Tag Archives: proverb

To Thine Own Self Be True

The following piece of advice appears in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, written in the early 1600s:

In Hamlet, this advice is given by Polonius to his son, Laertes, as he is leaving home for university.  Polonius dispenses this advice because as his son leaves, he wishes his son to be able to make it on his own, find success and maintain his dignity.  Along those lines, he wishes his son to remember the lessons and characteristics instilled in him by his family.  He tells his son, “to thine own self be true,” which is to say to him, “be true to yourself and trust in your own ability and judgment.”  This is excellent advice, as self-expression and the satisfaction derived from it is one of the greatest truths in life.

It is interesting that this lesson was written so long ago.  The idea of self-expression and tolerance among those that do so seems to be relatively new, within the last half century or so.  To see it written nearly 400 years ago gives the concept a new meaning to me, as it seems to be intertwined with the human condition.  This means that being true to yourself is not so much something to remember or a privilege, but rather, a necessary function of being human and finding satisfaction and contentment within our own lives.

Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child

The following proverb appears in the Bible:

Found in the book of Proverbs, which is a sort of collection of lessons or guidelines by which one should live their life, the proverb essentially means that it is important to be a good and attentive parent.  As the story explains, a good father takes the time to discipline his child and explain to him why his actions were wrong, eliminating the need for physical discipline.  A bad father, on the other hand, would only look to punish his child by spanking him or by other form of physical discipline.  This sort of behavior only alienates the child and drives a distance between father and child, whereas taking the time to teach the child has the dual benefits of sustaining the closeness of the relationship and sparing the child any physical harm.

Interestingly, my friend’s father would always jokingly reverse the saying, as a humorous way of reminding his son to stay in line.

A Burning Ring of Fire

Nationality: American
Age: 53
Residence: NC
Performance Date: 2002
Primary Language: English

In the mountains of North Carolina, there is still a presence and reverence for Native Americans.  Pieces of folklore are still retold today including the tale of fire.  My informant for this story was my friend’s mother who told it to us on the way to school one day.  The tale starts at the beginning of the world when the bear owned fire.  He used it to warm his people through the cold nights.  One day, bear set part of a forest on fire to roast some acorns for his people.  The fire soared for a while, but then began to die down and called out to Bear to feed it so it could go on burning.  Bear didn’t hear the fire’s cries, but someone else did and he fed it all kinds of sticks and wood.  Bear came back to get fire, but fire was mad that bear had left him to die and he was now owned by man.

My informant recalls hearing this story from her relatives as a child.  She thinks it may serve as a form of remembrance as to how we treat the Earth and how we came to “own” nature and everything it entails.  This Native American tale is certainly unique among the others I’ve heard as it doesn’t appeal to someone’s logic as much as other pieces of folklore.

Russian Proverb about Driving Slowly

Nationality: Russian-Jewish
Age: 53
Occupation: Mathematician
Residence: Santa Barbara, California
Performance Date: March 11, 2012
Primary Language: Russian
Language: English, Hebrew

“Driving slower, you will advance further.”

Transliteration: “Tishe edesh – dalshe budesh.”

Q. What does this proverb mean?

A. The meaning is that if you do things slower, you will get further. It’s like saying, “Wait a minute, don’t hurry.” My brother would always say this, for instance, if I did a math problem and wanted to skip steps—if you do everything slower, part by part, you will do better in the end.

This proverb has an English analogue: “Slow and steady wins the race.” Yet, comparing these two versions, we can see that the American version has a much more competitive spirit than the Russian version, as it focuses upon winning. According to my informant, the Russian version refers to riding a horse; if one rides a horse too fast, the horse may become fatigued or sustain an injury. Thus, the Russian proverb focuses not upon winning, but rather upon not losing, not overtiring one’s horse.

Annotation: Writer Mikhail Zeldovich utilizes this proverb in an article concerning Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), commenting upon Russia’s slow, snail-paced progress of accession to the organization:

Zeldovich, Mikhail. “Slowly Going Nowhere: Russia’s Entry to the WTO Falters as Major Exporters Fight Shy of Membership.” The Russia Journal, 19 Nov. 2002. Web. 26 April 2012. <http://russiajournal.com/node/12071>.

Don’t crap where you eat

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Poway, California
Performance Date: January 2007

My informant first heard this proverb in his dormitory at the beginning of his freshman year of college.  His residential advisor recommended that no one on the coed floor date each other, regardless of how good looking they may appear to each other.  Then, the residential advisor reinforced her point with this proverb.  However, the majority of the residents had no idea what she had said.  She laughed and explained the proverb.

My informant understands the proverb to mean not to get involved in situations that will inevitably come back to haunt you.  My informant explained that, with respect to the aforementioned situation, the resident advisor was suggesting that if anyone were to get romantically involved with anyone else who lived down the hall, it would work out fine until the couple realizes the relationship was a mistake.  At this point, there are always hard feelings, and if you have no choice but to live right next to someone you don’t want to see again, you’re in for a bad time.  The couple would have to share elevators, dining areas, and common space, even after their fallout.  My informant then mentioned that all of the residents of the dorm understood this and adhered to the proverb, except for a few drunken nights.

For this example to make sense, the proverb needs to be broken down.  If you, say, crap anywhere you want to, it’ll be worthwhile until you have to return to an area where you’ve already crapped.  This is especially problematic if you took a dump where you eat, because, while enjoyable at the time, the odor and mess is going to make you miserable whenever you dine thereafter. Similarly, being with a girl has its benefits, but the breakup will make you miserable if she’s still going to be everywhere you are.

I have been told this proverb at work several times with the intent to keep me from dating female coworkers.  This makes sense because I’d be forced to work with that coworker after a breakup and would be expected to perform and interact like nothing had happened. In my opinion, I believe this proverb is just a warning to consider the consequences of your choices.