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"We were intelligent enough to know that a sample size of one does not a conclusion make" ?

Is the sentence above correct as per the grammatical rules of English ? If yes then what set of rules govern such sentences ?

PS : sorry if the question is badly framed for it's my first time using this website.

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  • Hello Ariano, when you say "is it correct" you must explain why you doubt the sentence. And you must tell us exactly where the sentence comes from. Please edit your question to add these two important pieces of information. The easiest way to say where the sentence comes from is to add a link to the website. You can explain your doubt by talking about the grammar, or by saying what you think the sentence could or should be,
    – James K
    Commented Apr 21, 2023 at 7:23

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This is based on an idiom which came from a quote, modified from another quote… [bear with me].

There's a saying,

One swallow does not a summer make

which is the direct usage your example is drawn from. The connotation of the original is that just because one good thing has happened, does not necessarily mean others will follow as a natural progression. This usage is thought to have originated around 1920

It's thought the odd word order of "one x does not a y make" is itself drawn from a 17th century poem - To Althea, from Prison by Richard Lovelace

Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage;

One could say the structure is antiquated, archaic. It seems to survive only in that form, ending in 'does not a y make'. Once something becomes idiomatic in that way, whether or not it is strictly grammatical becomes moot.

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