ProverbHuman Nature
Italian origin
Italian originL'abito non fa il monaco
Meaning: Appearances do not show what someone really is.
Literally: The habit doesn't make the monk
Example: “Veste in modo elegante, ma è un truffatore: l'abito non fa il monaco.” — He dresses elegantly, but he's a crook: you can't judge a book by its cover.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 7 more languages
English: You can't judge a book by its cover
French: L'habit ne fait pas le moine (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
Spanish: Las apariencias engañan (literally: Appearances deceive)
Japanese: 人は見かけによらぬもの (Hito wa mikake ni yoranu mono) (literally: A person is not what they appear)
German: Der Schein trügt (literally: Appearances deceive)
Portuguese: O hábito não faz o monge (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
Dutch: Schijn bedriegt (literally: Appearances deceive)
Russian: По одёжке встречают, по уму провожают (Po odyozhke vstrechayut, po umu provozhayut) (literally: They greet you by your clothes and see you off by your mind)
Polish: Nie szata zdobi człowieka (literally: Clothes don't adorn the man)
Chinese: 人不可貌相 (Rén bù kě mào xiàng) (literally: People can't be judged by their looks)
Korean: 뚝배기보다 장맛이 좋다 (Ttukbaegiboda jangmasi jota) (literally: The sauce is better than its clay pot)
Turkish: Hayvanın alacası dışında, insanın alacası içinde (literally: An animal's spots are outside, a person's are inside)
Origin: A medieval saying, in Latin cucullus non facit monachum: wearing a monk's habit does not make you a monk. French has it too: l'habit ne fait pas le moine.
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- arrampicarsi sugli specchi to attempt to defend an indefensible position or grasp at straws.
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