Proverbs on top of Proverbs!
Proverbs I collected over a long time
A bad beginning has a bad, or makes a worse, ending.
A bad dog never sees the wolf.
A bad thing is dear at any price.
A barren sow was never good to pigs.
A beggar’s purse is always empty.
A big head and little wit.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
A black hen will lay a white egg.
A blind man should not judge of colours.
A bon chat bon rat—A good rat to match a good cat. Tit for tat.
A burnt child dreads the fire.
A careless master makes a negligent servant.
A carper will cavil at anything.
A carrion kite will never make a good hawk.
A child may have too much of its mother’s blessing.
A clear conscience is a sure card.
A cold hand, a warm heart.
A crafty knave needs no broker.Quoted in Hen. VI.
A crown is no cure for the headache.
A danger foreseen is half avoided.
A drop of honey catches more flies than a hogshead of vinegar.
A drowning man will catch at a straw.
Ægroto, dum anima est, spes est—While a sick man has life, there is hope.
Æmulatio æmulationem parit—Emulation begets emulation.
A fair face may hide a foul heart.
A fault confessed is half redressed.
A fonte puro pura defluit aqua—From a pure spring pure water flows.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
A fool is wise in his own conceit.
A fool knows more in his own house than a wise man in another’s.
A fool may give a wise man counsel.
A fool may make money, but it takes a wise man to spend it.
A fool when he is silent is counted wise.
A fool’s bolt may sometimes hit the mark.
A friend in court makes the process short.
A friend is never known till needed.
A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody.
A fronte præcipitium, a tergo lupus—A precipice before, a wolf behind.
A full cup is hard to carry.
A gold key opens every door.
A good bargain is a pick-purse.
A good beginning makes a good ending.
A good friend is my nearest relation.
A good horse should be seldom spurred.
A good marksman may miss.
A good name is sooner lost than won.
A good presence is a letter of recommendation.
A good road and a wise traveller are two different things.
A good surgeon must have an eagle’s eye, a lion’s heart, and a lady’s hand.
A good wife and health are a man’s best wealth.
A green winter makes a fat churchyard.
A growing youth has a wolf in his belly.
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
A hair of the dog that bit him.
A hedge between, keeps friendship green.
A hook’s well lost to catch a salmon.
A hundred years cannot repair a moment’s loss of honour.
A hungry belly has no ears.
A leaden sword in an ivory scabbard.
A liar should have a good memory.
A lie has no legs, but scandal has wings.
A light heart lives long.
A little body often harbours a great soul.
A little is better than none.
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
A living dog is better than a dead lion.
A loan should come laughing home.
A man can do no more than he can.
A man at sixteen will prove a child at sixty.
A man cannot spin and reel at the same time.
A man cannot whistle and drink at the same time.
A man is a fool or his own physician at forty.
A man may do what he likes with his own.
A man must ask his wife’s leave to thrive.
A man’s best fortune or his worst is his wife.
A man’s gift makes room for him.
A man’s house is his castle.
A man’s walking is a succession of falls.
A miss is as good as a mile.
A new broom sweeps clean.
A peck of March dust is worth a king’s ransom.
A pet lamb makes a cross ram.
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
A plant often removed cannot thrive.
A pound of care won’t pay an ounce of debt.
A ragged colt may make a good horse.
A reconciled friend is a double enemy.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
A saint abroad, a devil at home.
A silver key can open an iron lock.
A slow fire makes sweet malt.
A sorrow shared is but half a trouble, / But a joy that’s shared is a joy made double.
A spot is most seen on the finest cloth.
A spur in the head is worth two in the heels.
A stitch in time saves nine.
A tale never loses in the telling.
A tattler is worse than a thief.
A thief knows a thief, as a wolf knows a wolf.
A thing you don’t want is dear at any price.
A threatened blow is seldom given.
A travelled man has leave to lie.
A tree is known by its fruit.
A useful trade is a mine of gold.
A wilful man must have his way.
A willing mind makes a light foot.
A wise man is never less alone than when alone.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
A woman conceals what she does not know.
A word and a stone let go cannot be recalled.
Ab inopia ad virtutem obsepta est via—The way from poverty to virtue is an obstructed one.
Absens hæres non erit—The absent one will not be the heir.
Abusus non tollit usum—Abuse is no argument against use.
Accensa domo proximi, tua quoque periclitatur—When the house of your neighbour is on fire, your own is in danger.
Actions speak louder than words.
Adversus solem ne loquitor—Speak not against the sun, i.e., don’t argue against what is sun-clear.
Afflictions are blessings in disguise.
After dinner rest awhile; after supper walk a mile.
After-wit is everybody’s wit.
Agree, for the law is costly.
Agues come on horseback and go away on foot.
Alia res sceptrum, alia plectrum—Ruling men is one thing, fiddling to them another.
Aliam excute quercum—Go, shake some other oak (of its fruit).
Aliena optimum frui insania—It is best to profit by the madness of other people.
Alienos agros irrigas tuis sitientibus—You water the fields of others, while your own are parched.
