It is the part of a wise man to take no notice of many things.
Meaning: Selective attention to trivial matters preserves mental energy for what genuinely demands wisdom and action.
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 Human Nature
- A man may cause his own dog to bite him. — Mistreatment of those dependent on you creates the very dangers you fear from them.
- A man in a passion rides a horse that runs away with him. — Uncontrolled anger clouds judgment, making you lose control over your own decisions and a…
- If you play with a fool at home, he'll play with you in the market. — Familiarity with foolish people emboldens them to embarrass you publicly.
- A man must plough with such oxen as he hath. — Work effectively with available resources rather than wasting energy wishing for better t…
- Poor folk are glad of pottage. — Those with little resources find contentment in simple sustenance rather than lamenting t…
- Poverty makes a man acquainted with strange bed-fellows. — Difficult circumstances force people to associate with those they'd normally avoid or rej…
From our idioms
- hold one's tongue — To refrain from speaking.
- huff and puff — To be out of breath (sentence 1) or to threaten ineffectually (sentence 2).
- in over one's head — Beyond one's capability (sentence 1); to have taken on more than one can cope with (sente…