The cowl does not make the monk
A cowl is a long cloak with a hood that covers the head of the wearer. The proverb means that the wearing of such a garment does not turn a... Read more →
Proverbs starting with letter C
Cowards die many times before their deaths
This proverb is quotation from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Caesar says: Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never tastes... Read more →
Courtesy costs nothing
There is nothing to be lost by behaving in a courteous way. Sometimes 'civility' or 'politeness' is used instead of 'courtesy'. There is a... Read more →
The course of true love never did run smooth
When two young people love each other dearly they often have difficulties to face before they can marry. The proverb is quotation from... Read more →
A contented mind is a perpetual feast
This means that contentment of mind is the cause of lasting happiness, and suggests that striving for such contentment is more important than... Read more →
A constant guest is never welcome
People like their friends' company at fairly long intervals. If their friends come too often they are apt to grow to dislike them.
Constant dripping wears away the stone
Sometimes 'dropping' is used instead of 'dripping'. The lesson to be learnt is summed up in the last two words of this quotation from Ovid:... Read more →
Conscience does make cowards of us all
This is a quotation from Hamlet’s famous soliloquy beginning 'To be or not to be…' We use at is a proverb to mean that anyone who has a... Read more →
Comparisons are odious
This proverb dates back to the fifteenth century. It means that we should not make comparisons between two people, because it is very likely... Read more →
Coming events cast their shadows before
As Cicero wrote: 'Certain signs precede certain events.' For example, the widening by the Germans of the Kiel Canal in 1909 to admit the passage... Read more →