Variety is the spice of life
Meaning: Diversity makes life interesting.
Origin: From William Cowper's long poem The Task (1785): "Variety's the very spice of life, / That gives it all its flavour." Cowper wrote it in a passage about ever-changing fashions, but the line was quoted so often that it became a proverb in its own right.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: La variété est le sel de la vie (literally: Variety is the salt of life)
- Spanish: En la variedad está el gusto (literally: In variety lies pleasure)
- Japanese: 十人十色 (Jūnin toiro) (literally: Ten people, ten colors)
- German: Abwechslung erfreut (literally: Variety delights)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- Speak of the devil — Said when someone appears just as they're being discussed.
- You can't please everyone — It's impossible to satisfy every person all the time.
- A leopard can't change its spots — People can't fundamentally change their nature.
- When the cat's away, the mice will play — People behave freely when authority is absent.
- Lightning never strikes twice — Rare events are unlikely to happen to the same person twice.
- To each their own — Everyone has their own preferences and choices.
From our compliments & insults
- Tête de mule — An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.
- C'est une vraie chèvre — They're hopelessly stubborn and infuriating — a goat that refuses to be moved.
- Casse-pieds — A massive bore or pain in the neck — someone who wears you down with their irritating way…