proverb · Traditional
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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proverb · Traditional
A tall tree is hated by the wind. –Malagasy
A tall tree hated by wind personifies exposure as hostility toward prominence. The supplied sentence includes a Malagasy label.
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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 thing you don't want is dear at any price.
Something unwanted can impose a cost even when its price is low. The saying asks whether an acquisition serves a real purpose, instead of letting a bargain alone determine what is worth having.
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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 tree is known by its fruit, and not by its leaves.
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.
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A tree never hits a car except in self-defense.
A tree hitting a car only in self-defence reverses ordinary responsibility in a comic collision scene. The tree is given the role of a responding actor.
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A turkey never voted for an early Christmas.
A turkey not voting for an early Christmas gives a choice an image of opposing one’s own severe disadvantage. The saying highlights interests behind a decision.
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A wager is a fool's argument.
Offering a bet does not establish that a claim is true. Confidence or willingness to risk something cannot replace reasons and evidence.
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A weapon is an enemy even to its owner.
A weapon called an enemy even to its owner gives a means of force an image of possible danger to the person possessing it. The saying questions control being assumed from ownership.
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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 wilful man never wants woe.
Stubbornly ignoring relevant limits can bring difficulty. The saying warns about wilfulness without treating every firm decision as unreasonable.
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A wink's as good as a nod to a blind horse.
Different signals make little difference when neither reaches the intended recipient. The horse image asks whether a message can actually be received, without making a communication barrier the recipient’s fault.
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A wise man changes his mind; a fool never.
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.
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A wise man doesn't need advice, and a fool won't take it.
The saying leaves advice unwanted at both ends of its contrast: a wise person supposedly does not need it, while a fool refuses it.
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A wise man is never less alone than when alone.
Chosen solitude can contain rich thought rather than an absence of company. The paradox values a person’s engagement with reflection, while distinguishing welcome time alone from loneliness that someone does not want.
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A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion.
Independent decisions called wise and following public opinion called ignorant contrast judgment with conformity. The saying values examining a choice oneself.
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A Wise Old Owl.
The phrase pictures a wise old owl as a figure of cleverness or judgment. It combines age and an animal image in a compact compliment.
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A wolf may lose its fangs, but not its inclination.
A wolf losing fangs but not inclination contrasts reduced power with a presumed continuing tendency. The saying separates capacity from disposition.
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A wonder lasts but nine days.
Public fascination often fades. The short lifespan assigned to a wonder reminds the reader that intense attention may not endure.
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A word is enough to the wise.
Someone who understands the situation may need only a brief hint to act. Concise guidance can be enough when it connects with knowledge the listener already has.
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Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
The saying asks for the heart to be guarded because actions flow from it. It presents inward commitments as influential in conduct.
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Abstinence is good medicine.
Abstinence described as medicine gives refraining from something a restorative value. The saying leaves the object of abstinence unspecified.
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