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• All that glitters is not gold
  All that glitters is not gold

  Things that appear on the surface to be of great value may be quite worthless.
• all that glitters is not gold
  all that glitters is not gold

  Something attractive is not always what it seems, as in This house is really beautiful, but a close look will show dry rot near the foundation—all that glitters is not gold. Aesop stated the same idea in two of his fables (c. 600 b.c.), and a version close to the current wording appeared in 1175.

All that glitters is not gold

Cultural  

1. Things that appear on the surface to be of great value may be quite worthless.

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all that glitters is not gold Idioms  

1. Something attractive is not always what it seems, as in This house is really beautiful, but a close look will show dry rot near the foundation—all that glitters is not gold. Aesop stated the same idea in two of his fables (c. 600 b.c.), and a version close to the current wording appeared in 1175.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

All that glitters is not gold all that glitters is not gold

Willie learned the truth of the axiom that "All that glitters is not gold," even "A Gilded Age" on that memorable night, for it materially injured the business during the remainder of his engagement.

From The Mormons and the Theatre or The History of Theatricals in Utah by John S. Lindsay

"All that glitters is not gold, Often you have heard that told; Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold!"

From Shakspere, Personal Recollections by John A. Joyce

All that glitters is not gold: Think of this when that beef's cold.

From Mr. Punch's After-Dinner Stories by J. A. (John Alexander) Hammerton

The proverb's teachings we must hold "All that glitters is not gold."

From Perfect Behavior; a guide for ladies and gentlemen in all social crises by Donald Ogden Stewart

Black sheep dwell in every fold; All that glitters is not gold; Storks turn out to be but logs; Bulls are but inflated frogs.

From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Sir W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert

While you may not always see them strike a deal, you’re always guaranteed a chuckle and a reminder that all that glitters is not gold.

From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

Maybe all that glitters is not gold after all?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

In the Hollywood world of make-believe all that glitters is not gold.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2023

"But all that glitters is not gold," our narrator Rosamund Pike warns, as our American television star embarks on an alliance with a family that "will do whatever it takes to survive."

From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2020

But it may be observed that "all that glitters is not gold."

From A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1 by Thomas Clarkson

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