clothes don't make the man

English

Proverb

clothes don't make the man

1. You cannot accurately judge a person solely by appearances.

Synonyms

• the cowl does not make the monk
• you can't judge a book by its cover

Antonyms

• fine feathers make fine birds
• clothes maketh the man

Translations

clothes don't make the man

• Arabic:

  Moroccan Arabic: النضرة في البركي وكاع لا يجري (en-naḍra fi-l-bargi w gāʕ lā yijri) (rural, Chaouia, Doukkala)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 人不可貌相 (zh) (rén bùkě màoxiàng)

• Czech: šaty nedělají člověka
• Danish: man skal ikke skue hunden på hårene, klæder skaber ikke folk
• Finnish: vaatteet eivät tee miestä
• French: l’habit ne fait pas le moine (fr)
• German: Kleider machen keine Leute
• Greek: το ράσο δεν κάνει τον παπά (to ráso den kánei ton papá), τα ράσα δεν κάνουν τον παπά (ta rása den kánoun ton papá)

  Ancient: πώγων οὐ ποιεῖ φιλόσοφον (pṓgōn ou poieî philósophon)

• Hebrew: הַבֶּגֶד עוֹשֶׂה אֶת הָאָדָם (habéged 'osé et haadám) (opposite meaning)
• Hungarian: nem a ruha teszi az embert (hu)
• Italian: l'abito non fa il monaco
• Japanese: 馬子にも衣装 (ja) (まごにもいしょう, mago ni mo ishō)
• Latin: cucullus non facit monachum, barba non facit philosophum
• Polish: nie szata zdobi człowieka (pl)
• Portuguese: o hábito não faz o monge (pt)
• Romanian: nu haina îl face pe om
• Russian: по одёжке встреча́ют, по уму́ провожа́ют (po odjóžke vstrečájut, po umú provožájut) (one is met by his clothes and is seen off by his mind), на вид приго́ж, а внутри́ на чёрта похо́ж (na vid prigóž, a vnutrí na čórta poxóž) (handsome in appearance but looks like a devil inside)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: одело не чини човека

  Roman: odelo ne čini čoveka

• Slovene: obleka ne naredi človeka
• Spanish: el hábito no hace al monje
• Walloon: ci n’ est nén l’ cote ki fwait l’ curé (wa)

See also

• dress the part