What is an adage?
An adage is a short, well-known saying that shares a piece of wisdom about life. People have repeated adages for hundreds of years because they hold a lesson that many people agree is true.
Here are some you may have heard:
- Look before you leap.
- Practice makes perfect.
- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Adages are also called proverbs or sayings. They are a little like tiny stories, packed into one sentence.
Two layers of meaning
Most adages have two meanings.
- The literal meaning is what the words say exactly.
- The figurative meaning is the deeper lesson.
Take Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
- Literal meaning: do not count chicks while they are still eggs.
- Figurative meaning: do not plan on something good happening until it really happens.
When you read an adage, ask yourself: What lesson is this teaching about people or life?
Common adages and what they mean
| Adage | What it means |
|---|---|
| Actions speak louder than words. | What you do shows more than what you say. |
| The early bird catches the worm. | People who start early often succeed. |
| Two heads are better than one. | Working together helps solve problems. |
| Don’t judge a book by its cover. | Don’t decide about someone by how they look. |
| Practice makes perfect. | You get better by doing something again and again. |
| Better late than never. | It is better to do something late than not at all. |
| Honesty is the best policy. | Telling the truth is always the wisest choice. |
| A friend in need is a friend indeed. | A true friend helps you when you need it. |
| Look before you leap. | Think carefully before you act. |
| Where there’s a will, there’s a way. | If you really want something, you can find a way. |
| Every cloud has a silver lining. | Something good can come out of something bad. |
| Slow and steady wins the race. | Careful, steady work beats rushing. |
Adages, idioms and other sayings
Adages are easy to mix up with idioms. They are related, but not the same.
- An adage gives advice or states a truth about life. It usually makes sense as a full sentence: Haste makes waste.
- An idiom is a phrase whose meaning you cannot guess from its words. It is not a piece of advice: It’s raining cats and dogs just means it is raining hard.
Ask: Is this saying teaching me a lesson? If yes, it is probably an adage.
Where adages come from
Many adages are very old. Some come from farms and nature, like Make hay while the sun shines, which once told farmers to cut and dry grass while the weather was good. Today it means: use a good chance while you have it.
Others come from famous books and writers, from fables, or from many different cultures. Most cultures have their own adages, and some say the same thing in different ways. In English we say Too many cooks spoil the broth. Other languages have sayings about too many captains on one ship.
Why writers use adages
Writers use adages to:
- share a lesson quickly
- end a story with a strong message
- make characters sound wise or old-fashioned
- connect with readers, because many people already know the saying
Fables often end with a lesson that sounds like an adage. The tortoise and the hare teaches slow and steady wins the race.
How to explain an adage
- Read the adage carefully.
- Picture the literal meaning.
- Think about what situation in real life it could describe.
- Write the lesson in your own words.
- Give an example from your own life.
Example: Two heads are better than one. Picture two people thinking together. In real life, a partner can spot ideas you miss. Lesson: working together helps. Example: my friend and I solved the puzzle faster as a team.
Common mistakes
- Taking it literally. Don’t cry over spilled milk is not about milk. It means don’t get upset about small things that can’t be changed.
- Changing the words. Adages are set phrases. Say The early bird catches the worm, not The early bird gets lots of bugs.
- Using them too much. One well-chosen adage is powerful. Five in a paragraph is too many.
Try it yourself
Explain each adage in your own words:
- Actions speak louder than words.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
- Practice makes perfect.
Then write a short story, three or four sentences long, that ends with one of these adages as its lesson.
Tip for families
At dinner, share an adage that someone in your family grew up with. Talk about what it means and when it might be good advice.
Quick recap
- An adage is a short, well-known saying that shares wisdom.
- Adages have a literal meaning and a figurative meaning.
- Idioms are phrases with hidden meanings; adages teach lessons.
- Explain an adage by picturing it, finding the lesson and giving an example.