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You can't teach an old dog new tricks

Meaning: It's difficult to change established habits.

Origin: English proverb from John Fitzherbert's Book of Husbandry (1523).

Translations

  • French: On ne change pas les vieilles habitudes (literally: Old habits don't change)
  • Spanish: Loro viejo no aprende a hablar (literally: An old parrot doesn't learn to speak)
  • Japanese: 老犬に新芸は教えられぬ (Rōken ni shingei wa oshierarenu) (literally: You can't teach new tricks to an old dog)

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