Who more busy than they that have least to do.
Meaning: Idle people create unnecessary tasks to justify their existence and appear productive.
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 Wisdom
- Better pay the butcher than the doctor. — Investing in good food prevents illness more cost-effectively than treating disease after…
- Butter is gold in the morning, silver at noon, lead at night. — Fresh butter's nutritional value diminishes with time, rewarding early consumption over d…
- What is a pound of butter amongst a kennel of hounds? — One small gift cannot satisfy many hungry recipients, so generosity loses its value when…
- Once a year butter is in the cow's horn. — Even the poorest circumstances offer occasional abundance if you wait long enough for for…
- He knows on which side his bread is buttered. — Self-interest guides his loyalty; he cultivates favor with those who benefit him most.
- Do not buy a pig in a poke. — Inspecting merchandise before purchase prevents you from paying for defective or worthles…
From our tongue twisters
- El cielo está enladrillado, ¿quién lo desenladrillará? — A brutal test of the rolled 'r' and 'l'.
- Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid. — A 'bl' / 'br' brain-twister.
- Trentatré trentini entrarono a Trento tutti e trentatré trotterellando. — An unbroken stampede of 'tr' and 't'.