Line #4 Main/ProverbialWisdom


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4	[[quoteright:345:[[ComicBook/GrooTheWanderer https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/proverbial_wisdom_4.png]]]]
5
6	->'''Jonny:''' Hey, I thought the wise tiger wasn't going to follow his foolish cousins.\
7	'''Hadji:''' A yogin has the right to change proverbs!
8	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'', "Ezekiel Rage"
9
10	The tendency of sages, mentors (especially [[EccentricMentor eccentric mentors]]), and characters who are wise or spiritual to speak in proverbs, riddles, old sayings, and flowery metaphors.
11
12	The trope used to be popular in Medieval Western culture (people often had to speak in {{Riddle}}s or metaphors to demonstrate their wisdom, and [[https://www.academia.edu/38027264/Riddling_and_wooing_in_Tochmarc_Ailbe_EC_version it even was a part of initiation rituals and marriage customs]]), and retained its popularity even in the sixteenth century: for instance, the English queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethI was extremely fond of proverbs and wordplay, and during her reign, the abundant usage of them was seen as a sign of wisdom and sharp wit (the whole England was "soaked in proverbs"). However, it was increasingly seen as a DiscreditedTrope in the Western world since the age of Enlightenment when the role of folklore and "folk wisdom" declined: most notably, Lord Chesterfield wrote that "a man of fashion never has recourse to proverbs and vulgar aphorisms". Nowadays the excessive use of proverbs is considered trite and cliche, typical for elderly people and those who want to seem more thoughtful than they are; likewise, using riddles and metaphors can be seen as a sign that the speaker has nothing substantial to say.
13
14	Nonetheless, the trope remains very popular in Eastern culture; the best known example is probably Zen {{koan}}s which have no definite answer and serve as "thought exercises" to make a person think "outside of the box". Therefore in modern pop culture, a sage who speaks in a flowery and metaphoric fashion is usually of Eastern origin or related to Eastern spirituality (for instance, [[Characters/StarWarsYoda Yoda]], while being non-human, has all the stereotypical features of an Oriental monk).
15
16	SubTrope of CrypticConversation, and often overlaps with DelightingInRiddles. Can be deconstructed or parodied, when the said character simply pretends to be wise, and speaks in [[IceCreamKoan Ice Cream Koans]]. Compare and contrast SpockSpeak, {{Technobabble}}, and SesquipedalianLoquaciousness, when "scientifically smart" and tech-savvy characters use lots of technical and encyclopedic terms. See also AppealToFamilialWisdom.
17
18	----
19
20	!!Examples:
21
22	[[foldercontrol]]
23	[[folder:Folklore]]
24	* In Myth/CelticMythology, Emer, who [[SageLoveInterest eventually became the wife]] of the legendary hero Cu Chulainn, had the reputation of both the most beautiful and the wisest woman in Ireland; the latter meant that she spoke in riddles and metaphors nobody could understand. However, she finally met her match in Cu Chulainn- and during their first meeting, he answered to her in riddles to demonstrate it.
25	* Likewise, Slavic folklore, like ''Literature/TheTaleOfPeterAndFevronia'', has the archetype of a beautiful and wise maiden who demonstrates her wisdom by speaking in riddles, and eventually marries the protagonist.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Comic Books]]
29	* In ''ComicBook/GrooTheWanderer'', the Sage is a perfect example: every single sentence he says in the entire run of the comic is immediately followed by a saying of some kind, most of them made up. Many are truly wise, while some are worthy of Groo himself...
30	* ''ComicBook/SkyPiratesOfNeoTerra'' by Camilla d'Errico has Sera, a mysterious racer who speaks in cryptic metaphors. She is actually a mystic who adheres to some Oriental-style holistic philosophy and sees all things as interconnected.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Fanfiction]]
34	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7140785/11/The-Little-Prince The Little Prince,]]'' a ''Literature/HarryPotter''[=/=]''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' crossover fanfic, the [[EccentricMentor eccentric]] [[BarefootSage magician]] Coriakin, who mentors young Dumbledore and Grindewald, delights in giving them advice in cryptic Koan-like form.
35	* In ''Fanfic/TheVow'', Ah-Ma [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2 the Soothsayer]] is a wise old lady and a {{seer\|s}} who just loves giving advice in vague proverb-like riddles.
36	* {{Downplayed}} in ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5330983/1/Convergent_Paths Convergent Paths]]'' (a Franchise/{{Pokemon}} fanfic) with Terra Caldwell, Belle's mother. She doesn't quote any ''actual'' proverbs or metaphors, but when she meditates, she tends to speak in a very flowery fashion, "like a wise elder of a village". Belle is used to her mother having two modes: "Normal Mom" and "Infinitely Wise Mom".
