Cut Your Coat According to Your Cloth

In life, humans learn through experience. Until and unless one doesn’t experience a certain situation, the lesson isn’t learnt. Similarly, the proverb, ‘Cut your coat according to your cloth’, is based upon practical experience. It is not just a saying, but also a piece of advice that is often overlooked by many. In the literal sense, the proverb means that if a person wishes to stitch a coat for themselves, they can do so with the limited amount of cloth that they have. If the cloth is small, then a small-sized coat can be stitched and vice versa. Similarly, when it comes to other aspects of life, one must not only be practical, but also rational. Be it money, time or energy; it is important to spend only as much as one can afford to. Spending more than what one has is never a good thing. It leads to the unhealthy habit of borrowing from others, which ultimately leads to a pile of debts. This proverb applies to not just to an individual, but also to a nation. A country can progress only when it is able to make optimal use of its resources. Overuse of these resources would prove detrimental to the country’s future. It is important to make estimates and then take action. Gauging what one has and then deciding upon the things that fall well within one’s means is the right way to live.