The lion's not half so fierce as he's painted.
Meaning: Fearsome reputations often exceed reality; appearance and hearsay exaggerate actual danger.
Origin: An old proverb with versions in several European languages, such as the Spanish no es tan fiero el león como lo pintan. Things are rarely as frightening as they are made out to be.
More proverbs about Challenge
- Little and often fills the purse. — Consistent small savings accumulate into substantial wealth more reliably than sporadic l…
- All lay load on the willing horse. — People exploit those who readily help, burdening them beyond fair limits due to their com…
- The devil's children have the devil's luck. — Mischievous or wicked people often succeed through audacity and circumstance rather than…
- Man doth what he can, and God what He will. — Effort and intention matter, yet outcomes ultimately depend on forces beyond human contro…
- An ill marriage is a spring of ill fortune. — Poor marital compatibility creates cascading hardships affecting every aspect of one's li…
- He that will too soon be his own master, will have a fool for his scholar. — Rejecting wise guidance to govern yourself prematurely ensures you'll learn only from you…
From our tongue twisters
- 黑化肥发黑会挥发；灰化肥发灰会挥发。(Hēihuàféi fā hēi huì huīfā; huīhuàféi fā huī huì huīfā.) — A 'hēi/huī/huì/fā' four-tone minefield — the tones alone change every meaning.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. — A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
- Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna. — The same noun/verb homograph trap as the German version — vliegen does triple duty.