"Never judge a book by its cover"

Posted by Andy Roche on December 05, 2000

In Reply to: "Never judge a book by its cover" posted by ESC on December 04, 2000

I believe an even earlier predecessor to "never judge a book by its cover" can be attributed to Jean de La Fontaine:
Beware, so long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance.

: : What is the origin of the phrase "Never judge a book by its cover"?

: : thanx

: I couldn?t find an origin.

: DON?T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER ? ?Don?t judge things by their appearance only. Originated in the United States. First attested in the journal ?American Speech? . Has been used in Britain since 1954 (Murder in Haste? by H. Gardiner. Found in varying forms...? Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).
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