Phrase origin

Posted by ESC on March 17, 2005

In Reply to: Phrase origin posted by Ruth Julius on March 17, 2005

: : HI there, can anyone tell me the origin & meaning of the phrase "still waters run deep"? I know that it means that there can be turmoil beneath the surface etc, but I am wanting a more difinitive definition & I thought the origin might help me.

: : Cheers - Deb

: Dear Deborah,
: As far as I know, it is used to describe someone who is quiet, but actually has deep thoughts and can quietly do meaningful things (at least that's the meaning of the idiom in Hebrew).

: Ruth

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP - "Don't be fooled by appearances. Quiet people are likely to be passionate or complex, even though they don't show it. The proverb has been traced back to 'Cato's Morals' (about 1400) in 'Cursor Mundi' . In 1721, it was included in James Kelly's collection of proverbs. It was first attested in the United States in the 1768 'Works of William Smith,' ." From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).