The nearer the bone the sweeter the meat.
Meaning: Proximity to difficulty yields greatest reward; best results come from reaching hardest depths.
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
- They that are bound must obey. — Captive people have no choice but to submit to their captor's will and commands.
- A bow long bent at last waxeth weak. — Continuous strain without rest eventually exhausts even the strongest resources or people.
- The brain that sows not corn, plants thistles. — Idleness breeds destructive habits; a mind unused for constructive purpose defaults to ha…
- He who would have a hare for breakfast must hunt over night. — Success requires preparation and effort before the moment of need arrives.
- Brevity is the soul of wit. — Sharp minds compress meaning into few words; excess dulls the blade of cleverness.
- As you brew, so shall you bake. — Careless preparation in one step inevitably ruins the final product, however carefully yo…
From our untranslatable words
- Schadenfreude — The guilty little pleasure of taking satisfaction in someone else's misfortune.
- Wabi-sabi — Finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and the worn or incomplete.
- Tsundoku — Buying books and letting them pile up unread — a habit, not a crime.