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 (French-language collection)
The saying places responsibility on those who shape a child’s surroundings and example. Read it as a call for attentive care, rather than a claim that children have no agency.
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What people see you do can teach more powerfully than what you tell them to do. Let your conduct support your instructions rather than expecting words alone to establish a useful habit.
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The saying criticises teaching everything. A useful reading asks whether instruction needs selection and sequence rather than an overwhelming amount at once.
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Build a basic skill before attempting its more demanding form. Learning the foundations can make an ambitious next step more reliable and easier to understand.
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Age alone need not end your ability to learn something useful. A new skill or understanding can still be worthwhile even when you are beginning later than others.
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Ability does not remove the need for guidance and learning. Even a promising beginner benefits from suitable instruction rather than being expected to know how to use their strengths without support.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Material comfort does not by itself provide knowledge, judgment or considerate conduct. The contrast separates receiving resources from the learning and relationships that help a person use them well.
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