ProverbHuman NatureRussian origin

Всяк сверчок знай свой шесток (Vsyak sverchok znay svoy shestok)

Meaning: Everyone should know their place and stick to it.

Literally: Every cricket, know your own perch

Example: “Не лезь в дела начальства. Всяк сверчок знай свой шесток.” — Don't meddle in management's affairs: every man to his trade.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 4 more languages

  • English: Every man to his trade.
  • French: À chacun son métier, et les vaches seront bien gardées (literally: To each his trade, and the cows will be well kept)
  • Spanish: Zapatero, a tus zapatos (literally: Shoemaker, to your shoes)
  • Japanese: 餅は餅屋 (Mochi wa mochiya) (literally: For rice cakes, go to the rice-cake maker)
  • German: Schuster, bleib bei deinem Leisten (literally: Cobbler, stick to your last)
  • Italian: Ognuno faccia il suo mestiere (literally: Let everyone do their own trade)
  • Portuguese: Cada macaco no seu galho (literally: Every monkey on its own branch)
  • Dutch: Schoenmaker, blijf bij je leest (literally: Cobbler, stick to your last)
  • Polish: Pilnuj, szewcze, kopyta (literally: Mind your last, cobbler)

Origin: A шесток is the ledge in front of a Russian stove, where crickets liked to sit in the warmth: each cricket has its own perch.

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