Aliis lætus, sapiens sibi—Cheerful for others, wise for himself.
All are not hunters that blow the horn.
All are not saints that go to church.
All are not soldiers that go to the wars.
All are not thieves that dogs bark at.
All cats are grey in the dark.
All feet tread not in one shoe.
All his geese are swans.
All is good that God sends us.
All is not gold that glitters.
All is not lost that’s in peril.
All the keys don’t hang at one man’s girdle.
All the wit in the world is not in one head.
All things are in perpetual flux and fleeting.
All truth is not to be told at all times.
All women are good, viz., for something or nothing.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All’s well that ends well.
Almsgiving never made any man poor.
Alter ipse amicus—A friend is a second self.
Altera manu fert lapidem, altera panem ostentat—He carries a stone in one hand, and shows bread in the other.
Altera manu scabunt, altera feriunt—They tickle with one hand and smite with the other.
Always have two strings to your bow.
Amicorum esse communia omnia—Friends’ goods are all common property.
Among the blind the one-eyed is a king.
An archer is known by his aim, not by his arrows.
An Argus at home, a mole abroad.
An empty purse fills the face with wrinkles.
An evening red and morning grey, is a sure sign of a fair day.
An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.
An ill wind that blows nobody good.
An ill workman quarrels with his tools.
An indifferent agreement is better than a good verdict.
An old bird is not to be caught with chaff.
An old knave is no babe.
An open confession is good for the soul.
An open door may tempt a saint.
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit.
An ounce of practice is worth a pound of preaching.
Animo ægrotanti medicus est oratio—Kind words are as a physician to an afflicted spirit.
Anything for a quiet life.
Apothecaries would not sugar their pills unless they were bitter.
Arbore dejecta qui vult ligna colligit—When the tree is thrown down, any one that likes may gather the wood.
Arenæ mandas semina—You are sowing grain in the sand.
Ars varia vulpis, ast una echino maxima—The fox has many tricks; the hedgehog only one, and that greatest of all.
As a tree falls, so shall it lie.
As good be out of the world as out of the fashion.
As he who has health is young, so he who owes nothing is rich.
As long lives a merry heart as a sad.
As proud go behind as before.
As the fool thinks, the bell clinks.
As the good man saith, so say we: / As the good woman saith, so it must be.
As the old cock crows, the young one learns.
As you do to others, expect others to do to you.
As you make your bed you must lie on it.
As you sow you shall reap.
Asinum sub fræno currere docere—To teach an ass to obey the rein, i.e., to labour in vain.
Asinus asino, et sus sui pulcher—An ass is beautiful to an ass, and a pig to a pig.
Asinus inter simias—An ass among apes, i.e., a fool among people who make a fool of him.
Astutior coccyge—More crafty than the cuckoo (who deposits her eggs in another bird’s nest).
Audax ad omnia fœmina, quæ vel amat vel odit—A woman, when she either loves or hates, will dare anything.
Auro loquente nihil pollet quævis ratio—When gold speaks, no reason the least avails.
Aurora musis amica—Aurora is friendly to the Muses.
Aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportere—A man ought to be born either a king or a fool.In Seneca.
Avarus, nisi cum moritur, nil recte facit—A miser does nothing right except when he dies.
Bêtise—Folly; piece of folly.
Barbæ tenus sapientes—Wise as far as the beard goes.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Be as you would seem to be.
Be just before you be generous.
Be swift to hear, slow to speak.
Bear wealth, poverty will bear itself.
Beati monoculi in regione cæcorum—Blessed are the one-eyed among those who are blind.
Beauty without grace is a violet without smell.
Before you trust a man, eat a peck of salt with him.
Beggars must not be choosers.
Begun is half done.
Benignus etiam dandi causam cogitat—The benevolent man even weighs the grounds of his liberality.
Best time is present time.
Better a fortune in a wife than with a wife.
Better a living dog than a dead lion.
Better an egg to-day than a hen to-morrow.
Better be poor than wicked.
Better bend than break.
Better buy than borrow.
Better deny at once than promise long.
Better go back than go wrong.
Better it is to be envied than pitied.
Better lose a jest than a friend.
Better never begin than never make an end.
Better one-eyed than stone-blind.
Better say nothing than nothing to the purpose.
Better ten guilty escape than one innocent man suffer.
Better to ask than go astray.
Better to say “Here it is” than “Here it was.”
Better untaught than ill taught.
Between saying and doing there’s a long road.
Beware of “Had I wist.”
Beware of a silent dog and still water.
Beware of a silent man and a dog that does not bark.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Birth is much, but breeding is more.
Bis peccare in bello non licet—It is not permitted to blunder in war a second time.
Blessed be nothing.
Blood is thicker than water.
Bos alienus subinde prospectat foras—A strange ox every now and then turns its eyes wistfully to the door.
Bos in lingua—He has an ox on his tongue, i.e., a bribe to keep silent, certain coins in Athens being stamped with an ox.
Bos lassus fortius figit pedem—The tired ox plants his foot more firmly.
Bought wit is best—i.e., bought by experience.
Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is better.
