We shall lie all alike in our graves.
Meaning: Death's finality erases all earthly distinctions of wealth, status, and achievement between human beings.
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 Communication
- "Hardly ever" saves many a lie. — Silence prevents false claims by avoiding the need to explain or justify hasty words.
- What the heart thinketh, the tongue speaketh. — Unguarded speech reveals our true thoughts and character; we cannot conceal our inner nat…
- Many a true word is spoken in jest. — Humor provides cover for uncomfortable truths that people avoid stating seriously.
- Judge not a ship as she lies on the stocks. — Don't evaluate a vessel's true worth until it's launched and tested at sea.
- He tied a knot with his tongue he couldn't undo with his teeth. — Careless words spoken in haste create consequences far harder to retract than they were t…
- Laws catch flies, but let hornets go free. — Powerful people evade justice through legal loopholes while the powerless are punished fo…
From our compliments & insults
- 空気が読めない (kūki ga yomenai) — Completely oblivious to the unspoken social mood — the person who kills the atmosphere wi…
- 눈치가 없다 (nunchi ga eopda) — Hopelessly socially oblivious — can't pick up on emotional cues, awkward silences, or uns…
- حمار (ḥimār) — A stubborn fool — the donkey being the universal symbol of obstinacy in Arabic culture.