Proverbs, Sayings, Idioms and Phrases

Origin In its exact wording, the proverb 'God helps those who help themselves' originates with Algernon Sidney. Sidney was an English political theorist, and his words were later quoted (and made more famous) by Benjamin Franklin in the eighteenth century. However, the sentiment behind this … [Read more...] about ‘God Helps Those Who Help Themselves’ - Origin, Meaning, Expansion and Significance of the Proverb

Origin. This proverb is often traced back to the Book of Wisdom, an apocryphal book of the Bible which was written in 190 BCE. Though this book does not contain the exact phrase 'haste makes waste' it expresses the general idea that someone who 'maketh haste' actually ends up 'more behind' than … [Read more...] about ‘Haste makes waste’ - Origin, Meaning, Expansion, Significance

Origin The exact date of the first usage of this phrase is uncertain. However, the phrase was certainly first used before the 1900s. It originates in the practices of shopkeepers, who often stated that they had a 'first come, first served' policy for their shops. The phrase was sometimes … [Read more...] about First come, first served - Origin, Meaning, Expansion and Significance

Origin of the proverb This proverb was coined by the poet Robert Browning. Browning wrote 'less is more' in his poem 'Andrea del Sarto (Called The Faultless Painter)', which was published in 1855. Meaning 'Less is more' means that very often doing a something small well is better than doing a … [Read more...] about ‘Less is more’ - Origin, Meaning and Explanation

Origin This proverb was coined by the playwright William Shakespeare. In his work, 'Hamlet, Prince of Denmark' (usually dated around 1599), the courtier Polonius says in Act II 'brevity is the soul of wit'. Polonius' character is that of a pedantic person who likes to talk at length and use … [Read more...] about ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’- Origin, Meaning, Explanation, Importance