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)
A sore place can make ordinary handling unwelcome. Consider previous difficulty or present discomfort before assuming that another person’s resistance is unreasonable.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Confidence before an event can give way to fear when the moment arrives. The contrast between anticipation and the actual point tests a claim of courage against experience.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Practical skill develops through doing the relevant work. Instruction becomes more useful when paired with repeated practice, feedback and gradually more demanding tasks.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Learning through your own mistakes can be costly, yet people often take a lesson seriously only after experiencing its consequences. Consider whether you could learn earlier from advice or another person’s experience.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Experience of your own situation can help you imagine another person’s circumstances. Treat that analogy as a starting point for questions rather than proof of sameness.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Experience can help you prepare, but it cannot reveal every difficulty in advance. Leave room to adapt when a situation includes hazards that earlier lessons did not allow you to foresee.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Everyday experience can reveal something you did not know. Treat a surprise or mistake as a chance to revise your understanding rather than pretending you already had every answer.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Experience inside an organisation can reveal its evasions better than an outside view. Familiarity may improve oversight, though it does not establish anyone’s honesty.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The younger birds presume to lead those with experience. The image asks whether confidence has outrun understanding, without making age alone a reason to accept or reject someone’s guidance.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The hare’s repeated return portrays attachment to a familiar place. Consider how established patterns draw someone back, while allowing that people can choose new habits and destinations.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Experience can help someone recognise an opportunity or handle a familiar task. Value the relevant knowledge without assuming age alone guarantees a better result.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
Your own mistakes can teach caution, but another person’s experience may offer the same lesson without the same cost. Listen for relevant lessons before repeating an avoidable error.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
You can sometimes avoid a mistake by learning from what happened to someone else. Relevant experience need not become your own loss before you consider what it shows.
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