One man's trash is another man's treasure
Meaning: What one person discards, another may value.
Origin: A modern variation on the much older "one man's meat is another man's poison," which goes back to the Roman poet Lucretius: what is food for one may be bitter poison to others. The trash-and-treasure version is a favorite of flea markets and yard sales.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Ce qui est poubelle pour l'un est trésor pour l'autre (literally: What is trash for one is treasure for another)
- Spanish: Lo que para uno es basura, para otro es un tesoro (literally: What is trash for one is treasure for another)
- Japanese: 捨てる神あれば拾う神あり (Suteru kami areba hirou kami ari) (literally: If there is a god who throws away, there is a god who picks up)
- German: Was dem einen sin Uhl, ist dem annern sin Nachtigall (literally: What is one person's owl is another person's nightingale)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder — Being apart makes you appreciate someone more.
- There's no place like home — Home is where you feel most comfortable.
- You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink — You can offer help, but you can't force someone to accept it.
- Misery loves company — Unhappy people seek others who are also suffering.
- Out of sight, out of mind — We tend to forget things or people we don't see.
- A cat has nine lives — Cats (or resilient people) survive many dangerous situations.
From our compliments & insults
- Quel râleur / quelle râleuse — You never stop moaning — everything is a complaint, nothing is ever good enough.
- Peau de vache — A mean, difficult, and unpleasant person — tough and unyielding like tanned hide.
- Eres un aguafiestas — You're a killjoy — you pour cold water on everyone's fun the moment you arrive.