Judge not a ship as she lies on the stocks.

Meaning: Don't evaluate a vessel's true worth until it's launched and tested at sea.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

More proverbs about Communication

• He tied a knot with his tongue he couldn't undo with his teeth. — Careless words spoken in haste create consequences far harder to retract than they were t…
• Laws catch flies, but let hornets go free. — Powerful people evade justice through legal loopholes while the powerless are punished fo…
• He lies as fast as a dog can trot. — Persistent deceit flows so naturally that the liar never pauses or hesitates in their fal…
• Life lies not in living, but in liking. — Contentment and satisfaction matter more than mere existence or the accumulation of exper…
• Listeners never hear good of themselves. — Eavesdroppers discover harsh truths because people speak candidly when unobserved, unlike…
• Whom we love best to them we can say least. — Deepest affection often leaves us tongue-tied, unable to fully express what we feel most…

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…