All that glitters is not gold - wikipedia All that glitters is not gold For other uses, see All That Glitters. `` All that glitters is not gold '' is a well - known saying, meaning that not everything that looks precious or true turns out to be so. This can be applied to the people, places, or things that promise to be more than they really are. While early expressions of the idea are known from at least the 12th century, the current saying is derived from a 16th century line by William Shakespeare. Contents 1 Origins 2 Glitters or glisters 3 In other languages 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Origins The expression, in various forms, originated in or before the 12th century and may date back to Æsop. The Latin is Non omne quod nitet aurum est. The French monk Alain de Lille wrote `` Do not hold everything gold that shines like gold '' in 1175. Chaucer gave two early versions in English : `` But al thyng which that shyneth as the gold / Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told '' in `` The Canon 's Yeoman 's Tale '', and `` Hyt is not al golde that glareth '' in `` The House of Fame ''. The popular form of the expression is a derivative of a line in William Shakespeare 's play The Merchant of Venice, which employs the word `` glisters, '' a 17th - century synonym for `` glitters. '' The line comes from a secondary plot of the play, the puzzle of Portia 's boxes ( Act II - Scene VII - Prince of Morocco ) : All that glisters is not gold -- Often have you heard that told. Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold. Gilded tombs do worms enfold. Had you been as wise as bold, Young in limbs, in judgment old, Your answer had not been inscrolled Fare you well. Your suit is cold -- Cold, indeed, and labor lost. Panning for gold often results in finding pyrite, nicknamed fool 's gold, which reflects substantially more light than authentic gold does. Gold in its raw form appears dull and lusterless. Glitters or glisters The original version of the saying used the word glisters, but glitters long ago became the predominant form. Poet John Dryden used glitter in his 1687 poem The Hind and the Panther. The words glister and glitter have the same meaning. In other languages This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2018 ) The expression is also found in Yiddish ( nit als vos glanst iz gold ), especially amongst Hasidim, and also appears in a Hebrew work of Mendele Mocher Sforim. In popular culture In pop culture, this phrase shows up in Bob Marley 's `` Get Up, Stand Up ''. It is also used as lyrics in the song `` A Guided Masquerade '' by Alesana, in the song `` Domino Rain '' by Antemasque, in the song `` Gold '' by Prince, and in the Kanye West song, `` Family Business ''. Another common formulation with the same meaning is `` All that shines is not gold '', as seen in the title and refrain of the song `` All That Shines Is Not Gold '' and in the lyrics of `` Next Time You See Me '' as well as Curtis Mayfield 's `` That 's What Mama Say ''. Neil Young uses the saying in his song `` Do n't Be Denied '' ( `` Well, all that glitters is n't gold, I know you 've heard that story told. '' ) from his 1973 album Time Fades Away to express his `` realization that even success would n't make him happy '', even after he obtained fame and money. The inverse of this expression, `` all that glitters is gold, '' is a lyric in the Led Zeppelin song, `` Stairway to Heaven '', the Smash Mouth song, `` All Star '', the Death in Vegas song, `` All That Glitters '', and in the Future Islands song `` A Dream of You and Me '' followed by the lyric `` Do n't believe what you 've been told ''. `` All that glitters is cold, '' is also a lyric in the song `` Posthuman '' by Marilyn Manson from the album `` Mechanical Animals ''. See also Shakespeare portal `` Gods of the Copybook Headings '' -- a poem reflecting on eternal truths amid human pretensions, by Rudyard Kipling `` All that is gold does not glitter '' -- poem by J.R.R. Tolkien included in his fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, with a contrasting meaning `` Things are seldom what they seem '' - song in Gilbert and Sullivan 's HMS Pinafore, where Little Buttercup alludes to Captain Corcoran 's low birth by singing of things that may appear as one thing whilst being another, including the line `` All that glitters is not gold ''. `` Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes '' -- poem by Thomas Gray which ends `` Nor all, that glisters, gold '' References Jump up ^ The Phrase Finder ; but see another view Jump up ^ Discussion at Everything2 ^ Jump up to : Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs ( 3rd ed. ). OUP. 1970. p. 316. ISBN 0198691181. Jump up ^ Flexner, Stuart Berg ( 1993 ). Wise Words and Wives ' Tales : The Origins, Meanings and Time - honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings, Olde and New. Avon Books. p. 7. ISBN 9780380762385. Jump up ^ `` Hyt is not al golde that glareth ''. World of Quotes. Retrieved 5 April 2016. Jump up ^ Shakespeare, William ( 1823 ). Measure for measure. Comedy of errors. Merchant of Venice. As you like it. Collins & Hannay. p. 171. Jump up ^ `` Mining ; Journal of the Northwest Mining Association ''. 3 -- 4. 1897 : 193. Jump up ^ Martin, Gary. `` ' All that glitters is not gold ' - the meaning and origin of this phrase ''. Phrasefinder. Jump up ^ Kogos, Fred ( 1970 ). Book of Yiddish proverbs and slang. Popular Books. p. 121. ISBN 9780890096185. Jump up ^ http://www.metrolyrics.com/get-up-stand-up-lyrics-bob-marley.html Jump up ^ Video on YouTube Jump up ^ Cox, W. `` All That Shines Is Not Gold ''. Jump up ^ `` Grateful Dead -- Next Time You See Me Lyrics ''. Jump up ^ Video on YouTube Jump up ^ Greene, Andy. `` The 10 Best Neil Young Deep Cuts : ' Do n't Be Denied ' ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 January 2017. External links Context of Shakespeare 's quote at enotes.com hide William Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice Characters Shylock Antonio Portia Jessica Sources Gesta Romanorum ( late 13th century ) Il Pecorone ( late 14th century ) by Giovanni Fiorentino The Jew of Malta ( 1590 ) by Christopher Marlowe On screen 1914 1916 1923 Shylock ( 1941 ) 1961 1969 1980 ( TV ) One Man Band ( unfinished ) Adaptations Le marchand de Venise ( 1935, opera ) Shylock ( 1987, musical ) The Merchant of Venice ( 1982, opera ) Derivative works Serenade to Music ( 1938 ) Shylock ( 1996 ) Yasser ( 2001 ) The Maori Merchant of Venice ( 2002 ) Related `` All that glitters is not gold '' `` All the world 's a stage '' `` Between you and I '' Quibble Letter and spirit of the law `` Ding Dong Bell '' `` The quality of mercy '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=All_that_glitters_is_not_gold&oldid=844360165 '' Categories : English proverbs Riddles Shakespearean phrases Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from February 2018 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Latina Edit links This page was last edited on 4 June 2018, at 12 : 08. 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Question: who said all that glitters is not gold
Answer: William Shakespeare