Home › Proverbs

Tis good fish if it were but caught.

Meaning: Potential alone means nothing without the effort and skill required to seize actual opportunity.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

More proverbs about Morality

  • There's as good fish in the sea as were ever caught. — Lost opportunities aren't final; future chances remain equally promising if you persevere.
  • To forget a wrong is the best revenge. — Holding onto grievance poisons the grudge-bearer while freeing the offender from further…
  • He that sings on Friday shall weep on Sunday. — Premature celebration invites misfortune; joy separated from caution courts sorrow.
  • Though good be good yet better carries it. — Excellence demands continuous improvement; settling for mere goodness invites complacency…
  • Good harvests make men prodigal, bad ones provident. — Abundance breeds carelessness; scarcity teaches careful resource management through hard…
  • It is no use throwing good money after bad. — Pouring additional resources into a failing project only multiplies losses instead of sal…

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…