"Don't judge a book by its cover" is the saying Americans most live by
Core finding
Six-in-ten Americans (60%) count “Don’t judge a book by its cover” among the sayings that guide how they approach life, more than any other adage, according to an October 2024 Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.
Nearly half (48%) live by “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” and about four-in-ten each embrace “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (41%) and “Slow and steady wins the race” (41%). Far fewer hold to “Children ought to be seen and not heard” (9%) or “It is better to be feared than loved” (8%), and 7% say none of these sayings describe how they live.
Selected responses
"Don't judge a book by its cover" is the saying Americans most live by.
There are many sayings that people use to guide decisions they make in life. Please read the following statements below and indicate which of them is how you approach your own life
n = 1,000 · Oct 1–11, 2024 · MoE ±3.4%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Oct 1–11, 2024 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.4% |
| Module | media_fin |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co
There are many sayings that people use to guide decisions they make in life. Please read the following statements below and indicate which of them is how you approach your own life
Cite this question
Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2024-103, fielded October 1-11, 2024, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.