Bread at pleasure, / Drink by measure.
Brevis voluptas mox doloris est parens—Short-lived pleasure is the parent of pain.
Bullies are generally cowards.
By bravely enduring it, an evil which cannot be avoided is overcome.
By doing nothing we learn to do ill.
By others’ faults wise men correct their own.
Cæsar non supra grammaticos—Cæsar has no authority over the grammarians.
Camelus desiderans cornua etiam aures perdidit—The camel begging for horns was deprived of his ears as well.
Capiat, qui capere possit—Let him take who can.
Caput artis est, decere quod facias—The chief thing in any art you may practise is that you do only the one you are fit for.
Car tel est votre plaisir—For such is our pleasure.
Care killed the cat.
Carte blanche—Unlimited power to act (lit. blank paper).
Catch not at the shadow and lose the substance.
Catus amat pisces, sed non vult tingere plantas—Puss likes fish, but does not care to wet her feet.
Caution is the parent of safety.
Cave ab homine unius libri—Beware of a man of one book.
Charity begins at home.
Charta non erubescit—A document does not blush.
Chastity is like an icicle; if it once melts, that’s the last of it.
Cheapest is the dearest.
Chi si affoga, s’attaccherebbe a’ rasoj—A drowning man would catch at razors.
Children and chickens are always a-picking.
Children and drunk people speak the truth.
Children and fools speak the truth.
Children suck the mother when they are young, and the father when they are old.
Christmas comes but once a year.
Cleanliness is near of kin to godliness.
Close sits my shirt, but closer sits my skin.
Cold hand, warm heart.
Cold pudding settles one’s love.
Common fame is seldom to blame.
Commune naufragium omnibus est consolatio—A shipwreck (disaster) that is common is a consolation to all.
Compagnon de voyage—A fellow-traveller.
Confess you were wrong yesterday; it will show you are wise to-day.
Confine your tongue, lest it confine you.
Conscientia mille testes—Conscience is equal to a thousand witnesses.
Content is better than riches.
Content is the true philosopher’s stone.
Contre fortune bon cœur—Against change of fortune set a bold heart.
Courage against misfortune, and reason against passion.
Courage is the wisdom of manhood; foolhardiness, the folly of youth.
Courtesy costs nothing.
Cover yourself with honey and the flies will fasten on you.
Covetousness bursts the bag.
Cras credemus, hodie nihil—To-morrow we will believe, but not to-day.
Creditors have better memories than debtors.
Crimina qui cernunt aliorum, non sua cernunt, / Hi sapiunt aliis, desipiuntque sibi—Those who see the faults of others, but not their own, are wise for others and fools for themselves.
Crosses are ladders that lead to heaven.
Crows do not pick out crows’ eyes.
Cucullus non facit monachum—The cowl does not make the monk.
Cui placet, obliviscitur; cui dolet, meminit—Acts of kindness are soon forgotten, but the memory of an offence remains.
Cuilibet in arte sua perito credendum est—Every man is to be trusted in his own art.
Cuique suum—His own to every one.
Cura facit canos—Care brings grey hairs.
Curses are like chickens; they always return home.
Custom is the plague of wise men and the idol of fools.
Cut your coat according to your cloth.
Dames quêteuses—Ladies who collect for the poor.
Damnum appellandum est cum mala fama lucrum—Gain at the expense of credit must be set down as loss.
Danger past, God forgotten.
Dare pondus idonea fumo—Fit only to give importance to trifles (lit. give weight to smoke).
Dat Deus immiti cornua curta bovi—God gives the vicious ox short horns.
Daub yourself with honey, and you’ll be covered with flies.
De fumo in flammam—Out of the frying-pan into the fire.
De pilo, or de filo, pendet—It hangs by a hair.
Death pays all debts.
Debt is the worst kind of poverty.
Deliberat Roma, perit Saguntum—While Rome deliberates, Saguntum perishes.
Desperate diseases need desperate remedies.
Di irati laneos pedes habent—The gods when angry have their feet covered with wool.
Diet cures more than doctors.
Dii laboribus omnia vendunt—The gods sell all things to hard labour.
Dives aut iniquus est aut iniqui hæres—A rich man is an unjust man, or the heir of one.
Do not halloo till you are out of the wood.
[Greek]—Don’t pronounce sentence till you have heard the story of both parties.
Doing nothing is doing ill.
Dolium volvitur—An empty vessel rolls easily.
Domi manere convenit felicibus—Those who are happy at home should remain at home.
Don’t reckon your chickens before they are hatched.
Dulcibus est verbis alliciendus amor—Love is to be won by affectionate words.
Duos qui sequitur lepores neutrum capit—He who follows two hares is sure to catch neither.
Durum telum necessitas—Necessity is a hard weapon.
E flamma cibum petere—To live by desperate means (lit. to seek food from the flames).
E multis paleis paulum fructus collegi—Out of much chaff I have gathered little grain.
E tenui casa sæpe vir magnus exit—A great man often steps forth from a humble cottage.
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Eat at your pleasure, drink in measure.
Eat what you like, but pocket nothing.
