- English translation
You would be safer trusting a wolf than a polished, ring-wearing person.
- Literal wording
Trust the desert-dweller [i.e. the wolf], but do not trust the ring-wearer.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying presents a wolf as more worthy of trust than a person who displays a sign of refinement. Its deliberately startling comparison warns that a respectable appearance says little about someone’s honesty.
The wolf stands for an obvious danger, while the adorned person represents a danger that may be harder to recognize. The point is not that wolves are safe, but that people can betray a trust despite looking civilized.
- When it is used
It could be used to warn someone against relying on charm or a refined appearance when deciding whom to trust. The comparison works as an exaggeration: it expresses deep suspicion of human deceit rather than advice about dealing with animals.
- Register
- colloquial
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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