There are two sides to every question
Possible interpretation: In any dispute or discussion, we should acknowledge that people have different points of view.
Wordchecker
side(noun): position; attitude; opinion
question(noun): debate; argument; problem to be resolved
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Possible interpretation: If all your eggs are in one basket and you drop the basket, you lose everything. Don't put all your money in one bank. Don't put all your faith in one person.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
Possible interpretation: When a situation is difficult or dangerous, strong people work harder to resolve the problem. This saying relies on a difficult play on words; it could be rephrased word-for-word as: "When the situation becomes hard, strong people start working."
Note: the going (noun): the situation; the ground; the environment | tough (adj.): difficult, hard | the tough (noun): tough people; hard, strong people | to get going (verb): start; go
Origin: This saying is attributed both to Joseph P. Kennedy (1888-1969), father of the USA President John F. Kennedy, and to Norwegian-born American football player and coach Knute Rockne (1888-1931).
Variety: This saying is typically used in American English but may be used in other varieties of English too.
Give credit where credit is due
Possible interpretation: The implication is that even if we doubt to praise someone or not, we should do so if the praise is deserved.
Note: credit (noun) = public praise or acknowledgment | due (adj.) = merited; deserved
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart
Possible interpretation: Someone who is eager, keen and determined can achieve anything.
Note: willing (adj.): ready or happy to do something
God moves in a mysterious way
Possible interpretation: The implication is that God's plan is beyond human understanding. God has a reason for everything, however strange it may seem to us.
Note: mysterious (adj.) = impossible or difficult to understand | This saying is sometimes used to explain or at least justify unpleasant events, whether at a personal or global level.
Origin: This saying is actually the first line of the poem and hymn "God Moves In A Mysterious Way" by the English poet William Cowper (1731-1800):
"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm..."
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Possible interpretation: Different people see beauty in different ways. What one person finds beautiful may not appeal to another person.
Note: beholder (noun) = person who beholds | behold (verb) = look at; observe
Patience is a virtue
Possible interpretation: The ability to wait for something without getting angry or upset is a valuable quality in a person.
Note: patience (noun) = the ability to wait calmly; the capacity to accept delay without getting angry | virtue (noun) = a quality or trait that most people consider to be morally good or desirable in a person
The greater the sinner, the greater the saint
Possible interpretation:
1) If a bad person can become good, a very bad person can become very good. Someone with great energy for doing bad, may, when he chooses, apply it equally to doing good.
2) Converts are the most zealous. In a day-to-day sense, for example, someone who has given up smoking may preach more about the virtues of not smoking than someone who never smoked.
Origin: This paradoxical and controversial saying dates back many years and seems to have no theological grounding. It may have been invented to justify the actions of a historical personage (to wit Robert the First Duke of Normandy).
Wordchecker:
sinner(noun): a person who breaks the law of God
saint(noun): a person considered to be holy and virtuous (especially by the Church)
Comparisons are odious
Possible interpretation: Comparison (especially of people) is not productive and can have unpleasant consequences. People should be judged on their own merits.
Note: comparison (noun) = the act of comparing | compare (verb) = measure or note the similarity or dissimilarity between people or things | odious (adj) = extremely unpleasant; distasteful
Once bitten, twice shy
Possible interpretation: If an animal (such as a dog) bites you one time, you will be extra careful the next time. This saying talks about learning from our mistakes.
Also: "Once bit, twice shy" and "Once burned, twice shy"
No reply is best
Possible interpretation: It is often advisable not to give any answer. Don't say no. Don't say yes. Say nothing.
You reap what you sow
They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind
Що посієш, те й пожнеш
Possible interpretation: A warning that we must expect to suffer serious consequences as the result of our own bad actions. We get back what we give out.
Origin: The idea of cause and effect is expressed by several religions or philosophies. This particular proverb is an allusion to The Bible (Hosea 8:7): "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind...
Wordchecker:
sow(verb): plant seed in the earth
reap(verb): gather a harvest; pick the plants (that have grown from the seeds)
whirlwind(noun): a fast and violent wind moving around in a circle
All cats are grey in the dark
Possible interpretation: The implication is that beauty, or physical appearance, is unimportant.
Note: grey (BrE), gray (AmE) (adj.) = a colour between black and white
the dark (noun) = the absence of light in a place; darkness
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