To him that hath lost his taste, sweet is sour.
Meaning: Loss of perspective inverts our values; deprivation corrupts even formerly cherished pleasures.
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
- Nothing dries up sooner than tears. — Grief, however overwhelming, naturally fades with time as emotions settle and healing beg…
- The tempter is the greater rogue. — Temptation's instigator bears more moral culpability than the person succumbing to their…
- When I have thatched his house he would throw me down. — Ingratitude punishes generosity: helping someone complete their security makes them bold…
- All are not thieves that dogs bark at. — Not everyone accused or suspected deserves condemnation; accusations alone don't prove gu…
- The horse thinks one thing, and he that rides him another. — Intentions diverge between those who control and those controlled; agreement cannot be as…
- He that sows nothing plants thistles. — Idleness naturally produces harmful consequences; neglecting to cultivate goodness invite…
From our tongue twisters
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches? — A merciless duel between 'ch' and 's'.
- El cielo está enladrillado, ¿quién lo desenladrillará? — A brutal test of the rolled 'r' and 'l'.
- Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid. — A 'bl' / 'br' brain-twister.