, Comes a famine in the hall.
The saying makes scarcity in an animal stall precede scarcity in the household hall. It pictures difficulty moving from provision for livestock to provision for people.
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After all is said and done, more is said than done.
More said than done after everything is said and done plays on the gap between discussion and action. The saying criticises words exceeding practical fulfilment.
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