Other days, other ways
Meaning: Circumstances change, so rigid adherence to past methods becomes foolish; adapt your approach to present conditions.
Origin: An English echo of the French proverb autres temps, autres mœurs — other times, other customs — which is recorded from the late 17th century. It is used to explain or excuse changing customs.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: autres temps, autres mœurs
- Spanish: Otros tiempos, otras costumbres (literally: Other times, other customs)
- Japanese: 昔は昔今は今 (Mukashi wa mukashi ima wa ima) (literally: The past is the past, now is now)
- German: Andere Zeiten, andere Sitten (literally: Other times, other customs)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Pitchers have ears — Small vessels amplify sound, so careless words spoken nearby may reach unintended listene…
- Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely — Unchecked authority inevitably erodes moral judgment, making total control the most dange…
- Proverbs should go in pairs — Wisdom gains strength through comparison; a single example proves less convincing than tw…
- Rules are made to be broken — Breaking established rules often brings unforeseen consequences that outweigh the tempora…
- Shy bairns get noot — Children who don't speak up miss opportunities because adults cannot know their needs or…
- Snitches get stitches — Informing authorities invites violent retaliation from those you've betrayed.
From our tongue twisters
- Ехал Грека через реку, видит Грека — в реке рак. (Yekhal Greka cherez reku, vidit Greka — v reke rak.) — A rolling 'r/k' drill where Greka, reku and rak keep trading the same two consonants.
- От топота копыт пыль по полю летит. (Ot topota kopyt pyl po polyu letit.) — A 'p/t' hammering that imitates the hoofbeats it describes.
- Четыре чёрненьких чумазеньких чертёнка чертили чёрными чернилами чертёж. (Chetyre chyornenkikh chumazenkikh chertyonka chertili chyornymi chernilami chertyozh.) — Seven consecutive words built on 'ch' — Russian's ч in every stressed position with barel…