Eating little and speaking little can never do harm.
Ego apros occido, alter fruitur pulpamento—I kill the boars, another enjoys their flesh.
Eloignement—Estrangement.
Employment is enjoyment.
Empta dolore docet experientia—Experience bought with pain teaches effectually.
Empty vessels make the most noise.
En amour comme en amitié, un tiers souvent nous embarrasse—A third person is often an annoyance to us in love as in friendship.
Enough is as good as a feast.
Enough is better than too much.
Enquire not what is in another man’s pot.
Et sanguis et spiritus pecunia mortalibus—Money is both blood and life to men.
Eum ausculta, cui quatuor sunt aures—Listen to him who has four ears, i.e., who is readier to hear than to speak.
Even a hair casts a shadow.
Even a horse, though he has four feet, will stumble.
Every bean has its black.
Every bullet has its billet.
Every cock is proud on his own dunghill.
Every couple is not a pair.
Every day hath its night, every weal its woe.
Every door may be shut but death’s door.
Every good gift comes from God.
Every heart knows its own bitterness.
Every honest miller has a golden thumb.
Every light has its shadow.
Every little helps.
Every man has his weak side.
Every one draws the water to his own mill.
Every one for himself and God for us all.
Every one knows best where his shoe pinches him.
Every one should sweep before his own door.
Every one thinks his own burden the heaviest.
Every rose has its thorn.
Every shoe fits not every foot.
Every tub must stand on its own bottom.
Everybody is wise after the event.
Everybody’s business is nobody’s.
Everybody’s friend is nobody’s.
Everything is as you take it.
Evil comes to us by ells and goes away by inches.
Evil communications corrupt good manners.
Ex auribus cognoscitur asinus—An ass is known by his ears.
Ex quovis ligno non fit Mercurius—A Mercury is not to be made out of any log.
Ex scintilla incendium—From a spark a conflagration.
Ex umbra in solem—Out of the shade into the sunshine.
Exercitatio optimus est magister—Practice is the best master.
Experience is the mistress of fools.
Experience makes even fools wise.
Experience that is bought is good, if not too dear.
Experientia docet—Experience teaches.
Extra lutum pedes habes—You have got your feet out of the mud.
Extrema gaudii luctus occupat—Grief treads on the confines of gladness.
Extremes beget extremes.
Extremes meet.
Extremis malis extrema remedia—Extreme remedies for extreme evils.
Fabricando fabri fimus—We become workmen by working.
Fac et excusa—Do it and so justify yourself.
Facile est inventis addere—It is easy to add to or improve on what has been already invented.
Facile largiri de alieno—It is easy to be generous with what is another’s.
Faint heart never won fair lady.
Fair and softly goes far in a day.
Fair enough, if good enough.
Fair is not fair, but that which pleaseth.
Fair play’s a jewel.
Fair words butter no parsnips.
Famæ laboranti non facile succurritur—It is not easy to repair a damaged character.
Fame is but the breath of the people, and that often unwholesome.
Fames et mora bilem in nasum conciunt—Hunger and delay stir up one’s bile (lit. in the nostrils).
Familiarity breeds contempt.
Fancy surpasses beauty.
Fast bind, fast find.
Fate leads the willing, but drives the stubborn.
Faults are thick when love is thin.
Fear can keep a man out of danger, but courage only can support him in it.
Feasting makes no friendship.
Feather by feather the goose is plucked.
Feebleness is sometimes the best security.
Feed a cold and starve a fever.
Felicitas nutrix est iracundiæ—Prosperity is the nurse of hasty temper.
Felicity lies much in fancy.
Fervet olla, vivit amicitia—As long as the pot boils, friendship lasts.
Festina lente—Hasten slowly.
Festinatio tarda est—Haste is tardy.
Few are fit to be entrusted with themselves.
Few may play with the devil and win.
Few take wives for God’s sake, or for fair looks.
Fiat justitia, ruat cœlum—Let justice be done, though the heavens should fall in.
Fiat justitiam, pereat mundus—Let justice be done, and the world perish.
Fidelius rident tiguria—The laughter of the cottage is more hearty and sincere than that of the court.
Fides facit fidem—Confidence awakens confidence.
Find employment for the body, and the mind will find enjoyment for itself.
Fine feathers make fine birds.
Fingunt se medicos quivis idiota, sacerdos, Judæus, monachus, histrio, rasor, anus—Any untrained person, priest, Jew, monk, playactor, barber, or old wife is ready to prescribe for you in sickness.
Finis coronat opus—The end crowns the work, i.e., first enables us to determine its merits.
Fire and water are good servants but bad masters.
First come, first served.
Fit fabricando faber—A smith becomes a smith by working at the forge.
Fit words are fine, but often fine words are not fit.
Flattery brings friends, but the truth begets enmity.
Flattery sits in the parlour when plain dealing is kicked out of doors.
Fluvius cum mari certas—You but a river, and contending with the ocean.
Follow love and it will flee, flee love and it will follow thee.
Follow the river, and you will get to the sea.
Fontes ipsi sitiunt—Even the fountains complain of thirst.
