The true nature of a person or thing may be hidden by outside appearance, but cannot be changed.
A varlet was formerly a menial servant, but the word also took on the sense of ‘scoundrel’ or ‘rogue’. Scarlet was the color of the official or ceremonial dress of various dignitaries, including judges.
Origin:
The proverb has ancient origin in the form an ape is an ape‥even if it has gold insignia, which occurs in the writings of Greek writer Lucian (c.125 - c. 200).
Related Proverbs in English:
A golden bit does not make the horse any better.
An ass is but an ass, though laden with gold.
Can the leopard change his spots?
Clothes don’t make the man.
No fine cloth can hide the clown.
The wolf may loose his teeth, but never his nature.
What is bred in the boneр will come out in the flesh.
You cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear.
Afrikaans
Al dra 'n aap 'n goue ring, hy is en bly 'n lelike ding.
In English: Even if an ape (monkey) wears a golden ring, it still remains an ugly thing.
Contribution by Talitha Wilsnagh
Arabic
الكلب كلب ولو طوقته بطوق من ذهب
In English: The dog is a dog even though you clasp gold around its neck.
Contribution by Ahmed Abu-Shnein
Bulgarian
Вълкът козината си мени, нрава си не мени.
In English: The wolf would change its pelage, it wouldn't change its temper.
Contribution by Димитър Димитров
Вълкът козината си мени, но нрава - никога!
In English: The wolf changes its fur, but its nature- never"!
Contribution by Elmira Kotscheva
Catalan
Encara que es vesteixi de seda, la mona mona es queda.
In English:Even if it dresses in silk, the ape is still an ape.
Contribution by Hans Geluk
Dutch
Al draagt een aap een gouden ring, het is en blijft een lelijk ding.
In English: Even if an ape (monkey) wears a golden ring, it still remains an ugly thing.
Contribution by Egon Wegh
Een vos verliest wel zijn haren maar niet zijn streken.
In English: A fox may lose his hair but not his cunning.
Contribution by Hans Geluk
Tane aadami sharif ast be jaane aadamiat/na hamin lebaase zibaast neshaane aadamia.
In English: A good man is good from inside/doesn't matter what he wears.
Contribution by man good
Gorgzaadeh aaghenat gorg shavad.
In English: The offspring of a wolf will finally become a wolf.
Contribution by man good
French
La caque sent toujours le hareng.
In English: The keg always smells of herring.
Cette expression date du XVIIe siècle. La caque est un mot néerlandais qui désignait un tonneau contenant des harengs. De cette barrique en bois, se dégageait une forte odeur impossible à atténuer, quel que soit le produit employé. Métaphore utilisée pour parler des origines d'une personne, et de l'impossibilité de les dissimuler.
This expression dates from the seventeenth century. "La calque" is a Dutch word that meant a barrel containing herring. This wooden barrel keeps a strong smell that will not go away, whatever the product used to clean it. The metaphor is used to talk about the origins of a person and the impossibility of concealing them.
Contribution by Martine Joulia
German
Niemand kann über seinen Schatten springen.
In English:Nobody can jump his own shadow.
Contribution by Isabella Rossi
Greek
ρίθηκος ὁ ρίθηκος‥κἃν χρυσέα ἕχη σύμβολα.
Cf. [Lucian Adversus Indoctum 4]
In English: An ape is an ape‥even if it has gold insignia.
[Erasmus'Adages 21]
Hungarian
Nem mind arany, ami fénylik.
In English: Not all that shines (glitters) is gold.
Contribution byKalamar Klara-Piroska
Italian
L'abito non fa il monaco.
Contribution by Vincenzo Albanese
In English: The dress doesn't make the monk.
La scimmia è sempre scimmia, anche vestita di seta.
In English: A monkey is still a monkey, even if dressed in silk.
Contribution by Silvia Poidimani
Non è tutto oro quel che riluce.
In English: Not all that shines (glitters) is gold.
Contribution by Silvia Poidimani
Non si giudica il cavallo dalla sella.
In English:Judge not the horse by his saddle.
Contribution by Silvia Poidimani
Latin
Simia simia est, etiamsi aurea gestet insignia.
Cf. [Erasmus Adages i. vii.]
In English: An ape is an ape although she wear badges of gold.
[1539 R. Taverner tr.]
Macedonian
Ruva krasi, ruva gnasi.
In English: The dress adorn, the dress soil.
Contribution by Biljana Biljanovska
Portuguese
Nem tudo o que reluz é ouro.
In English: Not all that shines (glitters) is gold.
Contribution by Myrna Stainer
O hábito não faz o monge.
In English: The dress doesn't make the monk.
Contribution by Myrna Stainer
Romanian
Maimuța în aur și purpură tot maimuță rămâne.
In English: A monkey (dressed) in gold and and royal clothes it's still a monkey.
Russian
как свинью в кафтан ни ряди, она все свиньей останется.
In English: You can put any suit onto piggy still she remains the same animal.
Contribution by Silchenko Victoria
I'd prefer another variance; here should be taken into account that the second one makes the emphasis onto the proverb's recipient individual perception instead of "hidden intent to disguise the spoken object" as the first equivalent tends, meanwhile the warning about prespective consequences of "actions towards" is also present here:
хоть горшком назови, только в печь не сади.
In English: You can call that a pot {if you wish} but should never place that into oven {as it is not the thing you did mean}.
Contribution by Silchenko Victoria
Как волка ни корми, все равно в лес смотрит.
In English: Give to your wolf the best of food but he still hankers for the wood. (in other words: the nature overrrides the habit).
Contribution by Silchenko Victoria
In English: Not all that shines (glitters) is gold.
Contribution by Elena Zhigulina
Осёл останется ослом, хоть ты осыпь его звездами.
In English: "A jackass will remain a jackass, even when bedecked with stars" - a line from a 19th century fable that has become a proverb.
Contribution by Алексей Паго
Как волк ни линяет, а шкуры не меняет.
In English: A wolf may change fur, but never changes the skin.
Contribution by Алексей Паго
Slovene
Volk dlako menja, a nravi nikoli.
In English: The wolf would change its fur, but not its character.
Contribution by Mira Hladnik
Spanish
Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda.
In English: Even if a monkey is dressed in silk, it's still a monkey.
Contribution by Marta Cerdan Bonnemaison
Ukrainian
хоч горщиком називай, лиш до печі не сади.Не все то золото, що блищить.
In English: You can call that a pot {if you wish} but should never place that into oven {as it is not the thing you did mean}.
Contribution by Silchenko Victoria
Не все то золото, що блищить.
In English: All that glitters is not gold.
Contribution by Silchenko Victoria
Видно пана по халявам.
Direct meaning being "The gentleman's identity is confirmed with authentic boot-top style" at first glance it seems to speak about adequacy of appearance, meanwhile here the semantic reduction of longer phase does reveal the context "whichever foreign suit wearing, the impostor always betrays himself with neglectible but telling details"
Contribution by Silchenko Victoria
Чим вовка не годуй, до лісу все ж втече.
In English: Give to your wolf the best of food but he still hankers for the wood. (in other words: the nature overrrides the habit).
Contribution by Silchenko Victoria
Yiddish
.פֿון אַ חזיר־שווענצל קען מען קיין שטרײַמל ניט מאַכן
In English: You canțt make a shtreimel from a pig's tail.