The full stomach loatheth the honeycomb, but to the hungry every bitter thing is sweet.
Meaning: Hunger transforms perception; satisfied people reject what starving people gratefully accept.
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
- Between two stools he comes to the ground. — Trying to sit on two stools simultaneously leaves you falling between them, unsupported a…
- He must stoop that hath a low door. — Adapting yourself to constraints, however humble, requires humility and flexibility rathe…
- Weight and measure take away strife. — Precise accounting and fair standards prevent disputes over fairness in transactions.
- He that runs in the night stumbles. — Rushing blindly without proper awareness or preparation invites failure and missteps.
- He that stumbles twice over the same stone, deserves to break his shins. — Repeated failure from ignoring lessons demands no sympathy; wisdom lies in changing cours…
- The young suckers drain the old tree. — Young dependents exhaust elderly parents' resources and vitality through continuous deman…
From our untranslatable words
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- Kummerspeck — The weight you gain from emotional eating — the extra pounds that accumulate during heart…
- Fremdschämen — The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — ev…