Literal Translation
The cloth doth not make the monk
Actual Meaning
Manners don’t make the man?
Etymology
The first trace of the expression ‘l’habit ne fait pas le moine’ (clothes do not make the man) dates back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a translation of the Latin phrase ‘barba non facit philosophum’. Attributed to Plutarch, this expression, which is very similar to its current form, means ‘a beard does not make a philosopher’.
But the expression we know today may have other origins. Some link it, for example, to François Grimaldi, ancestor of the family that still reigns over the Principality of Monaco. In 1297, he seized the rock through a ruse. He and his army disguised themselves as Franciscan monks and asked for asylum. They took advantage of the night to repeat the Trojan horse trick. The coat of arms of Monaco features two monks carrying swords, in memory of this feat of arms. Indeed, the habit did not make the monk that night.
One last explanation may shed light on the origin of the phrase. In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX used this expression to remind people that not all monks behaved appropriately. Greedy and violent, they were far from being saints.