We must not look for a golden life in an iron age.
Meaning: Expecting luxury and ease during harsh times courts disappointment; adapt aspirations to circumstances.
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 Human Nature
- Wise men learn by others' harms, fools by their own. — Observing consequences that befall others provides instruction without requiring personal…
- Man is the head, but woman turns it. — Women's subtle influence often guides decisions that men believe they make independently.
- A man is not so soon healed as hurt. — Wounds to body and spirit require far longer to mend than the swift moment of their infli…
- Hearts may agree though heads differ. — Emotional alignment and shared values matter more than intellectual disagreement in susta…
- Love and a cough cannot be hid. — Genuine affection, like illness, inevitably reveals itself through visible signs despite…
- Every man is best known to himself. — Self-awareness surpasses external judgment; only you know your true intentions, struggles…
From our compliments & insults
- Você tem muita garra — You have fierce, relentless determination — you claw your way through any obstacle.
- Ты умница (ty umnitsa) — You're bright, clever, and admirable — said warmly of someone who handles things well.
- У тебя золотые руки (u tebya zolotye ruki) — You're extraordinarily skilled — able to make or fix anything with your hands.