Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Meaning: Early guidance shapes lifelong character; foundational lessons endure through adulthood.
Origin: From the Book of Proverbs (22:6), in the King James Version's wording. It has been a mainstay of sermons on child-rearing for centuries, and is the scriptural cousin of "as the twig is bent, so grows the tree."
More proverbs about Challenge
- Where God hath His church the devil will have his chapel. — Evil inevitably establishes itself wherever good flourishes, as opposing forces cannot co…
- Claw me, and I will claw you. — Mutual aggression escalates reciprocally; treating others harshly invites equal retaliati…
- Every cock is proud on his own dunghill. — A person commands confidence and authority only within their familiar domain, losing that…
- A cold April a barn will fill. — Late spring frosts kill pests and prevent crop diseases, ensuring abundant harvests the f…
- In the coldest flint there is hot fire. — Even the hardest, most unyielding hearts harbor warmth and potential for compassion withi…
- It's an ill battle where the devil carries the colours. — When evil forces lead the fight, victory itself becomes a moral defeat for all sides invo…
From our untranslatable words
- Sprezzatura — The art of making something difficult look wholly effortless, hiding every trace of the w…
- Dietrologia — The conviction that the official account is never the real one — that some hidden motive…
- Attaccabottoni — The person who corners you and holds you in an endless, tedious story you cannot politely…