one swallow does not a summer make love

one swallow does not a summer make

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • phrase One instance of an event (such as the arrival of a single bird) does not necessarily indicate a trend.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

An allusion to the return of migrating swallows at the start of the summer season. From a remark by Aristotle (384 BCE - 322 BCE): "One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy."

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