Striking similarities emerge across cultures. Mothers, for example, are praised around the world: ‘Mother is God number two’ (Malawi) and ‘Mother’s milk is holy’ (Mongolian), whereas wives seem to be a problem: ‘Never marry a woman with bigger feet than your own’ is advice from Mozambique, but amazingly a Chinese saying contains exactly the same message, and even uses the same metaphor. Those big feet refer to female talents, and all over the world proverbs seem to warn men against marrying women with more talents or education than they have themselves.

Of course sayings about women tell us a lot about men: ‘Women and cutlets, the more you hit them the better they’ll be’ (German). The legacy of humanity’s proverbs does not simply describe society, they reflect ethical norms and cultural ideals, particularly those that serve the interests of men. Never Marry a Woman with Big Feet is revealing in a number of ways. Two contradictory lines of thought emerge. On the one hand men are implacable tyrants and shameless profiteers, but they are also insecure, anxious beings who risk entrapment by women. Women are victims, but their beauty and ability to procreate lend them a great deal of power.

Never Marry a Woman with Big Feet looks into the place and status of women in cultures all over the world from an intriguing new perspective. It also illuminates the function of proverbs. This is a unique, funny, moving and often startling collection, a global cultural history in miniature.