Manners often make fortunes.
Meaning: Polite behavior and social grace open doors that talent and ability alone cannot unlock.
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 Human Nature
- Marriages are made in heaven. — Destined partners find each other through forces beyond human control, suggesting compati…
- Money often makes the man. — Wealth grants influence and respect in society, shaping how others perceive and treat an…
- Old men are twice children. — Aging reverses mental acuity and emotional control, returning people to childlike depende…
- Penny wise and pound foolish. — Obsessing over minor savings while making careless decisions about major expenses creates…
- Peril proves who dearly loves. — Danger reveals the depth of someone's affection through their willingness to sacrifice or…
- Foolish pity spoils a city. — Indiscriminate compassion toward the undeserving undermines social order and justice.
From our idioms
- Dieu reconnaîtra les siens — Act without discriminating and let a higher authority sort out the innocent.
- Mon petit doigt m'a dit — I know something you did not expect me to know.
- Dorer la pilule — To make an unpleasant fact easier to accept by dressing it up.