All that glitters is not gold: Meaning Now

What do we mean when we say it today?

"All that glitters is not gold" is a popular proverb these days. It gets trotted out anytime a mentor/parent/grandparent wants to teach a young kid about what is really important in life. But it's not just Shakespeare we have to thank for that.

LOTR fans will know that J.R.R. Tolkien used this phrase as inspiration for his poem, "All that is gold does not glitter" in The Fellowship of the Ring.

And Led Zeppelin fans will recognize it as a lyric in "Stairway to Heaven." Any Smash Mouth groupies out there? Their hit, "All Star" has this one, too. And how could we forget the Death in Vegas song, "All That Glitters"?

Yep, it's safe to say this line has definitely made the rounds.