Who said one swallow does not make a spring?
"One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy." This is a paraphrase of a statement made by Aristotle. It is often rendered: "One swallow doth not a summer make." In the statement, swallow refers to the bird, and not what you do when you are eating something. In spring or early summer, swallows would return from their migration to spend the warm season in Greece. Aristotle is saying just because you saw a swallow, that doesn't mean you've experienced the whole summer. One summery day isn't the whole summer either. And one day of happiness doesn't mean you are entirely happy. It can be used in any number of ways. Say a friend has just ended a relationship. You might say, if you are sure he won't hurt you, "one swallow doth not a summer make", indicating that there are many relationships ahead. Or someone might do very well in one college course. You could say a bit sarcastically, "one swallow doth not a summer make", suggesting that there have to be many good grades before the person is educated.