There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle
Meaning: Worn-out tools and aging people retain their value and capability despite visible deterioration.
Origin: A saying that age does not rob a person of skill or vigor, often said with a wink about romance in later life. It is sometimes called an Irish proverb, but its origin has not been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: c'est dans les vieux pots qu'on fait la meilleure soupe
- Spanish: Gallina vieja hace buen caldo (literally: An old hen makes good broth)
- Japanese: 腐っても鯛 (Kusatte mo tai) (literally: Even rotten, it's still a sea bream)
- German: In alten Öfen ist gut backen (literally: In old ovens it is good to bake)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- A man cannot live by the air. — No one survives on nothing; real sustenance, not mere hope, is required.
- Every man must eat a peck of ashes before he dies. — Everyone must swallow their share of hardship before they die.
- Bachelors' wives and maids' children are always well taught. — Unmarried people confidently advise on parenting despite lacking the humbling reality of…
- He is most loved that hath most bags. — Wealth attracts companionship more reliably than virtue or character ever will.
- Better be a beggar than a fool. — Poverty with dignity and sense surpasses the shame of foolish wealth or status.
- A blind man would be glad to see it. — Even the most limited or deprived person would be grateful for what others take for grant…
From our compliments & insults
- Pantoffelheld — A man who is only bold and brave at home — a henpecked pushover who bluster turns into a…
- Schlauberger — A know-it-all smartass who never misses a chance to show off their cleverness.
- Dickkopf — A pig-headed, unyielding person — their skull is so thick no new idea can penetrate it.