ProverbHuman NatureTurkish origin

Hayvanın alacası dışında, insanın alacası içinde

Meaning: You can't see a person's flaws from the outside.

Literally: An animal's spots are outside, a person's are inside

Example: “Çok kibar görünüyor ama kimse onu tanımıyor. Hayvanın alacası dışında, insanın alacası içinde.” — He seems very polite, but nobody really knows him: you can't judge a book by its cover.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 7 more languages

  • English: You can't judge a book by its cover
  • French: L'habit ne fait pas le moine (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
  • Spanish: Las apariencias engañan (literally: Appearances deceive)
  • Japanese: 人は見かけによらぬもの (Hito wa mikake ni yoranu mono) (literally: A person is not what they appear)
  • German: Der Schein trügt (literally: Appearances deceive)
  • Italian: L'abito non fa il monaco (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
  • Portuguese: O hábito não faz o monge (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
  • Dutch: Schijn bedriegt (literally: Appearances deceive)
  • Russian: По одёжке встречают, по уму провожают (Po odyozhke vstrechayut, po umu provozhayut) (literally: They greet you by your clothes and see you off by your mind)
  • Polish: Nie szata zdobi człowieka (literally: Clothes don't adorn the man)
  • Chinese: 人不可貌相 (Rén bù kě mào xiàng) (literally: People can't be judged by their looks)
  • Korean: 뚝배기보다 장맛이 좋다 (Ttukbaegiboda jangmasi jota) (literally: The sauce is better than its clay pot)

Origin: An animal's spots are on the outside; a person's are within.

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