Little minds, like weak liquors, are soon soured.
Meaning: Petty intellects curdle quickly under pressure, while robust minds ferment into something worthier.
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 Wisdom
- It's not how long, but how well, we live. — Quality of life matters more than its duration; meaningful living trumps mere longevity.
- The longest liver dies at last. — Everyone eventually faces mortality, regardless of how long they manage to live.
- He that lives not well one year sorrows for it seven. — Poor choices compound over time; a year of vice breeds seven years of regret and conseque…
- He liveth long that liveth well. — Living virtuously extends life's value beyond mere years; quality of conduct outlasts qua…
- A living dog is better than a dead lion. — Present survival and humble circumstances outweigh past glory or noble defeat.
- You needn't lock the stable door when the steed is stolen. — Prevention before loss occurs matters far more than remedies applied after damage is done.
From our idioms
- полтора землекопа (poltora zemlyekopa) — An absurdly small group; a nonsensical quantity that defies rational measure.
- язык проглотил (yazyk proglotil) — To be unable or unwilling to speak; to remain silent when words are called for.
- метать бисер перед свиньями (metat' biser pered svin'yami) — To offer something precious or refined to someone incapable of appreciating it.