Call me cousin; but cozen me not.
Meaning: Familiarity and kinship don't justify deception; treat relatives honestly despite closeness.
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 Morality
- Many a good cow hath had a bad calf. — Good parentage cannot guarantee virtuous offspring; heredity alone does not determine cha…
- Of all crafts, to be an honest man is the master-craft. — Honesty requires greater skill and discipline than any technical profession.
- Crafty evasions save not the truth. — Clever dodging and indirect answers ultimately fail to conceal what is genuinely real.
- Creditors have better memories than debtors. — Those owed money recall their claims far more vividly than those owing it wish to remembe…
- The crow thinks her own bird fairest. — Parents naturally believe their children excel above all others, blinding them to objecti…
- A bad custom is like a good cake, better broken than kept. — Harmful habits deteriorate further if preserved, but improve immediately when deliberatel…
From our idioms
- turn up the heat — To make a situation more intense, uncomfortable, or urgent.
- green fingers — A natural talent for growing plants successfully.
- on blast — Being publicly shamed or criticized, especially on social media.