Laws catch flies, but let hornets go free.
Meaning: Powerful people evade justice through legal loopholes while the powerless are punished for minor infractions.
Origin: The idea goes back to the Scythian sage Anacharsis, who told Solon, according to Plutarch, that laws are like spiders' webs: they hold the weak and delicate, but are torn to pieces by the rich and powerful. The English proverb swaps the spider's web for flies and hornets, but the complaint is the same.
More proverbs about Communication
- 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…
- Do as most do, and fewest will speak ill of thee. — Conformity to social norms shields you from criticism, though at the cost of individualit…
- Mouth civility costs little but is worth less. — Polite words without sincere intent or action provide mere surface comfort, offering no r…
From our idioms
- cud miód — Something delicious, wonderful, or excellent.
- wąchać kwiatki od spodu — To be dead; to push up daisies.
- rany koguta — A mild exclamation expressing surprise, frustration, or emphasis.