Honi soit qui mal y pense
This is one of those proverbs that have remained more common in their original form than in the English translation. It is the French for Evil... Read more →
Honesty is the best policy
Here 'policy' means 'course of action'. If we have to decide on a course of action, honesty is the best one to follow. It is not a question of... Read more →
Hoist your sail when the wind is fair
Don't act when circumstances are unfavourable. Wait for a better opportunity of achieving success - and when it comes, seize upon it
Hitch your wagon to star
Have high ideals. Make it your aim to rise above wordy things. We owe this proverb to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher. Here is a... Read more →
History repeats itself
What has happened once is liable to happen again. The phrase derives from the works Thucydides, the Greek historian. 'I shall be content,' he... Read more →
The highest branch is not the safest roost
This is the penalty of greatness. When a man is at the top of his profession he is said to be 'at the top of the tree'. In consequence he has... Read more →
Hide not your light under a bushel
Don’t be too modest to set others a good example. Here a bushel is a measure, a container for corn, ect. The source of the proverb is Matthew,... Read more →
Hew not too high lest the chips fall in thine eye
Don’t be too ambitious. Realise your own limitations. Like the man who tries to use an axe above his head instead of at a level low enough for... Read more →
Help a lame dog over a stile
Give assistance to anyone in difficulties or distress.
A hedge between keeps friendship green
We remain better friends if we do not see too much of one another. Our neighbour does not live in our house and we do not live in his. Hedge or... Read more →