"Even if the monkey wears silk, the monkey stays the same". That is the literal meaning for the English saying "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear".
A well-known saying of imprecise origin, attributed to Tomás de Iriarte, Spanish poet, writer and storyteller of the 18th century. It is one of those phrases that we have heard, said or read on some occasion.
Luciano de Samósata (Syria, 2nd century) used a similar term in one of his "Dialogues" in which he said: "The monkey is always monkey, even if she dresses in purple".
You may ask... And why is that? Well, it comes to the fact that it has been a long time since we used in Spanish a saying or phrase in our blog and that the condition of each one or the natural defects cannot be covered up or changed, therefore, even if one changes the name, the "modus operandi" or way of working and acting will continue to be the same.