The collection / 3,980 fragments
Traditional sayings from a documented English collection, with reviewed meanings for an expanding editorial selection.
Meaning: Trouble is pictured as moving between different doors rather than remaining in one place. The saying can express hope that a difficulty will pass, but it should not promise relief on a schedule or encourage satisfaction when someone else suffers.
Meaning: A promise made during trouble may be abandoned when the trouble passes. The devil’s wish to become a monk disappears as soon as he feels well again.
Meaning: The saying uses St. Bartholomew as a calendar marker for the arrival of cold dew. It associates an observance with a seasonal condition.
Meaning: Keep room for another attempt when a setback makes a worthwhile purpose seem finished. The expression encourages perseverance, without forbidding rest, changing course or accepting that an undertaking may need to end.
Meaning: Death is possible at any age, while old age makes the end of life impossible to ignore. The contrast is a reminder of mortality.
Meaning: Steady effort can provide a lasting resource, much as an inheritance supplies something to build on. The proverb praises diligence as useful capital, without claiming that hard work removes unequal opportunities or guarantees material success.
Meaning: The saying assigns rest after dinner and a walk after supper. Its paired instruction gives two meals different follow-up activities.
Meaning: Accepting a friend’s hospitality can mean allowing for the effort and imperfections behind it. The kitchen image asks a guest to appreciate the meal without inspecting every detail of its preparation.
Meaning: Sharing a difficulty with someone who understands it can make the burden feel less solitary. The saying values companionship, without guaranteeing that two people’s sorrow diminishes or that another distressed person must provide support.
Meaning: Enjoyable conversation can make time feel shorter. The saying praises the experience of good company and engaging talk, without claiming that conversation changes the clock or suits everyone in the same way.
Editorial context: This presents women’s silence and noninterference as an ideal. Respect for privacy does not require ignoring wrongdoing.
Meaning: The saying presents a discreet woman as someone who notices or acknowledges nothing. It reflects a restrictive expectation of silence and noninterference, rather than a universal standard of good judgement.
Meaning: A little careful judgement can be worth more than a great deal of cleverness. Knowing when and how to act may matter more than finding an impressive response.
Meaning: The saying calls disease a tax that pleasure may bring. It gives enjoyment the image of a later cost without specifying the activity or a proven connection.
Meaning: The saying gives understanding a disease a major place in addressing it. Half the cure is an emphatic share, not a measured clinical result.
Meaning: A first offering can receive a welcome that later offerings do not share. The meal image suggests the advantage of arriving before appetite or interest is satisfied, rather than proving that every first attempt is good.
Meaning: Treat others with the consideration you would hope to receive yourself. Thinking about how an action would feel from the other side can help you choose a fairer response.
Meaning: When the preferred course is unavailable, choose a workable response within the circumstances. The saying encourages adjustment, while leaving room to question a restriction or improve the conditions rather than treating every limit as permanent.
Meaning: The saying brings dock in and sends nettle out. The paired plant names and opposite directions suggest replacing an unwanted sting or trouble with something thought to relieve it.
Meaning: A specialist may benefit from another person’s observations. Different perspectives can add relevant information, without making every opinion equally informed or replacing the expertise the situation requires.
Meaning: The saying prefers an old doctor and a young lawyer. It assigns different age ideals to two professions without explaining the comparison.
Meaning: Someone overlooked or unsuccessful may yet have a favourable moment. Present circumstances need not define every later opportunity, though a good turn is not guaranteed.
Meaning: Useful and dependable work deserves fitting recognition. Notice the contribution and respond fairly instead of taking continued service for granted.
Meaning: Even a creature regarded as troublesome may still deserve basic kindness. The crust of bread provides a modest image of care that is not reserved only for those considered good or useful.
Meaning: A serious action may be preceded by a warning or an expression of anger. The barking image encourages attention to possible signals, without promising that every threat will be carried out or every harmful action announced.