Fools and obstinate men make lawyers rich.
Fools ask what’s o’clock, but wise men know their time.
Fools grow without watering.
For one rich man that is content there are a hundred who are not.
Forbidden fruit is sweetest.
Force without forecast is of little avail.
Forgetting of a wrong is a mild revenge.
Formidabilior cervorum exercitus, duce leone, quam leonum cervo—An army of stags would be more formidable commanded by a lion, than one of lions commanded by a stag.
Fortiter ferendo vincitur malum quod evitari non potest—By bravely enduring it, an evil which cannot be avoided is overcome.
Fortuna favet fatuis—Fortune favours fools.
Fortuna favet fortibus—Fortune favours the brave.
Fortune can take from us nothing but what she gave.
Four eyes see more than two.
Fretting cares make grey hairs.
Friends may meet, / But mountains never greet.
Friends, like mushrooms, spring up in out-of-the-way places.
Friendship made in a moment is of no moment.
[Greek]—From a bad crow a bad egg.
From a bad paymaster get what you can.
From hearing comes wisdom, from speaking repentance.
From our ancestors come our names, from our virtues our honours.
From pillar to post—originally from whipping-post to pillory, i.e., from had to worse.
Frost and fraud both end in foul.
Frugality is an estate.
Fruit is seed.
Frustra Herculi—In vain to speak against Hercules.
Frustra laborat qui omnibus placere studet—He labours in vain who studies to please everybody.
Fugere est triumphus—Flight (i.e., from temptation) is a triumph.
Full vessels give the least sound.
Furor fit læsa sæpius patientia—Patience, when outraged often, is converted into rage.
Fury wasteth, as patience lasteth.
Gallus in sterquilinio suo plurimum potest—The cock is proudest on his own dunghill.
Gear is easier gained than guided.
Get a good name and go to sleep.
Get money, honestly if you can, but get money.
Get spindle and distaff ready, and God will send the flax.
Gifts make their way through stone walls.
Give a dog an ill name and hang him.
Give a hint to a man of sense and consider the thing done.
Give a man luck and throw him into the sea.
Give a rogue rope enough, and he will hang himself.
Give and spend, / And God will send.
Give and take.
Give every man his due.
Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell.
Give neither counsel nor salt till you are asked for it.
Give the devil rope enough and he will hang himself.
Give way to your betters.
Gladiator in arena consilium capit—The gladiator is taking advice when he is already in the lists.
Gluttony kills more than the sword.
God comes at last, when we think He is farthest off.
God comes to see us without bell.
God comes with leaden feet, but strikes with iron hands.
God deals His wrath by weight, but His mercy without weight.
God defend me from the man of one book.
God gives all things to industry.
God helps those who help themselves.
God is where He was.
God never forsakes His own.
God permits, but not for ever.
God stays long, but strikes at last.
Gold is the sovereign of all sovereigns.
Good advice / Is beyond all price.
Good and quickly seldom meet.
Good bees never turn drones.
Good bread needs baking.In Goethe.
Good company upon the road is the shortest cut.
Good courage breaks ill-luck.
Good husbandry is good divinity.
Good is good, but better carrieth it.
Good laws often proceed from bad manners.
Good luck comes by cuffing.
Good mind, good find.
Good take heed / Doth surely speed.
Good to begin well, but better to end well.
Good ware makes a quick market.
Good wine needs no bush, i.e., advertisement.
Good words and no deeds.
Good words cool more than cold water.
Good words cost nothing and are worth much.
Good works will never save you, but you will never be saved without them.
Gossiping and lying go hand in hand.
Government of the will is better than increase of knowledge.
Grasp all, lose all.
Grass grows not on the highway.
Gratia gratiam parit—Kindness produces kindness.
Gratitude is the least of virtues, ingratitude the worst of vices.
Great boast, small roast.
Great cry but little wool, as the devil said when he shear’d his hogs.
Great gifts are for great men.
Great souls are not cast down by adversity.
Great talkers are like leaky pitchers, everything runs out of them.
Great talkers are little doers.
Greediness bursts the bag.
Grief divided is made lighter.
Gutta cavat lapidem non vi, sed sæpe cadendo—The drop hollows the stone not by force, but by continually falling.
Gutta fortunæ præ dolio sapientiæ—A drop of good fortune rather than a cask of wisdom.
Hæredis fletus sub persona risus est—The weeping of an heir is laughter under a mask.
Habits are at first cobwebs, at last cables.
Half a loaf is better than no bread.
Handsome is that handsome does.
Hap and mishap govern the world.
Happy is he that is happy in his children.
Happy is the man whose father went to the devil.
Hard with hard builds no houses; soft binds hard.
Harm watch, harm catch.
Hasty resolutions seldom speed well.
Have not thy cloak to make when it begins to rain.
Have the French for friends, but not for neighbours.
He dances well to whom fortune pipes.
He frieth in his own grease.
He has hard work who has nothing to do.
He has seen a wolf.Of one who suddenly curbs his tongue.
He is a poor smith who cannot bear smoke.
