You may be a wise man though you cannot make a watch.
Meaning: Expertise in one domain doesn't diminish wisdom; mastery of mechanics isn't prerequisite for philosophical understanding.
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
- Choose your wife on Saturday, and not on a Sunday. — Marry in everyday circumstances, not during festive occasions when judgment is clouded by…
- A man's best fortune or his worst is his wife. — A spouse fundamentally shapes one's life trajectory through shared decisions, emotional s…
- A man cannot both wive and thrive in a year. — Marriage requires sustained attention and resources that conflict with building wealth or…
- Many go for wool and come back shorn. — Pursuing gain from others often results in losing what you already possess through their…
- Yorkshire fashion--every man pay his share. — Shared expenses divided equally among all parties, with no one shirking their portion.
- Old age is honourable. — Longevity demonstrates survival through wisdom and experience, deserving respect from tho…
From our idioms
- slow burn — To be quietly angry.
- slow off the mark — Slow [or quick] to understand a situation.
- snowball's chance in hell — No chance at all.