Nothing came out of the sack but what was in it.
Meaning: You cannot obtain results from circumstances that lack the necessary ingredients or potential.
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
- You may as well bid me lade the sea with a nutshell. — Attempting impossible tasks with inadequate tools wastes effort and invites ridicule.
- An oak is not felled by one blow. — Great strength and resilience require persistent effort; single attempts cannot overcome…
- An occasion lost cannot be redeemed. — Missed opportunities vanish permanently; time's passing erases chances that won't return.
- An old cat laps as much as a young kitten. — Age doesn't diminish appetite or basic needs; elderly and young require similar sustenanc…
- As the old cock crows so crows the young. — Children naturally imitate their parents' behavior, words, and habits rather than followi…
- An old dog barks not in vain. — Experience earns credibility; when veterans finally speak, their warnings deserve serious…
From our tongue twisters
- 隣の客はよく柿食う客だ (Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da) — A tricky spiral on ka/ki/ku that accelerates as you try to keep the syllables distinct.
- Como poco coco como, poco coco compro. — A bouncy 'co' drill — the word order and meaning flip with each repetition.
- Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico. ¿Con qué pico pica papas Pepe Pecas? — A bouncy 'p' cluster that accelerates with the question at the end.