He is a wise child that knows his own father.
He is all there when the bell rings.
He is lifeless that is faultless.
He is my friend that grinds at my mill.
He is my friend that helps me, and not he that pities me.
He is neither fish, nor flesh, nor good red herring.
He is not the best carpenter who makes the most chips.
He is richest that has fewest wants.
He is the greatest conqueror who has conquered himself.
He knocks boldly at the door who brings good news.
He knows best what good is that has endured evil.
He knows much who knows how to hold his tongue.
He knows not what love is that has no children.
He knows the water the best who has waded through it.
He loses his thanks who promises and delays.
He must needs go that the devil drives.
He needs a long spoon who eats out of the same dish with the devil.
He spends best that spares to spend again.
He that builds by the wayside has many masters.
He that buyeth magistracy must sell justice.
He that buys what he does not want, must often sell what he does want.
He that by the plough would thrive, / Himself must either hold or drive.
He that can be won with a feather will be lost with a straw.
He that cannot pay in purse must pay in person.
He that ceases to be a friend never was a good one.
He that cuts himself wilfully deserves no salve.
He that deserves nothing should be content with anything.
He that does what he can, does what he ought.
He that does you a very ill turn will never forgive you.
He that eats longest lives longest.
He that endureth is not overcome.
He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord.
He that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing.
He that goes softly goes safely.
He that grasps at too much holds nothing fast.
He that has a head of wax should not walk in the sun.
He that has no sense at thirty will never have any.
He that has no shame has no conscience.
He that hears much and speaks not at all, / Shall be welcome both in bower and hall.
He that hinders not a mischief is guilty of it.
He that humbles himself shall be exalted.
He that is born of a hen must scrape for a living.
He that is doing nothing is seldom without helpers.
He that is down, the world cries “Down with him!”
He that is full of himself is very empty.
He that is ill to himself will be good to nobody.
He that is not handsome at twenty, strong at thirty, rich at forty, nor wise at fifty, will never be handsome, strong, wise, or rich.
He that is surety for another, is never sure himself.
He that kills a man when he is drunk must be hanged for it when he is sober.
He that lies down with dogs will rise up with fleas.
He that lives with cripples learns to limp.
He that lives with wolves will learn to howl.
He that marries for money sells his liberty.
He that on pilgrimages goeth ever, / Becometh holy late or never.
He that promises too much means nothing.
He that runs in the dark may well stumble.
He that runs may read.
He that seeks others to beguile, / Is oft o’ertaken in his own wile.
He that serves the altar should live by the altar.
He that sows in the highway loses his corn.
He that sows iniquity shall reap sorrow.
He that spares the bad injures the good.
He that spares the rod spoils the child.
He that speaks the thing he should not / Must often hear the thing he would not.
He that steals for others will be hanged for himself.
He that strikes with the sword shall perish by the sword.
He that talks much errs much.
He that talks much lies much.
He that will not when he may, / When he will he shall have nay.
He that will not work shall not eat.
He that would be rich in a year will be hanged in half a year.
He that would have eggs must endure the cackling of the hens.
He that would live in peace and rest / Must hear, and see, and say the best.
He that would reap well must sow well.
He who avoids the temptation avoids the sin.
He who ceases to pray ceases to prosper.
He who deals with honey will sometimes be licking his fingers.
He who does me good teaches me to be good.
He who has love in his heart has spurs in his heels.
He who is weighty is willing to be weighed.
He who is willing to work finds it hard to wait.
He who laughs at crooked men should need walk very straight.
He who lays out for God lays up for himself.
He who likes borrowing dislikes paying.
He who makes constant complaint gets little compassion.
He who pleased everybody died before he was born.
He who scrubs every pig he sees will not long be clean himself.
He who sends mouths will send meat.
He who serves God serves a good Master.
He who stays in the valley will never cross the mountain.
He who steals an egg would steal an ox.
He who waits for dead men’s shoes may go barefoot.
He whom God steers sails safely.
He will never set the Thames on fire.
He works hard who has nothing to do.
He would fain fly, but wants wings.
He’s a man who dares to be / Firm for truth when others flee.
Health is better than wealth.
Hear God, and God will hear you.
Hearsay is half lies.
Heaven is as near by sea as by land.
Hedges between keep friendship green.
Help which is long on the road is no help.
Help yourself and your friends will help you.
Hic funis nihil attraxit—This bait has taken no fish; this scheme has not answered.
Home is home, be it never so homely.
Homini ne fidas nisi cum quo modium salis absumpseres—Trust no man till you have eaten a peck of salt with him, i.e., known him so long as you might have done so.
Honesta paupertas prior quam opes malæ—Poverty with honour is better than ill-gotten wealth.
Honesty is the best policy.
Honesty is the poor man’s pork and the rich man’s pudding.
Honour and ease are seldom bedfellows.
Hope is a good anchor, but it needs something to grip.
Hope is a waking man’s dream.
Housekeeping without a wife is a lantern without a light.
How can he be godly who is not cleanly?
However far a man goes, he must start from his own door.
Hunger and cold betray a man to his enemy.
