# What does ‘don't judge a book by its cover’ mean?

To “don't judge a book by its cover” means to don't judge by appearances. A 20th-century English proverb, not in Brewer's 1898.

## What it means

- A 20th-century English proverb, not in Brewer's 1898.

## Action steps

1. Standard caution against snap judgments.
2. Example: He seems quiet, but don't judge a book by its cover.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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