Overtime one gets to realise that even time-honoured proverbs and adages are not set in concrete an they are just food for thought and not something that should be guiding mottos in ones life if one is to survive in liberty. Of course if this is not a person's goal in life than he or she can use whatever proverb or adage to channel his or her thoughts to form the basis of his day to day activities.
So it is horses for courses, each person has to work out what he or she wants from life and take his guidance from proverbs, adages, holy books of various descriptions in textual form, or the dictations of his or her masters in employment to secure what is important to him or her.