It's a bad sack will abide no clouting.
Meaning: A person fundamentally flawed resists improvement despite all efforts to patch and repair them.
Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.
More proverbs about Challenge
- A scalded cat fears cold water. — Past trauma causes excessive caution even toward harmless situations resembling the origi…
- A Scotch mist will wet an Englishman through to the skin. — Light drizzle, when underestimated, soaks you more thoroughly than dramatic downpours bec…
- It's ill shaving against the wool. — Forcing work against natural resistance creates unnecessary difficulty and poor results.
- Ships fear fire more than water. — Sailors know that uncontrolled fire destroys vessels faster than the ocean itself threate…
- Every man will shoot at the enemy, but few will go to fetch the shaft. — Courage in battle is common; the difficult work of recovery and preparation afterward sep…
- As good sit still as rise up and fall. — Futile effort yields no better outcome than patient acceptance when circumstances are bey…
Loading the full interactive collection…