what do these quotes mean?

Question

a stitch in time saves nine
all that glitters is not gold
necessity is the mother of invention

read them in a book and cant figure them out
thanks

thanks guys you have all been helpful!! :)

Answer 1

A stitch in time saves nine has to do with the idea that procrastinating on something will cause that problem to be even worst when you do finally try to fix it. The quote comes from the domestic period in our history, where housewives would be responsible for the repair of clothing. If the housewife did not take care to stitch a small hole in the clothing piece, then with continual wear, the hole would get larger and require more extensive repair. Thus by not putting off something that could be done when the problem is smaller, it would be easier to repair.

All that glitters is not gold has to do with the fact that most that we see that glitters is not gold. The saying actually started from what I was told in school, from the gold miners in the mid 1800's in California and a lot of the west. They would find deposits of pyrite or "fool's gold," and it would be mistaken for gold. The saying was also used as a word to the wise to beware before you buy something. In times past, shiny brass or other alloys would be passed off by deceitful merchant as gold. This saying has also stuck with us not because people today are more or less deceit-full, but because the "buyer" should beware. That goes for anything, beware before you "buy" being person or material goods, that what is on the outside, may not be what it or they really are. Also, all gold does not shine. In fact, most red glass uses gold salts to obtain that color, which would reverse of the saying to all that is gold may not glitter.

Necessity as the mother of invention, it pretty self-explanatory, If mankind did not need something, then it would not have been invented. Or in other words, we invent things only because we need those inventions. I know it does not really explain all of our inventions, but somewhere I guess there is someone who can tell why a Rubik cube is needed. LOL

Answer 2

*a stitch in time saves nine*
A stitch in time saves nine means that if a job needs doing it is better to do it now, because it will only get worse, like a hole in clothes that requires stitching.

*all that glitters is not gold*
One of the most frequently misquoted phrases. The original phrase is "All that GLISTERS is not gold" and comes from Shakespeare's Merchant Of Venice. The majority of people now misuse it, replacing the archaic verb glister with the much more understandable glitter, and since the two mean near enough the same thing, one can see why.

The phrase simply means that just because something may look valuable, desirable or attractive, it does NOT mean that it definitely will be worth having once you discover its true nature. So basically, don't rely on the superficial.

*necessity is the mother of invention*
Dire situations inspire ingenious solutions. If worse comes to worst, people will apply all their imagination and skill to deal with the problem.

Answer 3

A stich in time saves nine means that if you take your time to begin with and do it right, then you wont have to go back and do your work over again and spend even more time on it. Like when sewing something, if you take your time and sew it right you will save yourself from having to go back and fixing that stich plus all the ones around it.
All that glitters is not gold means sorta the same as the grass isn't greener on the other side, or don't judge a book by the cover.. Just because it looks good and grabs your attention, doesn't make it worth it. That just because it may look like one thing on the outside, doesn't mean thats what it really is.
Necessity is the mother of invention means that if you want something you work towards it and you make it happen. Its pretty much like it sounds, when you need something, you invent it, or make it happen.

Answer 4

i don't know the meaning behind a stitch in time saves nine, but it means if you do something now even though it doesn't need to be done now, it will be out of the way and you may be able to rest later rather than work, or you may avoid getting behind

all that glitters is not gold is from an old story, I believe, in which a child wanted the sun and his father got it for him, etc. it means that just because something looks valuable and desireable, that doesn't mean it will be any good to you and may in fact be bad

necessity is the mother of invention is my father's motto; he says every farmer lives by it. basically, when you need something, say a particular tool but don't have it , you have to make your own; so needing something made you invent it

the word is quotation - common mistake, but it annoys me for some reason
good day

Answer 5

a stitch in time saves nine:
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so basically saying prepare and plan before acting.

all that glitters is not gold:
A showy article may not necessarily be valuable, so basically looks may be decieving.

necessity is the mother of invention:
A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem.

Answer 6

1-- a stitch in time means take your time to make the stitch. saves nine means saves nine stitches. basically, take your time doing things right the first time and you won't have to go back and fix it!

2--not everything is what it appears to be. plastic fruit looks great, but isn't very good to eat, right? just b/c something seems great doesn't make it valuable in your life.

3--basically as people have needed things they have invented them. we needed a quicker way of communicating, so someone invented the phone, then the cell phone, etc. we needed a quicker way to get around so someone invented the car, the train, the plane, etc...
basically, a need for something breeds inventions to solve the problem.

hope that helps!

Answer 7

stitch in time....if you pay attention from the beginning and don't mess up, you won't have to undo damage later.

all that glitters... some things aren't all they appear to be a first sight

necessity is the mother of invention....when you're faced with a problem, you improvise and hope for the best. If that doesn't work, keep trying until you get it right.

Welcome to the strange world of quirky English aphorisms..

Answer 8

I'm not exactly sure about the first two, so I don't wanna give you the wrong answer. All that glitters is not gold is basically saying that just because something looks amazing, doesn't mean it's pure or real. That quote can be used with just about every life situation. Relationships, work, school, materialistic things... You get the idea.

Answer 9

when you're sewing (by hand) it's better to go slowly and carefully and pay attention, because if you miss a stitch you have to pull out all of the others and start over

necessity is the mother of invention means that we invent stuff because we see a need for it. we need to be warm on a camping trip but worry about being close to fires so we create fire retardent blankets (not the best example but whatever). The other person explained the gold thing

Answer 10

What I get from it is this...

1) Doing things correctly the first time around saves you time and trouble in the long run.. (if you do something poorly in the beginning, you'll have to go back and fix it later on.. which makes you work twice as hard)

2) Just because something seems great, doesn't necessarily mean it is, you have to look into it and find the hidden perks

3) Once you find yourself in need of a certain thing, you'll figure out ways of getting it, and if there aren't known ways in which to get it, you'll come up with something in order to get it :)

lol, hope that worked *cheers*