proverb · Source-linked selection
An ounce of mother-wit is worth a pound of clergy.
An ounce of mother-wit is worth a pound of clergy.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying values a little practical judgment above a large amount of learned knowledge. Mother-wit and an older learning-related reading of clergy create the contrast.
What the words are saying
Ounce and pound make the preference look like a comparison of weights, but it is rhetorical rather than measured. The lexical context supports reading mother-wit as practical intelligence and clergy through its historical connection with learning. A useful application asks whether knowledge is being applied sensibly, while avoiding the claim that study is worthless or judgment needs no evidence.
Everyday example
A team combines technical knowledge with attention to the actual task instead of displaying learning that does not help solve it.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish accumulated learning from its thoughtful application.
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What it does not mean
The weights are not measured values, and the reading does not rank people’s intelligence or verify an origin.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1114 · Mother-wit
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English