A nail is driven out by another nail
Meaning: New habits, relationships, or ideas can effectively replace and eliminate old ones.
Origin: Cicero cites the idea in his Tusculan Disputations, of driving out an old love with a new one as one nail drives out another. Erasmus collected clavum clavo pellere in his Adagia.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Un clou chasse l'autre (literally: One nail drives out another)
- Spanish: Un clavo saca otro clavo (literally: One nail pulls out another nail)
- Japanese: 釘は釘で打ち出す (Kugi wa kugi de uchidasu) (literally: A nail is driven out by a nail)
- German: Ein Nagel treibt den andern aus (literally: One nail drives the other out)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook — True wisdom includes knowing which details and offenses are not worth your attention or e…
- A bad penny always comes back — Undesirable people or problems have a persistent way of reappearing despite your efforts…
- A buck's a buck — Money retains equal value regardless of its source or the circumstances under which it wa…
- A cat may look at a king — Even the humblest creature possesses the right to observe or question those of highest st…
- A creaking door hangs long on its hinges — Constant complaint or noise doesn't necessarily lead to ruin; persistence can outlast exp…
- A golden key can open any door — Wealth and privilege grant access to opportunities otherwise unavailable to ordinary peop…
From our idioms
- Avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca — To want to have it both ways.
- Ogni morte di papa — Extremely rarely; once in a blue moon.
- Avere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto — To be unable to see what is right in front of you.