Where it’s from: Introduced in Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles was a soldier of great renown. Prophecy foretold of an early death, so Achilles’ mother took him to the River Styx and dipped him in, which supposedly offered invulnerability. Unfortunately, Achilles was held by the heel when dipped in the river…

Where it’s from: “Money buys everything, except morality and citizens.” — Jean Jacques Rosseau (1750). What it means: That when you reflect on your life and what you’ve accomplished, it’s the relationships you’ve built and the moments where you appreciated the present that transcend dollar values and really mean something…

Where it’s from: According to phrases.org.uk, the earliest appearance was in The Boke of Husbandry by John Fitzherbert. It’s quoted as “The dogge must lerne it, whan he is a whelpe, or els it will not be: for it is harde to make an olde dogge to stoupe.” …

Where it’s from: A proverb written by Sir Thomas Overbury in 1613, “All the carnal beauty of my wife, is but skin deep.” What it means: Of course we know this one. It’s a disparagement of a wife in an old poem. That her value didn’t extend past her appearance. …

Where it’s from: In 23 BC a Roman poet name Horace wrote the phrase “Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero” in one of his books. This translates to “Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow.” Tomorrow is understood to mean the future. What it means: To many in…

Where it’s from: Coined in the 1930s by industrial engineer Allen Morgenstern, as he aimed to simplify industrial jobs, it means it exactly what you think it does. If there’s any easier way to do it, do it that way and save yourself the time. This is the one you…

Where it’s from: We’ve all heard this before. It’s when a parent makes a decision they maybe don’t feel comfortable explaining or able to explain at the time, but they expect that certain experiences inherent to life will eventually show you the logic. What it means: When someone says this…