37	* In the ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9191051/7/The-Alchemist-and-the-Altamere The Alchemist and the Altamere,]]'' Hay Lin has a penchant for quoting Chinese proverbs, and "she would always surprise people with her uncannily appropriate fortune cookie wisdom".
38	%%* Lots of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfics address Luna Lovegood's ramblings as this. While in canon she's more of a CloudCuckoolander and ConspiracyTheorist, the fanfic authors often present her nonsequiturs about Nargles and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks [[MetaphoricallyTrue as metaphors for some actual things to happen]] (in the vein of Zen koans and fortune cookie predictions), making her a Seer who either [[MadOracle sees the future in a weird way]] or sees it clearly, but [[DelightingInRiddles chooses to describe it in riddles for amusement]]. However, in canon she ''did'' guess some things correctly, and many other of her weird sayings are open to interpretation, [[AscendedFanon so Luna being a Seer may still end up as part of the official canon]]. %%cite specific examples in trope entry
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Films]]
42	* The Sphinx from ''Film/MysteryMen'', who serves as a mentor to the main characters, always speaks like this.
43	* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'': Rafiki introduces Timon to the concept of "Hakuna Matata" and tells him "To find it, you must look beyond what you see". Timon asks him to clarify, but Rafiki simply repeats the words "look beyond what you see". Timon proceeds to take Rafiki's advice [[Main/LiteralMinded completely out of context]], wandering in search of a place where he can live the carefree life he wants.[[note]]Not to mention Rafiki ''probably'' didn't intend for "Hakuna Matata" to mean "Don't bother caring about anything other than [[Main/TheHedonist your own pleasure]]".[[/note]] Later in the movie, Timon's mother meets Rafiki while searching for her son. Upon hearing the advice Timon received, she chastises Rafiki for engaging in this trope, hitting him with his own stick and explaining that Timon takes things literally.[[note]]Which may explain why Rafiki is slightly more straightforward with his [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 advice to Simba]].[[/note]]
44	* Parodied with Sidney Wang, a ludicrous Film/CharlieChan expy, in ''Film/MurderByDeath''.
45	-->'''Wang:''' Conversation like television on honeymoon; highly unnecessary.
46	* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'', after a disastrous first day of Kung Fu training, Po confides in Master Oogway that he doubts he'll ever be worthy of being [[TheChosenOne the Dragon Warrior]] and should just go back to living his life as a noodle shop employee. Oogway gives Po some wisdom about not letting the pain of the past or the fear of the future stop him in the now.
47	-->'''Oogway:''' There is a saying, "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the 'present'."
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Literature]]
51	* ''Literature/AlsoSprachZarathustra'' by Creator/FriedrichNietzsche is the story of a HermitGuru who gives his teachings in an extremely poetic and metaphoric way, often using {{Animal Metaphor}}s. PlayedWith, since the ''content'' of his teachings is contrary to what one would expect from an archetypal sage or an enlightened character: for example, he glorifies the will to power, rejects traditional morality, and sharply criticizes believing in an afterlife. The contrast between the form and the content is most likely intentional, stemming from Nietzsche's hatred of religious prophets, so [[{{Deconstruction}} the "enlightened sage" archetype is probably depicted ironically]].
52	* Deconstructed in ''{{Literature/Baudolino}}'': when the protagonist becomes a stylite, people often visit him for advice, believing him to be a saint and a HermitGuru. Playing up with their expectations, he delivers some [[IceCreamKoan Ice Cream Koans]], and people find them extremely helpful.
53	* ''Literature/CharlieChan'' is usually ridiculed for speaking this way, and his brilliance as a detective often comes as a surprise.
54	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
55	** Parodied with the [[OldMaster Lu-Tze]]. He noticed the large numbers of city-slickers who traveled for hundreds of miles to find wisdom at mountain monasteries, and decided to see what he could learn from ''their'' homeland. Thus he picked up his "Way of Mrs. Cosmopolite," a collection of aphorisms from a middle-class landlady such as "it never rains but it pours" that weird out his fellow monks ([[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder "a jug!"]]). On the ''other'' hand, some of those sayings - "I wasn't born yesterday," "there's no time like the present" - are remarkably similar to the wisdom of Wen the Eternally Surprised, founder of the [[TimePolice History Monks]], so who knows.
56	** Like most such books in our world, ''The Discworld Almanack'' fills some of its space with old proverbs, providing such wisdom as "[[Literature/TheBible Men were born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards]], [[LiteralMinded and should endeavour to create heavier sparks]]."
