Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then examine its imagery, practical application and limitations.
2,058 selected entries have editorial explanations. An explanation is not independent authentication of an attribution. Start with the individually source-checked classics ↗
proverb · Traditional
Do not choose a response that harms your own interests mainly to express spite. Check whether an angry refusal or retaliatory act serves a worthwhile purpose or merely makes the situation worse for you.
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Avoid making everything depend on one uncertain option. Separating your commitments can reduce the damage if a single plan, relationship or resource fails.
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Taking on more than you can manage may leave the whole undertaking insecure. The carrying image encourages matching commitments to capacity, while recognising that assistance, tools or a different arrangement can change what is manageable.
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Avoid provoking a quiet problem without a useful reason. An unnecessary intervention can revive a conflict or danger that is currently inactive.
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The saying gives water and wine different models of drinking: an ox and a king of Spain. It contrasts an animal image with a royal one without specifying amounts.
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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.
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The saying contrasts freedom in eating with restraint in drinking. Pleasure and measure give two activities different limits rather than one shared rule.
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The saying observes that satisfying an appetite diminishes the desire that prompted it. As an analogy, obtaining something can alter how urgently it is wanted.
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The saying treats a surplus as unnecessary when a need has already been met. Its useful question is whether extra provision serves a purpose, while reserves, sharing and uncertain future needs may make more than the immediate minimum worthwhile.
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Even someone regarded as unsophisticated may recognise a practical need. The cloak in rain illustrates elementary precaution, while the saying’s dismissive label should not be used to judge a person’s worth or ability.
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An uncertain outcome can fail to happen as well as happen. The saying balances hope with the alternative possibility, without claiming that the two outcomes are equally likely or that uncertainty makes preparation pointless.
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People can overestimate the standing or recognition they deserve. The animal comparison mocks self-importance, but differences in rank or background do not establish differences in personal worth.
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Even something generally good may have a small flaw. Recognising an imperfection can help you make a balanced judgement instead of expecting complete perfection.
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People may feel especially confident in familiar surroundings or where they have influence. The cock on its own dunghill pictures that local assurance, without proving that confidence is false or that everyone behaves the same way away from home.
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Two things or people grouped together do not necessarily make a suitable partnership. Couple and pair distinguish number from fit, without proving that differences prevent cooperation or that one person has less value than another.
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Each cross is pictured as carrying its own inscription, suggesting that difficulties have particular features rather than being interchangeable. The saying can invite attention to those particulars without claiming that suffering contains a divinely assigned message or a necessary lesson.
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Something helpful or attractive may also have a limitation. The light-and-shadow comparison encourages a rounded view, without predicting an equal drawback for every benefit or treating a serious harm as acceptable compensation.
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A useful signal or source of guidance is not necessarily the strongest or most comprehensive one. The proverb distinguishes a light from the sun, without dismissing small contributions or making prominence proof of reliability.
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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.
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Everyone can have weaknesses or make mistakes. Remembering ordinary imperfection can encourage humility about yourself and proportionate expectations of other people.
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A task can look easy while conditions are favourable. The calm-sea image reminds readers that apparent competence in a simple setting may not show readiness for difficulty, without declaring everyone unskilled or demanding that ability be proved through hardship.
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Preferences can differ in ways that another person finds surprising. The comic cow-kissing example makes that variety conspicuous, without claiming every preferred action is harmless or that preference settles a shared disagreement.
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People may blame the age or circumstances around them to avoid examining their own mistakes. Consider what was within your control as well as external influences.
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A person’s faults are not reliably visible in their face or first appearance. Judgement needs relevant behaviour and evidence rather than guesses based on looks.
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