Hunger is the best sauce.
Hunger will break through stone walls.
Hungry bellies have no ears.
Husbands can earn money, but only wives can save it.
I am black, but I am not the devil.
I can’t work for nothing, and find thread.
“I don’t care,” is a deadly snare.
I have saved the bird in my bosom, i.e., kept my secret.
I know enough to hold my tongue, but not to speak.
I love my friends well, but myself better.
I stout and you stout, who will carry the dirt out?
I talk of chalk and you of cheese.
I will get it from his purse or get it from his skin.
I will lay a stone at your door, i.e., never forgive you.
Idle folks lack no excuses.
Idle people have the least leisure.
Idleness is only the refuge of weak minds and the holiday of fools.
Idleness is the greatest prodigality in the world.
Idleness is the root of all evil.
Idleness rusts the mind.
If a donkey bray at you, don’t bray at him.
If a man be born in a stable, that does not make him a horse.
If a man deceives me once, shame on him; if he deceives me twice, shame on me.
If a man once fall, all will tread on him.
If an ass goes a-travelling, he’ll not come home a horse.
If coals do not burn, they blacken.
If it rains—well! If it shines—well!
If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
If Jack were better, Jill would not be so bad.
If one door shuts, another will open.
If the cap fit, wear it.
If the counsel be good, no matter who gave it.
If the farmer cannot live who drives the plough, how can he live who drives a fast-trotting mare?
If the pills were pleasant, they would not be gilded.
If the sky fall, we shall catch larks.
If the sun shines on me, what matters the moon?
If the young knew, if the old could, there’s nothing but would be done.
If there were no clouds, we should not enjoy the sun.
If there were no fools, there would be no knaves.
If virtue keep court within, honour will attend without.
If you agree to carry the calf, they’ll make you carry the cow.
If you can’t get a loaf, don’t throw away a cake.
If you cannot bite, never show your teeth.
If you cannot drive the engine, you can clear the road.
If you cannot have the best, make the best of what you have.
If you command wisely, you’ll be obeyed cheerfully.
If you desire to enjoy my light, you must supply oil to my lamp.
If you don’t do better to-day, you’ll do worse to-morrow.
If you don’t touch the rope, you won’t ring the bell.
If you have a good seat, keep it.
If you lie upon roses when young, you will lie upon thorns when old.
If you pity rogues, you are no great friend of honest men.
If you put a chain around the neck of a slave, the other end fastens itself around your own.
If you raise one ghost, you will have the churchyard in motion.
If you run after two hares, you will catch neither.
If you say nothing, nobody will repeat it.
If you sell the cow, you sell her milk too.
If you trust before you try, / You may repent before you die.
If you want a pretence to whip a dog, say that he ate the frying-pan.
If you want to know a man, make a solitary journey with him.
If you want work done, go to the man who is already fully occupied.
If you would be a smith, begin with blowing the fire.
If you would be well served, you must serve yourself.
If you would have it well done, you must do it yourself; you must not leave it to others.
If your wife is short, stoop to her.
Ignavis semper feriæ sunt—To the indolent every day is a holiday.
Ignem ne gladio fodito—Do not stir the fire with a sword.
Ignorance is the mother of impudence.
Ignoti nulla cupido—There is no desire for what is unknown.
Ill comes upon war’s back.
Ill got, ill spent.
Ill news comes apace.
Ill weeds grow apace.
Ill-doers are ill thinkers.
Ill-gotten wealth seldom descends to the third generation.
Im Wasser kannst du dein Antlitz sehn, / Im Wein des andern Herz erspähn—In water thou canst see thine own face, in wine thou canst see into the heart of another.
In a calm sea, every man is a pilot.
In a thousand pounds of law there is not an ounce of love.
In annulo Dei figuram ne gestato—Wear not the image of the Deity in a ring, i.e., do not use the name of God on frivolous occasions, or in vain.
In aqua scribis—You are writing on water.
In arena ædificas—You are building on sand.
In caducum parietem inclinare—To lean against a falling wall.
In cauda venenum—Poison lurks in the tail; or, there is a sting in the tail.
In courtesy rather pay a penny too much than too little.
In deep waters men find great pearls.
In doubtful matters courage may do much; in desperate, patience.
In every beginning think of the end.
In every country the sun rises in the morning.
In every fault there is folly.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
In medio virtus—Virtue lies in the mean.
In much corn is some cockle.
In the coldest flint there is hot fire.
In the end / Things will mend.
In the evening one may praise the day.
In the husband, wisdom; in the wife, gentleness.
In utramvis dormire aurem—To sleep on both ears, i.e., soundly, as no longer needing to keep awake.
In water you may see your own face; in wine the heart of another.
Incedit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Charybdim—He falls into Scylla in struggling to escape Charybdis.
Incendit omnem feminæ zelus domum—The jealousy of a woman sets a whole house in a flame.
Industry is Fortune’s right hand, and Frugality her left.
Inimicus et invidus vicinorum oculus—An enemy and an envious man is an eye over his neighbour.
