Proverbs should go in pairs
Meaning: Wisdom gains strength through comparison; a single example proves less convincing than two supporting instances.
Origin: Recorded in 1863, when the explorer Richard Burton wrote that "all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways." Nearly every proverb has an opposite, such as "many hands make light work" against "too many cooks spoil the broth."
More proverbs about Wisdom
- 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.
- Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind — Reckless or harmful actions return with amplified destructive consequences, not proportio…
- Tall oaks from little acorns grow — Small beginnings accumulate into significant achievements through time and consistent dev…
- That's the way the mop flops — When circumstances fall unpredictably, accept them without complaint rather than resist i…
From our tongue twisters
- O peito do pé de Pedro é preto. — Five 'p' words in a row, with the vowels shifting underneath each one.
- A aranha arranha a rã. A rã arranha a aranha. — Contrasts the soft single r of aranha against the hard rolled rr of arranha — one letter…
- 네가 그린 기린 그림은 못 그린 기린 그림이고 내가 그린 기린 그림은 잘 그린 기린 그림이다. (Nega geurin girin geurimeun mot geurin girin geurimigo, naega geurin girin geurimeun jal geurin girin geurimida.) — geurin, girin and geurim rotate through nearly the same syllables with only the vowel mov…