Proverbs store the wisdom of ages in short, memorable lines with several layers of meaning. This blog states a weekly proverb and explores its meaning. Sir Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, war leader, writer, painter, historian, bon viveur, whose mother was a United States citizen, recommended that people lacking formal education to learn proverbs. "The Wisdom of Nations lies in their Proverbs... Collect and learn them". William Penn, founder of the State of Pennsylvania.
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Sunday, May 14, 2006
A bad shift is better than none.
To the modern reader this might seem to have something to do with promotion at work but "shift" here refers to a shirt. It is another proverb encouraging people to make the most of something even if it is less than perfect. Similar to "half a loaf is better than none", it reminds us that today in the developed world we can take things like clothing for granted unlike our not-too-distant ancestors who found it a struggle to afford a decent "shift".
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