Life lies not in living, but in liking.
Meaning: Contentment and satisfaction matter more than mere existence or the accumulation of experiences.
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 Communication
- 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…
- He that sends mouths sends meat. — Supporting dependents obligates one to provide their sustenance.
- The nurse's tongue is privileged to talk. — Medical expertise grants authority to speak truth about patients' conditions without soci…
From our tongue twisters
- Um tigre, dois tigres, três tigres tristes triscam trigo num trigal. — A 'tr' cluster drill that adds a sad adjective to make the alliteration worse.
- O papa papava o papo do pipo; o pipo papava o papo do papa. — A perfectly palindromic 'p' construction that reverses meaning when you swap the nouns.
- На дворе трава, на траве дрова. (Na dvore trava, na trave drova.) — A short but nasty 'tr/dr' blend — the consonant clusters that trip up every learner of Ru…