If You Ask Me; Weigh Your Words Carefully
"Penny wise and pound foolish," like many old sayings, is useful advice in a little package of ridicule. Anyone so described is likely to feel ashamed and small-minded.</br></br>But old sayings are often more succinct than fair. Having no room for "On the other hand," they don't tell the whole truth.</br></br>It often happens, for instance, that the half-truths on both sides of an issue survive as popular sayings. It may be true that "it's never too late," and perhaps it's true that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Put them together, though, and you've got an argument.</br></br>"Penny wise and pound foolish" isn't a half-truth quite in that way, but it achieves its force by ignoring one very important fact.</br></br>The fact is, most of us have far more experience with pennies than with pounds. We're wise about pennies because we see and use them every day. We're not so wise with pounds, because we're not so used to handling them. Sure, we do some foolish things with our pounds, but it's not because we ourselves are "foolish." Give us more of them and a bit of time and we'll wise up on them, don't worry. It's a question of practice more than anything else.