what is the meaning of this proverb"a leopard does not change its spots"?

Question

please hepl me 2 no the meanin of this proverb
a leopard does notchange its spots

Answer 1

A person doesn't change that much. He will not change, another one is "an apple doesn't fall to far from the tree" That means a relative of yours will think and act like you...that means if you are the tree.

It does not have to be refering to a person, a political system, political party or other group. I will give you some examples.
Ex 1
"My descriptions of the last two elections told of 'war veterans' breaking down doors, burning huts and force-marching villagers to rallies and all night re-education sessions. They told of arson, of petrol bombs being thrown through windows, of women being raped and men being beaten with electric cables, sticks and batons. The things that were done to the people of Zimbabwe in the last two elections were so widespread that there was hardly a suburb or even a street where there was not a victim, a relation or an eye witness. We saw the blood, broken bones, burns and bruises with our own eyes; we heard the screams, groans and cries with our own ears. From February 2000 to March 2005 we have waited for the perpetrators of those deeds to be apprehended, tired and convicted for their crimes but we have waited in vain. There has been no accountability and so now we watch, we listen, we keep our mouths shut and we wait. >>>The old saying that a leopard does not change its spots is very much in our minds just a few days before elections. <<<<

It does not matter how polite Zanu PF are in this election campaign, how bright and white their T shirts are or how they crow incessantly on the radio that Zimbabwe is now a mature democracy, the fact of the matter is we are tired and abosultely fed up of living like this. When we vote on Thursday it will be for food, clean water, affordable schools for our children, hospitals which have drugs and leaders who will respect us and our universal rights of speech, movement and association. I have a picture in my head of a man on a horse trailing a yellow banner in the middle of this weeks revolution in Kyrgyzstan. That image from the other side of the world in a country whose name I cannot even pronounce, gives me hope."

Example 2

Mahinda Rajapakse - The Road to Disaster
by Brian Senewiratne, MD, Brisbane, Australia.

"The manifesto of Mahinda Rajapakse, presidential candidate of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), is an endorsement that a leopard (Sinhala political leaders) does not change its spots (the supremacy of the Sinhalese).

It is instructive to know that, despite the loss of more than 65,000 lives, a devastation of the country and serious questions about its future, the thinking of Sinhalese politicians has not changed."

Answer 2

Basically means that you are what you are. That the essential nature of something will not change. Just like the other proverb "No matter how long a log floats in the water, it will never become a crocodile"

Answer 3

I think it means that the original substance and the character of a person does not change. In Greek we use the following proverb,
here is a rough translation of it:
"Even the wolf has grown old and changed his fur,
it didn't changed his mind nor his head".

Answer 4

it means a person cannot change their nature, you are what you are, just as the leopard can't change it's coat to be a different animal, a person remains the same

Answer 5

It basically means that you are what you are. A bad person will not change for example.

Answer 6

my op ion that it means, once a leopard always a leopard,also meaning, once a cheater always a cheater, and so on with anything like that, its just my opion, but that's how i interpret it