Better are small fish than an empty dish.
Meaning: Modest sustenance surpasses pride's hunger; accept what you have rather than starve waiting for abundance.
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 Wisdom
- He that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little. — Neglecting minor problems allows them to accumulate into catastrophic failure.
- A snow year, a rich year. — Abundant winter snow ensures adequate spring water for crops and pastures, bringing prosp…
- He that goes softly goes surely. — Moving with deliberate care and caution leads to reliable progress without missteps or re…
- Soldiers in peace are like chimneys in summer. — Idle warriors without conflict become useless burdens, their skills and purpose rendered…
- A fat sorrow is better than a lean one. — Sharing grief with others diminishes its burden; isolation amplifies even minor sorrows.
- When sorrow is asleep, wake it not. — Avoid reopening old wounds or painful memories that have faded with time.
From our tongue twisters
- Четыре чёрненьких чумазеньких чертёнка чертили чёрными чернилами чертёж. (Chetyre chyornenkikh chumazenkikh chertyonka chertili chyornymi chernilami chertyozh.) — Seven consecutive words built on 'ch' — Russian's ч in every stressed position with barel…
- 红鲤鱼与绿鲤鱼与驴 (Hóng lǐyú yǔ lǜ lǐyú yǔ lǘ) — lǐ, lǜ and lǘ differ only by vowel rounding and tone — nine syllables that all collapse t…
- 八百标兵奔北坡，炮兵并排北边跑。(Bābǎi biāobīng bēn běipō, pàobīng bìngpái běibian pǎo.) — A pure b-versus-p drill, separating Mandarin's unaspirated b from its aspirated p.