The_Other_Waldo_Pepper:
Octagon:
I’m looking for an English equivalent to the Alexandre Dumas proverb “La plus belle fille du monde ne peut donner que ce qu’elle a”. I have found only “No man can give more than he has” or " a man cannot give what he has not got"
Do I take these proverbs literally or is there some other underlying meaning?
You could do worse than Epictetus: “If you undertake a role which is beyond your powers, you both disgrace yourself in that one, and at the same time neglect the role which you might have filled with success … Remember that you are an actor in a play, the character of which is determined by the Playwright: if He wishes the play to be short, it is short; if long, it is long; if He wishes you to play the part of a beggar, remember to act even this role adroitly; and so if your role be that of a cripple, an official, or a layman. For this is your business, to play admirably the role assigned you; but the selection of that role is Another’s.”
I like the way Chris Rock puts it: When you’re in a relationship, you’re in a band, and when you’re in a band, you have a role to play. Sometimes you’re singing lead, and sometimes you’re playing tambourine. And if you’re playing tambourine, play it RIGHT! Nobody wants to see a pissed-off tambourine player!