You may know by a penny how a shilling spends.
Meaning: Small habits reveal larger character; minor expenditures expose how someone manages greater wealth.
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 Perseverance
- It is the thrift of a spendthrift which ruins him most effectually. — Excessive caution about isolated expenses blinds wastrels to their broader financial dest…
- Keep me from still water; from that which is rough I can keep myself. — Stagnation breeds invisible danger while active struggle naturally sharpens survival inst…
- With stomach, wife, and conscience keep on good terms. — Neglecting basic needs—nourishment, domestic harmony, and moral integrity—invites interna…
- Morning is the time for study. — Studying when mentally fresh at dawn yields better comprehension than attempting learning…
- Tis a good horse that never stumbles, and a good wife that never grumbles. — A flawless partner, like a flawless horse, doesn't exist—accepting minor faults shows wis…
- Who depends upon another man's table often dines late. — Relying on others' generosity leaves you vulnerable to hunger and uncertain timing.
From our untranslatable words
- Fredagsmys — The Friday-night ritual of soft clothes, snacks and television with the people you live w…
- Gökotta — Rising at first light for no reason but to go outside and hear the birds sing.
- Poshlost' — Not merely the trashy, but the falsely important, falsely beautiful and falsely clever —…