Gems must not be valued by what they are set in.
Meaning: True worth lies beyond external packaging; judge people and things by inherent quality, not superficial presentation.
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
- Gentility without ability is worse than plain beggary. — Social pretense without competence breeds contempt; honest poverty deserves more respect…
- Gentle strokes make the sweetest harmony. — Soft, patient efforts create more pleasing results than forceful or aggressive approaches…
- A gift with a kind countenance is a double gift. — Generosity paired with warmth of expression multiplies its emotional value beyond the mat…
- He giveth twice who gives in a trice. — Quick generosity prevents the recipient's anxiety and disappointment, making one gift fee…
- Men strain at gnats, and swallow camels! — Obsessing over trivial faults while tolerating serious wrongs reveals misplaced moral pri…
- Better go about than fall into the ditch. — Taking an indirect, longer route safely beats risking catastrophe through the shortest pa…
From our untranslatable words
- Fremdschämen — The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — ev…
- Drachenfutter — A peace-offering gift brought home to a partner after staying out too late or doing somet…
- Verschlimmbessern — To make something worse in a well-intentioned attempt to improve it.