Cut your coat according to your cloth.
Meaning: Live within your financial means rather than spending beyond what you can afford.
Origin: John Heywood's 1546 collection has "I shall cut my coat after my cloth." A tailor with too little fabric must make a smaller coat; the proverb applies the same sense to spending within your means.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Let not the cobbler go beyond his last. — Each person works best within their area of expertise; overstepping into unfamiliar domai…
- The cock crows and the hen goes. — Male leadership or declaration prompts female action; authority initiates response.
- Where coin's not common, commons must be scant. — Monetary poverty forces communities to rely on scarce shared resources rather than abunda…
- When you ride a young colt see your saddle be well girt. — Secure your foundations before undertaking risky ventures with unpredictable partners or…
- There's no companion like a penny. — Reliable money stays loyal through misfortune when fair-weather friends abandon you.
- It is no small conquest to overcome yourself. — Self-mastery requires greater strength than defeating external enemies or obstacles.
From our idioms
- Pasti s kruške — To be clueless and out of touch.
- Ići niz dlaku — To go smoothly and agreeably.
- Að fara í geitarhús að leita ullar — To seek something where it can't possibly be found.