Prate is but prate; 'tis money buys land.
Meaning: Mere talk accomplishes nothing; only concrete wealth and resources achieve real, lasting acquisitions.
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
- He that would learn to pray let him go to sea. — Facing life's uncontrollable forces reveals humanity's powerlessness and awakens genuine…
- There's nothing agrees worse than a proud mind and a beggar's purse. — Pride blinds the poor to accepting help or lowering expectations to match their circumsta…
- Proverbs are the texts of common life. — Wisdom emerges not from theoretical abstractions but from observing patterns in ordinary…
- He that pryeth into every cloud, may be stricken with a thunder-bolt. — Excessive curiosity about dangerous or forbidden matters invites the very harm one seeks…
- Pull gently on a weak rope. — Excessive force on fragile things causes them to break; restraint and care preserve what'…
- It is easier to pull down than to build. — Destruction requires less effort, skill, and time than creating something of lasting valu…
From our false friends
- Sensible — Actually means 'sensitive'. For sensible/level-headed, say raisonnable.
- Librairie — Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
- Constipado — Actually means 'having a head cold'. Estoy constipado = I have a cold.