A fool demands much, but he's a greater that gives it.
Meaning: Indulging someone's unreasonable requests reveals greater foolishness than making them.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Human Nature
- Muddles at home make husbands roam. — Domestic disorder and neglect push spouses toward seeking comfort and companionship elsew…
- Tis the nature of the beast. — Creatures act according to their inherent character; expecting otherwise ignores fundamen…
- Need makes the old wife trot. — Urgent necessity compels even the most sluggish or elderly to move quickly and act.
- Love thy neighbour, but pull not down thy hedge. — Affection for others needn't require sacrificing the boundaries that protect your own pro…
- It is the part of a wise man to take no notice of many things. — Selective attention to trivial matters preserves mental energy for what genuinely demands…
- A man may cause his own dog to bite him. — Mistreatment of those dependent on you creates the very dangers you fear from them.
From our idioms
- catch someone's eye — To attract someone's visual attention.
- change of heart — A reversal of attitude.
- cold feet — Too scared to do something.