A man may buy gold too dear.
Meaning: Excessive price paid for something, however valuable, can make the acquisition a poor bargain overall.
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.
Equivalents in French and Spanish
- French: On peut payer l’or trop cher (literally: One may buy gold too dear)
- Spanish: Sale más caro el collar que el perro (literally: The collar comes out more expensive than the dog)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- We must not look for a golden life in an iron age. — Expecting luxury and ease during harsh times courts disappointment; adapt aspirations to…
- Wise men learn by others' harms, fools by their own. — Observing consequences that befall others provides instruction without requiring personal…
- Man is the head, but woman turns it. — Women's subtle influence often guides decisions that men believe they make independently.
- A man is not so soon healed as hurt. — Wounds to body and spirit require far longer to mend than the swift moment of their infli…
- Hearts may agree though heads differ. — Emotional alignment and shared values matter more than intellectual disagreement in susta…
- Love and a cough cannot be hid. — Genuine affection, like illness, inevitably reveals itself through visible signs despite…
From our false friends
- Simpatichny (Симпатичный) (Simpatichnyy) — Actually means 'good-looking' or 'likeable'. For sympathetic, say сочувствующий (sochuvst…
- Aktualny (Актуальный) (Aktualnyy) — Actually means 'topical' or 'currently relevant'. For actual (real), say настоящий (nasto…
- Artist (Артист) (Artist) — Actually means 'performer' — an actor, singer or circus artiste. A painter is художник (k…