11. “He Who Plays with fire Gets Burnt” Proverb origin and meaning.

He Who Plays with fire Gets Burnt Meaning: Fire is a dangerous and powerful element that is to be dealt with cautiously.

Anyone who tries to play with fire or take it lightly is to be burnt or injured by its intensity.

Similarly, in life, we must take proper precautions when we tackle dangerous situations.

We must be aware of our weaknesses and never try to be over-confident. And never underestimate the strength of the enemy.

He Who Plays with fire Gets Burnt Origin Story

Once there was a frog that always fancied itself to be a great singer and troubled everyone with his loud singing. No amount of advice from his fellow species would deter him from this activity which led to him making more enemies than friends.

His friends often wanted him that he would find himself in great trouble because of his arrogant attitude. The frog was foolish enough to think that he could get away with his mischief and would often proudly say. “I can jump into the pond and disappear instantly and escape from my enemies. So I will not stop singing.”

There was an old owl living on a tree near the pond who was not keeping good health. Owls normally hunt during the night for food and sleep all day long. The frog’s singing disturbed the owl so much that he could not sleep and was very irritated.

The owl requested, then pleaded, and even begged the frog to keep quiet and allow him to sleep. But the frog rudely said. “I will do as I please.” and sang even more loudly.

Just then the owl saw a vulture hovering over the tree. The loud croaking seemed to have alerted the vulture of the frog’s presence.

The owl called out to the frog. “Dear friend… you better watch out! There is a vulture ready to swoop down on you. You better get back to the safety of your pond.”

The stupid frog thought that the owl was trying to stop it from singing and said, “Don’t think you can fool me by saying all this. I shall not believe you.” As the frog continued singing with his eyes closed, the vulture swooped down and grabbed the frog, and flew high up into the sky.

It is always better to listen to those who are more experienced than us. The frog did not realize the danger that was in store for it despite being warned by the owl and paying the price for it.

The story clearly tells us that we must exercise caution while tackling dangerous situations.

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12. “Better to get an egg a day than a hen tomorrow” Proverb origin and meaning.

Better to get an egg a day than a hen tomorrow meaning: The value of an egg that you get today is higher than a hen that you may or may not get in the future.

It is better to be content with what we get today and plan our life accordingly than to live on dreams that may not come true tomorrow.

It is good to have lofty goals in life. But we should not let go of the opportunities that are currently available in pursuit of bigger things. We must be realistic. That is the message conveyed in this proverb.#

Better to get an egg a day than a hen tomorrow Origin Story

Once there was a shepherd who was grazing his sheep in the forest. Every morning he would drive them up the hill and bring them back home by late evening. He always dreamt of owning more sheep but hardly took any effort to realize his dream.

One afternoon there was a sudden storm and the shepherd hurriedly drove his sheep into a nearby cave for shelter.

When he entered the cave he found some wild goats already inside. The shepherd immediately hit upon an idea. He decided to feed the wild goats along with his sheep so that he would be able to have more animals in his fold.

The wild goats were huge and ate a lot of grass and leaves. There was hardly any grass left for the sheep but the shepherd hardly worried about it.

He was more interested in making the wild goats fatter so that he could get a better price for them in the market for their meat.

The shepherd kept awake day and night looking after the wild goats making sure they did not run away.

A few days later the storm subsided and on his usual visit to the cave one morning the shepherd found to his horror that the cave was empty. The wild goats had escaped into the hills once they realized that the storm had subsided.

The wild goats had also fought with the sheep and left there badly injured. Some of the sheep had even died. It was then that the shepherd realized how foolish he had been in neglecting his own sheep and looking after the wild goat which never belonged to him.

He tried to save the remaining sheep but unfortunately, they had not been fed property and soon died one after another. Thus the shepherd was left with nothing in the end. He had to stave without his sheep.

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13. “Bird in Hand is worth two in the Bush” Proverb origin and meaning.

Bird in Hand is worth two in the Bush meaning: This proverb literally means that if you have one bird in hand be content with it.

Don’t try to grab the two birds in the bush because you are not sure whether you will get both or not.

In the process of trying to grab the birds in the bush, you might land up losing the one in hand too. So always be happy with what you have and don’t be avaricious.

Bird in Hand is worth two in the Bush origin Story.

One day Akila and Geetha were on their way to write an important exam and were waiting at the bus stop. All the buses were crowded but since they had to reach the examination hall on time.

Akila insisted that they travel by one of the buses. Geetha was not interested. She kept insisting that a less crowded bus would come along and that they should wait for one since they had a lot of time. Geetha wanted to travel by bus which offered them seats to sit.

Akila was uneasy since she knew that with the passage of time buses could only get more crowded. She tried to reason it out with Geetha who refused to listen. Akila was angry with Geetha and decided to board the bus that came next.

She did not want to be late for the exam. Because of her timely decision, Akila took a bus that was crowded and reached the exam hall in time. She wrote the exam with peace of mind. She came out in flying color.

Geetha waited for the next half an hour but there was no sign of the bus that she wanted to take. She was getting anxious as she realized that a lot of time had elapsed.

Finally, a bus arrived but it was so crowded that Geetha could not even get in. Geetha realized her foolishness. But it was too late and she had to finally catch a taxi to travel to her destination.

She not only lost valuable money by spending more but also lost out on precious time by landing up late for her exam. Because of coming late to the exam hall, Geetha did not write her exam with peace of mind. She was nervous and tense throughout the exam.

Although she went through the exam with the minimum marks, she was not happy with her performance in that particular exam.

Akila on the other hand had reached on time and was able to write her exam well.

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14. “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword” Proverb origin and meaning.

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword Meaning: The power that the written word carries is far more harmful and damaging than a sword.

At best the sword can only cause physical harm – that too by force. Whereas the written word is strong enough to influence many minds at a time – influence to the extent of even giving rise to revolutions and agitations against unjust/unfair governance.

Several important events in history have been the result of the powerful writings of the leaders of those times. Although a sharp weapon like a sword does appear dangerous, the damage it can inflict on the human body can be healed.

But the written word can make or mar a person of reputation and character. It can build or bring down governments. The weapons and the force can only hurt the people. But the people will not change their minds.

The worse the force is applied, the stronger the people will become in their ideology. The force and wars will not change the mindset of the people against whom the wars are declared.

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword origin story

It was Edward Bulwer Eytton (1803 – 73) who first coined this proverb in 1839.

The proverb is…

Beneath the rule of men entirely great The pen is mightier than the sword.

Take for example the struggle for freedom against the British in India. All our freedom fighters were constantly inspiring the common man to fight against the British with their powerful writings even when they were in prison.

Great leaders like Gandhi preached ahimsa and non-violence. He achieved his dream of free India through this means and his objective proving that violence is not the means to success.

Poets like Subramania Bharathi adopted the medium of print to stir up the dormant spirit of the people.

Through his writings in Swedesamitran, he inspired the masses to fight against the British. The result of those writings is right here for all of us to see – a free India. There are many political leaders who have ignited the people against the wrong stance of their governments.

The word SWORD does not literally mean the weapon which is used. It refers to any kind of violent activity or use of force. In modern days it is used in the context of wars. People are no longer ready to be taken for granted.

They believe in peace and any attempt at dictatorship or corrupt governance is questioned immediately. The press in fact is often referred to as the watchdog of democracy.

There is ample evidence to prove this point in the current scenario.

How do you like our list of proverbs’ origins and meanings? Let us know in the comment section.