57	* Parodied in ''Literature/DonQuixote'', where the Don frequently becomes irritated by Sancho Panza's over-reliance on proverbs.
58	* ''Literature/TheFamousFive'': Pompous Julian occasionally quotes proverbs.
59	** In ''Five on Kirrin Island Again'', when Uncle Quentin does not respond to the children's calls, so they decide to look for him:
60	---> '''Julian:''' If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain must go to Mohammed.
61	** In ''Five Get Into Trouble'': Hunchy puts down poisoned meat for Timmy to eat, on the orders of Rooky. The children pretend to feed it to the hens, causing Hunchy to panic, and to sweep the hen run very thoroughly indeed.
62	---> '''Julian:''' How true the old proverb is - he that digs a pit shall fall into it himself.
63	* Parodied by Master Wu in ''Literature/TheGoneAwayWorld'':
64	-->'''Wu:''' ''In unifying your chi with that of your opponent -- in aligning the breath of your life and theirs -- you will storm the strongest fortress''. There! Is that a good Secret?\
65	'''Elizabeth:''' What does it mean?\
66	'''Wu:''' No idea. It's a Secret. Means what you need it to mean. But now we have one, we can refuse to tell anyone about it!
67	* Amilyn Holdo from ''Literature/LeiaPrincessOfAlderaan'' is a variation: she is very spiritual, into astrology and meditation (in accordance with her home planet's culture), and she tends to speak in riddles and [[TalksLikeASimile peculiar metaphors]]. Her speech patterns could be partly the result of her background: her home planet's spiritual teachings are a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Oriental religions which are known for broad use of proverbs, {{Koan}}s and metaphors.
68	* The mysterious Miss Angie from ''Literature/ParadisePines'' series by Delia Latham, who serves as a mentor/spiritual guide to the main characters, is really fond of quoting verses from the Bible.
69	* In the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, the nomadic Shin'a'in people are famous for knowing at least one proverb for every situation... and once a Shin'a'in gets rolling, they don't stop for a while. It turns out to be a trait they share with their parent tribe, the Kaled'a'in.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
73	* In ''Series/StargateSG1'', both Oma Desala (a wise ancient being) and the Kheb monk indulge in this.
74	* Parodied in ''Series/ItAintHalfHotMum''. Native bearer Rangi Ram would often close an episode with "There is an old Hindu proverb, which say...".
75	* ''Series/GameOfThrones''. Tyrion Lannister tries this stunt on Queen Daenerys, who promptly accuses him of passing off his own opinions as ancient wisdom. Tryion denies that he would ever do this. [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial To her.]]
76	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''
77	** Chakotay [[HaveIMentionedIAmADwarfToday does this often]] in the early seasons as part of his MagicalNativeAmerican shtick.
78	--->"My people have a saying: "Even the eagle must know when to sleep"."
79	** [[NativeGuide Neelix]] seems fond of a "Talaxian saying" or two.
80	--->"Good news wears no clothes."\
81	"When the road before you splits in two, [[TakeAThirdOption take the third path]]."
82	** Even Harry Kim gets in on the act.
83	--->'''Kim:''' There's an old Chinese expression. Stay out of harm's way.\
84	'''Paris:''' That's not a Chinese expression!\
85	'''Kim:''' [[BoringButPractical If it works, use it.]]
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder: Newspaper Comics]]
89	* Because ComicStrip/ThePhantom is both ShroudedInMyth and a HeroicLineage going back centuries, the people of Bangalla have a number of Old Jungle Sayings about how awesome he is, which are frequently quoted by the characters, and even more often by the narrative captions. The most famous is "He who sees the Phantom's face must surely die". Others include "The Phantom is rough on roughnecks", "When the Phantom is angry, the jungle shakes", "The Phantom has a thousand eyes and a thousand ears", and so on.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
93	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module [=OA5=] ''Mad Monkey vs. Dragon Claw''. The martial arts trainer Hu Sen often makes statements the module calls "fortune cookie philosophy", sayings that may or may not make sense.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Theatre]]
97	* The trope is frequently employed in Creator/WilliamShakespeare's works due to the aforementioned trends of Elizabethan epoch. Most notably, Portia from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'', a smart, wise and witty young lady who was allegedly based on the Queen herself, often speaks in proverbs; a trait seemingly passed on to her servant Nerissa.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Video Games]]
101	* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'', Sokrates is a variation. Rather than speaking in proverbs and riddles, he is known for asking tricky philosophical questions in order to guide people to wisdom. Pretty much TruthInTelevision, as the real historical Socrates was also like this (see the section Real Life).
102	* ''VideoGame/MarioParty7'': The Koopa kung fu master of Pagoda Peak speaks in strange, meaningful-sounding sayings, and is also fond of calling the players "grasshopper."
