He that would be Pope must think of nothing else.
Meaning: Single-minded devotion to ambition demands sacrificing all other concerns and distractions from your goal.
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
- A little pot is soon hot. — Small things heat quickly, so modest people reach their limit of patience or emotion fast…
- Poverty is the mother of health. — Lack of resources forces people to walk more, eat simply, and avoid excess indulgence.
- True praise takes root and spreads. — Genuine compliments, like seeds, gain momentum and influence others' perceptions through…
- Neither praise nor dispraise thyself, thine actions serve the turn. — Your deeds speak louder than self-promotion or self-deprecation; let accomplishments prov…
- Old praise dies, unless you feed it. — Reputation requires constant reinforcement; past accomplishments fade without continued e…
- Prate is but prate; 'tis money buys land. — Mere talk accomplishes nothing; only concrete wealth and resources achieve real, lasting…
From our tongue twisters
- 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.
- 隣の客はよく柿食う客だ (Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da) — A tricky spiral on ka/ki/ku that accelerates as you try to keep the syllables distinct.