Words worth understanding
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.
proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A large move can bring a large disturbance. The leap and shake ask that ambition include attention to consequences, without assuming every substantial change is reckless or should be avoided.
Read the explanation and example ↗maxim · Publius Syrus
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.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Long-established habits can be difficult to change. The saying states this too absolutely: it does not show that older people are incapable of learning or that every new attempt will fail.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Baskets dismissed after the vintage is finished picture equipment whose immediate season of use has ended. Recognise when a particular task is over.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Some established things need no interference merely because they are present. The image invites a reason for changing an arrangement, without making preservation a rule in every case.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
A change in leadership may bring a change in expectations or rules. The saying alerts people to a new arrangement, without making every change necessary, just or automatically worthy of obedience.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Someone presently subordinate may later hold comparable authority. Peter and his master offer a reversal of position, without promising advancement, naming a historical Peter or treating command as the only measure of achievement.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A short period can bring an event absent for many years. A long stretch of stability does not make a sudden change impossible.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Deeply established habits can seem inseparable from a person. The bone-and-flesh image emphasises persistence, but its word never overstates the point: early patterns can be questioned and changed, and they do not prove an unalterable inherited character.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A rose passes through successive forms rather than remaining at one admired stage. The image invites attention to development, time and changing kinds of value.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Past contents can leave a trace after a container is emptied. The image suggests that established habits or experiences may continue influencing later behaviour.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Moving or disturbing something can cause losses that were easy to overlook. Consider whether unnecessary handling or repeated changes will shed useful parts of an arrangement.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Days arrive in succession without being identical. Attend to the circumstances of the present day rather than assuming yesterday’s experience is a complete guide.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A newcomer may receive especially warm attention because their arrival is fresh. Notice the effect of novelty without assuming older relationships have become less valuable.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
People who arrive later can come to hold authority over those already present. Consider how power changed rather than assuming arrival order determines a permanent place.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Favourable circumstances can still include an unexpected setback. Enjoy a good position while avoiding the assumption that every next step is certain to remain easy.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A strongly connected relationship or arrangement can be costly to break. Consider how deeply the parts are joined when assessing the consequences of a rupture.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Positions of apparent strength can decline while disregarded things rise. The wall and dunghill contrast challenges confidence in a fixed hierarchy, without making lower status a sign of lesser human worth.
Read the explanation and example ↗quote · Geoffrey Chaucer
When April's gentle rain reaches the roots, it ends the dryness left by March. This is a picture of spring returning, rather than a command or a moral rule.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Some worthwhile changes involve unavoidable costs or disruption. Reaching an aim may require accepting a limited sacrifice rather than expecting every benefit without loss.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A young person’s mistakes need not determine every later choice. Allow room for reflection and improvement while addressing the consequences of what has actually happened.
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