Origin of cant make a silk purse out of a sow?

The phrase : "I cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear", was told to me, as being quoted by Svengali.

Actually, you can. Arthur D. Little, a consulting company in Cambridge Mass did so in 1921 to show that you could. They made two of them and one found its way to the MIT archives. See...

its impossible to make good excellence from poor material

The old adage usually refers to the description of a person who is incapable of common respect, honesty, and integrity. It is well known that the pigs ear is rough and thick and cannot be sewn into...