A leopard can't change its spots
Meaning: People can't fundamentally change their nature.
Origin: From Jeremiah 13:23: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." The prophet's point is that ingrained habits of wrongdoing are nearly impossible to shed.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop (literally: Chase away nature, it comes back galloping)
- Spanish: Genio y figura hasta la sepultura (literally: Character and form until the grave)
- Japanese: 三つ子の魂百まで (Mitsugo no tamashii hyaku made) (literally: The soul of a three-year-old lasts until a hundred)
- German: Die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht (literally: The cat will not give up catching mice)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- When the cat's away, the mice will play — People behave freely when authority is absent.
- Lightning never strikes twice — Rare events are unlikely to happen to the same person twice.
- To each their own — Everyone has their own preferences and choices.
- You can't teach an old dog new tricks — It's difficult to change established habits.
- Hunger is the best sauce — Food tastes better when you're truly hungry.
- The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world — Mothers have profound influence on society.
From our idioms
- montrer les dents — Displaying aggression, defiance, or readiness to fight.
- avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre — Taking more food than one can actually eat; wanting too much.
- faire un esclandre — Creating a public disturbance or embarrassing scene.