“All That Glitters is Not Gold” is a profound and useful phrase, given to us by William Shakespeare. It means that “attractive things are not always valuable” or “things that look valuable can be fake or deceptive.”
The syntax of this phrase is poetic. With normal syntax, it would be: “Not all that glitters is gold.”
The message is a warning that we should not be hypnotized by beauty, big talk, and shiny objects. We should know that beautiful things can be dangerous. People who talk big may be lying. And objects that look valuable can be fake and worthless:
Don’t believe his promises; all that glitters is not gold.
Are you sure that bitcoin won’t crash? All that glitters is not gold.
They may act like a happy couple, but all that glitters is not gold.
Nowadays, many people recognize this phrase from a poem written by J.R.R. Tolkien (the author of The Lord of the Rings):
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
This poem adds a twist to the phrase, by saying “All that is gold does not glitter” instead of “All that glitters is not gold”—changing the word order and its shade of meaning. Tolkien’s version means that “Some things that are highly valuable do not look valuable.” By the end of the poem we understand that he is talking about a “crownless” “king”—the character Aragorn, who looks like a very poor and dirty person, but who is secretly, a king.
“All That Glitters is Not Gold” Used in a Sentence
- “All that glitters is not gold,” she warned, talking on the telephone as she waited for one of her sons and his family to come over for ravioli and meatballs.
- The world of venture capital is a hyper-competitive one and difficult to break into—there are no direct routes and, as Gupta explains, while it’s a great gig, all that glitters is not gold.
- In Hollywood, all that glitters is not gold—or even fool’s gold.
- All that glitters is not gold – It’s a saying that packs a real punch for me.
- I know it’s not easy to find someone good and worthwhile…but be patient, because all that glitters is not gold“.