It is ill striving against the stream
It is easier to adapt ourselves to circumstances than to fight against them.
It is ill jesting with edged tools
It is dangerous to play with sharp tools. Similarly it is dangerous to meddle with anything that may get you into trouble. For example, to take... Read more →
It is good fishing in troubled waters
Trout and other fish are more easily caught when the surface of the water is disturbed. Figuratively, 'to fish in troubled waters' is to take... Read more →
It is easy to bear the misfortunes of others
It is easy for us to tell others to be cheerful in the face of misfortune, because we don't have to suffer the hardship ourselves. It perhaps... Read more →
It is easy to be wise after the event
When something has ended badly, it is easy to say what should have been done to ensure success. Foresight is being wise before the event; being... Read more →
It is easier to pull down than to built
It is easier to destroy than to create. It is easier to criticise than to make constructive suggestions.
It’s dogged that does it
Here 'dogged' (two syllables with the stress on the first) means 'persistent'. The proverb teaches perseverance and the determination to... Read more →
It is better to wear out than to rust out
It is better to die as the result of being worn out with activity than as the result of doing nothing. The proverb is often quoted by elderly... Read more →
It is better to give than to take
The source of this is Acts, xx, 35: 'I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring we ought to support the weak, and to remember to words... Read more →
It is as well to know which way the wind blows
It is as well to know what developments are likely, or what is the state of public opinion. 'To know which way the cat is going to jump' has... Read more →