
ProverbWisdom
English origin
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.
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