Straight trees have crooked roots.
Meaning: Trees growing perfectly upright often develop twisted root systems compensating for soil resistance underground.
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
- No striving against the stream. — Futile effort exhausts you; accepting circumstances' natural flow preserves energy for wh…
- Little strokes fell great oaks. — Persistent small efforts accumulate to accomplish what seems impossible through sheer rep…
- Light suppers make long lives. — Eating lightly in evenings prevents digestive strain that shortens lifespan through overw…
- Sweep before your own door. — Address your own faults and shortcomings before criticizing or interfering in others' aff…
- Put no faith in tale-bearers. — Gossips distort truth through retelling, making their reports unreliable guides for judgm…
- Temperance is the best physic. — Moderation in food, drink, and habits prevents disease better than medicine can cure it.
From our tongue twisters
- ยักษ์ใหญ่ไล่ยักษ์เล็ก (Yák yài lâi yák lék) — A tonal 'yak / yai / lai / lek' drill that hops across Thai tones in four short beats.
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. — A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.
- Бабин біб розцвів у дощ, буде бабі біб у борщ. (Babyn bib roztsviv u doshch, bude babi bib u borshch.) — A bilabial 'b / bib / bor' drill that ends in a very Slavic splash of borscht.