http://hirondelleholidays.wordpress.com/2008/04/12/one-swallow-doesnt-make-a-summer/ Life (and holidays) in Manche, Normandy Wed, 27 May 2009 09:13:38 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 http://hirondelleholidays.wordpress.com/2008/04/12/one-swallow-doesnt-make-a-summer/#comment-58 Amup Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:40:42 +0000 http://hirondelleholidays.wordpress.com/?p=37#comment-58 PS: There is one phrase in French which says "une hirondelle a fait le printemps", meaning "one swallow did make the Spring". It is used when one event actually did turn out to be followed by similar ones (it's an echo to the more common "une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps"). But there is no French proverb saying "one swallow makes the Spring". Trust me on this, French is my native language. PS: There is one phrase in French which says “une hirondelle a fait le printemps”, meaning “one swallow did make the Spring”. It is used when one event actually did turn out to be followed by similar ones (it’s an echo to the more common “une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps”). But there is no French proverb saying “one swallow makes the Spring”. Trust me on this, French is my native language.

]]> http://hirondelleholidays.wordpress.com/2008/04/12/one-swallow-doesnt-make-a-summer/#comment-57 Amup Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:37:04 +0000 http://hirondelleholidays.wordpress.com/?p=37#comment-57 The French say "une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps" which means "one swallow does not make the Spring". It means that one should be careful about drawing hasty conclusions about one possibly isolated event. In 1936, the French elected a Jew, Leon Blum, for prime minister. And 5 years later, French Jews were being massively deported to concentration camps. This is one tragic illustration of the proverb. People have a natural tendency to project one good event into the future to crystalize their desires. The same is happening right now in the US with the election of Obama. It's a giant progressive leap forward, but it shouldn't be understood as the end of racial tensions in America... We should always be careful... Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps ! The French say “une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps” which means “one swallow does not make the Spring”. It means that one should be careful about drawing hasty conclusions about one possibly isolated event. In 1936, the French elected a Jew, Leon Blum, for prime minister. And 5 years later, French Jews were being massively deported to concentration camps. This is one tragic illustration of the proverb. People have a natural tendency to project one good event into the future to crystalize their desires. The same is happening right now in the US with the election of Obama. It’s a giant progressive leap forward, but it shouldn’t be understood as the end of racial tensions in America… We should always be careful… Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps !

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