Prevention is better than cure
It is better to take precautions against a thing happening than to have to repair the damage after it has occurred. For example, if a bicycle... Read more →
Praise without profit puts little in the pot
Flattery does not fill the belly, and when people speak kindly of what you have done, it is of no real advantage to you unless they show their... Read more →
Praise makes good men better and bed men worse
Praise is encouragement, so to praise a good man is to encourage him in rectitude, and to praise a bad man is to encourage him in wickedness.
Practise what you preach
Here 'practise' means 'carry out in action'. The moral is: Behave in the same way as you advice others to behave. Do not recommend early rising... Read more →
Practice makes perfect
Only by doing a thing again and again can you attain skill or efficiency. A professional juggler does not learn to balance three billiards balls... Read more →
Poverty is no sin
It is not a crime to be poor. That, however, does not make it any easier to put up with. 'Poverty is no disgrace to a man,' said Sydney Smith,... Read more →
Pouring oil on the fire is not the way to quench it
If you wish to pacify someone who has lost his temper, don't say anything that it's likely to make them even more angrier.
Out of sight, out of mind
We cease to worry about anything that can no longer be seen. This includes people. Absent friends are soon forgotten. This is the opposite of... Read more →
Out of debt, out of danger
There are considerable risks attached to being in debt, for a man without money is so defenceless. Once he has paid off his debts and has begun... Read more →
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit
Don't try to be too funny at other people's expense. Your jokes make pain them or give offence.