103	* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Mei Ling is a teenage prodigy who works on data analysis and provides assistance to the protagonists. She has a penchant for quoting Chinese proverbs.
104	* Parodied with Herman Toothrot in ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'', when he becomes a "philosophy teacher" and meditates in a tent. He gives Guybrush what seems to be a Zen-style Koan: "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, what color is the tree?"
105	-->'''Guybrush:''' [after guessing about eighty different colors] All colors?\
106	'''Herman:''' Exactly! Now what has this experience taught you?\
107	'''Guybrush:''' That philosophy isn't worth my time.\
108	'''Herman:''' I'm very impressed. It takes most people years to reach this point.
109	* In ''VideoGame/ShopHeroes'', much of what the shaman Azula says takes this form, although some of her proverbs are more mystical-sounding than others.
110	* ''VideoGame/SpellingJungle'': Yobi speaks almost entirely in these when he isn't telling the player what word to spell, or complimenting them on doing so correctly. Examples include:
111	-->"To spell a single word correctly is to avoid many mistakes."
112	-->"A correctly spoken word is heard at an instant. A correctly spelled word is permanent."
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
116	* Subverted with Lily's sayings in ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert''. The protagonist and Amanda are impressed with her life philosophy at first, but they realize after she leaves that Lily's supposed "wisdom" assumes that responsibility is absent or even bad.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Western Animation]]
120	* Phileas Fogg of Air Programmes International's ''WesternAnimation/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays'' cited such maxims OnceAnEpisode. These always puzzled Passepartout, but later in the episode turned out to be crucial for solving situational hazards or surmounting Fix's tricks. Most pointedly, the first episode's "The motto of the wise is: be prepared for surprises," explains how and why Fogg is always CrazyPrepared in his travels.
121	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[CoolOldGuy Iroh]] tends to overdo it sometimes. (Although at least once the aphorisms made up a [[SpySpeak sign/countersign]] for [[spoiler: the Order of the White Lotus]].) In an early episode his completely literal statement "are you so busy fighting that you don't notice your own ship has set sail?" is mistaken for one, and he concludes afterwards that it actually would be a good proverb.
122	* In ''WesternAnimation/DragonHunters'', Lian-Chu is wise in spite of his naivety, and has a {{Koan}} for nearly every occasion.
123	* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': the old monk from the "[[Recap/JackieChanAdventuresS2E16TheLotusTemple Lotus Temple]]" episode, who is initially seen as a wise yet somewhat eccentric person, always speaks in riddles and proverbs (beginning with "Ancient wisdom"). [[spoiler: Subverted, since he turns out to be EvilAllAlong.]]
124	* Hadji from ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'' often speaks like this. He is the most spiritual person in the group and a student Yogin. Sometimes parodied:
125	-->'''Hadji:''' Every great fiction held strongly in human belief is the mistaken image of some great truth.\
126	'''Jessie:''' What the heck does that mean?\
127	'''Hadji:''' To be completely honest, I'm not entirely certain. But you must admit, it does sound profound!
128	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Sensei does this on occasion, notably in the episode "Gorilla Fist":
129	-->'''Ron''': So you want to tell me again exactly why we're going back?\
130	'''Kim''': 'Cause it is the right thing to do.\
131	'''Sensei''': A weed that never grows does not need to be cut down.\
132	'''Ron''': Hmm, yeah, that's a good gardening tip. So why are we doing this again?\
133	'''Yori''': What Sensei is saying is that even though Monkey Fist is bad, he has not done us wrong this day. It is our honor to save him.\
134	'''Ron''': [[SaveTheVillain Oh, we're rescuing the bad guy!]]\
135	'''Kim''': Yeah, but it sounds better the way he says it.
136	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'': "[[Recap/TheLionGuardS2E18TheWisdomOfKongwe The Wisdom Of Kongwe]]" features the tortoise Kongwe, regarded as the wisest animal in the Pridelands. She expresses said wisdom primarily via this trope.
137	* Ms. Frizzle from ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'' often quotes proverbs and sayings, beginning with "As I always say..." or "As [relative] always says..."
138	* Zecora from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' gives her advice in the form of proverb-like [[RhymesOnADime rhymed couplets]].
139	* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': [[OldMaster Master Fung]] gives advice to the Dragons-in-training when they need to learn a valuable lesson, but more often than not they don't understand the meaning behind his phrases.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Real Life]]
143	* Creator/{{Socrates}} was a variation. Rather than speaking in riddles and proverbs, he was known for asking people tricky philosophical questions in order to make them discover answers for themselves.
144	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ProverbialWisdom