It's not the gay coat that makes the gentleman.
Meaning: Fine clothing cannot manufacture character; true gentility emerges from conduct and virtue, not appearance.
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
- Who goes worse shod than the cobbler's wife? — A craftsman's family often lacks what he could provide, neglecting loved ones while servi…
- I'll not change a cottage in possession for a kingdom in reversion. — Keeping what you securely own now matters more than chasing uncertain future rewards.
- Don't cry out before you're hurt. — Avoid raising alarms or expressing distress prematurely when danger hasn't actually mater…
- Once a use and ever a custom. — Repeated actions solidify into habits that become difficult to break or question.
- They love dancing well that dance among thorns. — Those who find joy in difficult circumstances demonstrate true resilience and optimism.
- He that waits for a dead man's shoes may go long enough barefoot. — Relying on inheritance or another's misfortune for your welfare courts poverty and hardsh…
From our compliments & insults
- 目に入れても痛くない (Me ni irete mo itakunai) — Said of someone you adore completely, often a child or grandchild.
- Bête comme ses pieds — Really not very bright.
- Avoir un poil dans la main — To be incurably lazy.