He that knows himself best, esteems himself least.
Meaning: Self-awareness diminishes arrogance; intimate knowledge of our flaws humbles our self-regard.
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
- Let every tub stand on its own bottom. — Each person must support themselves financially and practically without depending on othe…
- Proportion your expenses to what you have, not to what you expect. — Spending based on current resources prevents financial ruin when anticipated income or ga…
- Experience is a dear school, but it is the only one we are apt to learn in. — Costly mistakes teach us what lectures cannot: wisdom requires personal suffering to beco…
- Better one eye than quite blind. — Partial knowledge or capability, however limited, surpasses complete deprivation.
- One may sooner fall than rise. — Damage spreads faster than repairs; decline requires less effort than recovery.
- Under water famine, under snow bread. — Hidden abundance often lies beneath apparent scarcity; adversity conceals resources invis…
From our tongue twisters
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. — An 's' / 'si' minefield.
- 赤パジャマ黄パジャマ茶パジャマ (Aka pajama, ki pajama, cha pajama) — A rapid-fire drill on colour words; the syllable shift from aka/ki/cha trips the tongue b…
- 坊主が屏風に上手に坊主の絵を描いた (Bōzu ga byōbu ni jōzu ni bōzu no e o kaita) — A sustained 'b' and long-vowel drill — bōzu/byōbu/jōzu demand precise mouth control.