Who goes worse shod than the cobbler's wife?
Meaning: A craftsman's family often lacks what he could provide, neglecting loved ones while serving strangers.
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
- I'll not change a cottage in possession for a kingdom in reversion. — Keeping what you securely own now matters more than chasing uncertain future rewards.
- Don't cry out before you're hurt. — Avoid raising alarms or expressing distress prematurely when danger hasn't actually mater…
- Once a use and ever a custom. — Repeated actions solidify into habits that become difficult to break or question.
- They love dancing well that dance among thorns. — Those who find joy in difficult circumstances demonstrate true resilience and optimism.
- He that waits for a dead man's shoes may go long enough barefoot. — Relying on inheritance or another's misfortune for your welfare courts poverty and hardsh…
- What one man despises, another craves. — Individual values differ so radically that one person's rejection becomes another's treas…
From our untranslatable words
- Terroir — The unique character that a place — its soil, climate and tradition — gives to a wine or…
- Râler — To complain and grumble with a certain national flair — a beloved French pastime.
- Mono no aware — A bittersweet awareness of impermanence — the gentle sadness and appreciation that arise…