>>>  should have realized I needed "se méfier de l'eau qui dort."

>>Mistrust sleeping water. If you think nothing's 
>>going on, you've missed the point. Still waters 
>>run deep.
>
>That one is more ambiguous and may depend on the 
>context. It might be seen as a warning 
>(something peaceful might turn out to be the 
>opposite), but you can use it also to speak 
>about an hidden positive or (most often) 
>negative trait (for example: that weak man is 
>stronger than you might think). In short don't 
>base your jugdment on appearance and think twice 
>before acting.

"Se méfier de l'eau qui dort" would literally 
mean distrust (or beware of) sleeping (stagnant, 
idle) water, i.e. don't minimize a potential 
danger, don't underestimate an opponent, also 
don't rely only on appearance (another one 
basically says that a tree can hide the forest).

tedd