Tis an ill horse will not carry his own provender.
Meaning: A creature unwilling to support itself through its own labor proves fundamentally defective.
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 Perseverance
- Wishers and woulders are never good householders. — Those who merely desire change without acting lack the discipline and responsibility need…
- A noble housekeeper needs no doors. — Trustworthy character makes locks unnecessary; integrity itself secures what matters most.
- Hunger makes hard bones sweet beans. — Desperation transforms what we'd normally reject into something we gratefully accept.
- Be a good husband, and you will get a penny to spend, a penny to lend, and a penny for a friend. — Prudent household management creates surplus wealth to share generously with others while…
- An idle brain is the devil's workshop. — Unoccupied minds naturally drift toward mischief and destructive thoughts rather than pro…
- God never measures men by inches. — Height matters less than character; true worth is invisible to the eye.
From our false friends
- Sensible — Actually means 'sensitive'. For sensible/level-headed, say raisonnable.
- Librairie — Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
- Constipado — Actually means 'having a head cold'. Estoy constipado = I have a cold.