"You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks."

Saturday Proverb:

Proverb: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Meaning: 

It's challenging to teach a person something new, usually because that person has been doing what they do for so long that learning how to do it differently is hard.

History / Interesting Fact:

Even though this phrase claims “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”  - you actually can teach an old dog new tricks. Some may find it more difficult to teach an older dog in comparison to a younger one however it is still possible for a dog to learn tricks - young or old.

This idea of it being more difficult to teach things to an older dog has been around since at least the early 1500’s.

An example can be found in Fitzherbert's Book of Husbandry of 1534.

Another example of the phrase that people are familiar with today is written in the book Divers Proverbs by Nathan Baily in 1721. The wording is slightly different yet it is still very similar to the modern expression:

"An old Dog will learn no Tricks."

"If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It."

Saturday Proverb:

Proverb: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Meaning: 

If something is working adequately well, leave it alone.

History / Interesting Fact:

Humans seem to have the urge to improve things from the beginning of time. Prehistoric hand-axes were made by repeatedly chipping small flakes off pebbles of flint with other hard objects. Million-year-old examples of these have been found that give the impression of being ruined by being chipped just one time too many.

That pang of regret we have probably all felt after spoiling something by adding that unnecessary final touch was most likely first faced by prehistoric man in his cave.

"A Watched Pot Never Boils."

Saturday Proverb:

Proverb: "A watched pot never boils."

Meaning: 

Time feels longer when you're waiting for something to happen.

History / Interesting Fact:

‘A watched pot never boils' is attributed to Poor Richard which was the pseudonym that Benjamin Franklin used when publishing his widely popular annual almanac.

Franklin was also a celebrated scientist and therefore would have been well aware that watching a pot has no effect on how long it takes to boil.

"Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness."

Saturday Proverb:

Proverb: "Cleanliness is next to godliness."

Meaning: 

Being clean is a sign of spiritual purity or goodness, as in “Don't forget to wash your ears -cleanliness is next to godliness!”

History / Interesting Fact:

This phrase was first recorded in a sermon given by John Wesley in 1778 however the idea is ancient and can be found in Babylonian and Hebrew religious tracts.