Home › Proverbs

The wolf changes his coat but not his character

Meaning: Surface appearances can change, but a person's fundamental nature remains the same.

Origin: Roman proverb (Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem), used by Suetonius in Lives of the Twelve Caesars.

Translations

  • French: Le loup change de poil, non de naturel (literally: The wolf changes its coat, not its nature)
  • Spanish: El lobo cambia el pelo, pero no las mañas (literally: The wolf changes its fur but not its tricks)
  • Japanese: 狼は毛を変えても性質は変えない (Ōkami wa ke wo kaete mo seishitsu wa kaenai) (literally: The wolf changes its coat but not its character)

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…