Meaning & Analysis
A tailor must cut a pattern for a coat that is appropriately sized for the amount of fabric they have available; one cannot make a large coat from a small piece of cloth.
Insights
Financial Prudence
The proverb is a fundamental warning to live within one's means. The 'cloth' symbolizes one's income or resources, while the 'coat' represents one's lifestyle and expenditures. It advises against spending more than one can afford.
Adaptation to Limitations
On a broader level, it advises adapting one's ambitions and projects to the resources available, whether they be time, energy, talent, or materials. It is a call for realism and strategic planning.
Humility and Realism
The proverb encourages a realistic assessment of one's own position and capabilities. It cautions against pretentiousness or over-ambition, promoting the virtue of being content and making the most of one's actual circumstances.
Craftsmanship and Scarcity
Originating from the world of tailoring, the proverb reflects a time when cloth was a valuable, often scarce, commodity. Its wisdom is grounded in the practical necessity of a craftsman not wasting precious material, making the abstract concept of financial discipline tangible and relatable.
Cultural Morality
The proverb strongly resonates with the values of thrift, self-reliance, and prudence central to the Protestant work ethic, which heavily influenced social and economic thought during the 16th and 17th centuries when it was widely cited. It encapsulates a core principle of bourgeois morality.
Psychology of Contentment
Psychologically, the proverb serves as a defense against the anxiety and social pressure of 'keeping up with the Joneses'. It advocates for an internal locus of control, where personal satisfaction is derived from stability and sustainability rather than outward appearances.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The core of the proverb is a powerful and enduring metaphor where 'cloth' represents resources and 'coat' represents lifestyle, making an abstract financial principle concrete and memorable.
Imperative Mood
Phrased as a command, the proverb has an authoritative, prescriptive tone. This imperative structure makes it a direct and easily recalled piece of advice.
Alliteration
The repetition of the hard 'c' sound in 'cut', 'coat', and 'according' creates a crisp, rhythmic quality that enhances its memorability.
Transcription
Quotations
I shall Cut my cote after my cloth. When I haue her.
To bestow or spende according to his abilitie .. to cut his coate accordyng to his cloth.
Let a garment of course wooll defende thy bodye, Cut thy Coate accordinge to thy cloth.
We must cut our coate according to our cloth.
The coat according to the cloth.
Prusus, and's wife, cuts their coate to their cloth.
(after your cloth).
(after your cloath).
A man must cut his coat according to his cloth.
(after your cloth).
(You must cut).
(Cloak).
*Let your Expence be suited to your Income.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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