proverb · Source-linked selection
Though you see me with this coat, I have another up the mountain.
Though you see me with this coat, I have another up the mountain.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
What is visible now may not show all that someone has available. The speaker’s other coat challenges a conclusion drawn from the single garment an observer can see.
What the words are saying
The visible coat is contrasted with another kept elsewhere. The claim reminds the observer that one view can be incomplete, but it also comes from the person whose resources are being judged. Do not replace an unsupported negative assumption with unquestioning belief in a boast. Where the matter is relevant, seek appropriate evidence; where it is private, leave it private. The saying does not establish wealth or worth from clothing. Its useful point concerns the limits of appearances.
Everyday example
A group asks what tools are actually available for a task instead of deciding from the one item someone brought to the first meeting.
When to use it
Use it to question a conclusion based on only the resources currently in view.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
Neither visible clothing nor an unverified claim proves someone’s resources, character or personal worth.
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 (Spanish-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 203; Spanish section, paragraph 4229; source wording: Aunque me veis con este capote, otro tengo en el monte.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.