An adage is a traditional saying—usually nice and short—that is wise and commonly accepted as truthful. Kinda like me. A lot like me, actually. A lot.
You’ve probably heard many of them, and possibly didn’t know it.
- Birds of a feather flock together.
- The early bird gets the worm.
- Better late than never.
- Better safe than sorry.
- What you don’t know can’t hurt you.
- Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
- There’s no such thing as a free lunch. (There is if…nevermind.)
- Two wrongs don’t make a right. (I wonder…what about three wrongs?)
- Practice makes perfect.
- You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
- A rolling stone gathers no moss.
- Strike while the iron is hot. (Ouch!)
- Look before you leap. (I admit that sometimes I leap before I look. There, I said it.)
- Many hands make light work.
- Two heads are better than one. (That’s weird, don’t you think?)
- Too many cooks spoil the broth.
- You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
- Cake in your hand is worth two in someone else’s hands. (I just made that one up.)
- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
- Stop and smell the roses.
- Stop and smell the cake. (Mine, too.)
- He who hesitates is lost.
Pretty good list of adages, huh?
The one that always throws me off is “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” I want to have cake and eat it too. In fact, I often do. Eat cake, that is. But then, I guess I no longer have it. And that’s sad, but then I eat more cake.
It all works out, because “Practice makes perfect” as they (whoever they are) say.
