You can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear

Meaning: Inferior materials cannot be transformed into superior products through effort alone.

Origin: English proverb.

Translations

You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds — Loyalty to opposing sides simultaneously is impossible; you must choose which faction to…
You don't dip your pen in company ink — Romantic entanglements with colleagues create workplace conflicts and jeopardize professi…
You don't miss the water till the well runs dry — We overlook what sustains us until deprivation forces us to recognize its true value.
You've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette — Achieving worthwhile goals sometimes requires accepting unavoidable losses or collateral…
Absence cools moderate passions, and inflames violent ones. — Distance fades mild affections but makes intense ones burn all the hotter.
The absent are always at fault. — Those not present to defend themselves get the blame.

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