Speak well of the dead
Speak well of them, for they cannot speak for themselves. 'Death softens all resentments', wrote John Greenleaf Whittier, the American poet,... Read more →
Speak the truth and shame the devil
Speak the truth boldly in defiance of strong temptation to tell lies.
Speak fair and think what you like
To 'speak fair' is to treat others with civility. Think what you like about them, but be polite when you speak to them. There is, however, the... Read more →
Spare the rod and spoil the child
It does not improve a child's character if he is not punished when he has done wrong. The source is Proverbs, xiii, 24. 'He that spareth his... Read more →
Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind
One evil leads to a worse. The source is Hosea, viii, 7: 'For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.'
Some people cannot see the wood for the trees
When we stand in the middle of a wood, we can see only the trees immediately around us, but we know that the wood is there, for if there were no... Read more →
Some are wise and some are otherwise
This is a play on words. It means quite simply that some people are wise and others are not. The proverb is originally a quotation from the... Read more →
A soft answer turneth away wrath
The source of this is Proverbs, xv, 1: 'A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger.' If anyone loses his temper and... Read more →
So many countries, so many customs
Every nationality, has its own way of life and standard of behaviour.
Slow but sure wins the race
This refers to the fable of the hare and the tortoise. The race was won by the slow tortoise, which plodded steadily on while the fast hare,... Read more →