Injuriæ spretæ exolescunt, si irascaris agnitæ videntur—Injuries that are slighted and unnoticed are soon forgotten; if you are angry, they are seen to be acknowledged.
Injuriarum remedium est oblivio—Oblivion is the best remedy for injuries.
Insolence is pride when her mask is pulled off.
Inter delicias semper aliquid sævi nos strangulat—In the midst of our enjoyments there is always some wrong to torture us.
Inter pueros senex—An old man among boys.
Into a mouth shut flies fly not.
Ipse Jupiter, neque pluens omnibus placet, neque abstinens—Even Jupiter himself cannot please all, whether he sends rain or fair weather.
Is cadet ante senem, qui sapit ante diem—He will die before he is old who is prematurely wise.
Is your trumpeter dead, that you are obliged to praise yourself?
It chanceth in an hour that cometh not in seven years.
It costs more to revenge injuries than to bear them.
It is a foul bird that dirties its own nest.
It is a good horse that never stumbles, and a good wife that never grumbles.
It is a great journey to life’s end.
It is a great point of wisdom to find out one’s own folly.
It is a hard winter when one wolf eats another.
It is a long lane that has no turning.
It is a poor heart that never rejoices.
It is a poor mouse that has but one hole.
It is a reproach to be the first gentleman of one’s race, but greater to be the last.
It is a sad house where the hen crows louder than the cock.
It is a sin against hospitality to open your doors and shut up your countenance.
It is a sorry goose that will not baste itself.
It is all in my eye, i.e., it is nowhere else.
It is always term time in the court of conscience.
It is an equal failing to trust everybody and to trust nobody.
It is an ill sign to see a fox lick a lamb.
It is an ill wind that blows nobody good.
It is as much intemperance to weep too much as to laugh too much.
It is best to take half in hand and the rest by and by.
It is better to do well than to say well.
It is cheap enough to say, “God help you.”
It is folly to live in Rome and strive with the Pope.
It is good to fear the worst; the best can save itself.
It is hard even to the most miserable to die.
It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright.
It is hard to be poor and honest.
It is hard to carry a full cup.
It is hard to kick against the pricks.
It is hard to put old heads on young shoulders.
It is hard to suffer wrong and pay for it too.
It is harder to marry a daughter well than to bring her up well.
It is ill standing in dead men’s shoes.
It is ill to take out of the flesh what is bred in the bone.
It is more painful to do nothing than something.
It is never too late to mend.
It is nobler to become great than to be born great.
It is not lost that comes at last.
It is not the beard that makes the philosopher.
It is one thing to speak much, and another to speak pertinently.
It is possible to sin against charity, when we do not sin against truth.
It is sure to be dark if you shut your eyes.
It is the company, and not the charge that makes the feast.
It is the frog’s own croak that betrays him.
It is the master-wheel which makes the mill go round.
It is the ordinary way of the world to keep folly at the helm, and wisdom under the hatches.
It is too late to husband when all is spent.
It is too late to spare when the bottom is bare.
It is truth that makes a man angry.
It is wise not to know a secret, and honest not to reveal it.
It never rains but it pours.
It never smokes but there’s fire.
It will be all the same a hundred years hence.
It will be an ill web to bleach.
It’s a poor man that always counts his sheep.
It’s dogged as does it.
It’s good sheltering under an old hedge.
It’s hard sailing when there is no wind.
It’s height makes Grantham steeple stand awry.
It’s ill living where everybody knows everybody.
It’s ill wool that will take no dye.
It’s never too late to learn.
It’s no use killing nettles to grow docks.
It’s no use pumping a dry well.
It’s not “What has she?” but “What is she?”
It’s too late to cast anchor when the ship is on the rocks.
Jack at a pinch.
Jack is as good as Jill.
Jack of all trades and master of none.
Jack will never be a gentleman.
Jack-o’-both sides is, before long, trusted by nobody, and abused by both parties.
Jack’s as good as his master.
Jeerers must be content to taste of their own broth.
Jest not with the eye, nor religion.
Jest with an ass, and he will flap you in the face with his tail.
Jesting brings serious sorrows.
Jesting lies bring serious sorrows.
Joan is as good as my lady in the dark.
Joy and sorrow / Are to-day and to-morrow.
Joy surfeited turns to sorrow.
Joys shared with others are more enjoyed.
Judge not of men and things at first sight.
Jugulare mortuos—To stab the dead; to slay the slain.
Justice pleaseth few in their own house.
Keep good company, and you shall be of the number.
Keep some till more come.
Keep the bowels open, the head cool, and the feet warm, and a fig for the doctors.
Keep the common road and you are safe.
Keep well while you are well.
Keep your shop, and your shop will keep you.
Keeping from falling is better than helping up.
Kind words are worth much and they cost little.
Kindle not a fire that you cannot extinguish.
Kindness is lost upon an ungrateful man.
Kindnesses, like grain, increase by sowing.
Kings alone are no more than single men.
Kings have long arms.
Kissing goes by favour.
Knavery may serve for a turn, but honesty is best in the long-run.
Know ere thou hint, and then thou may’st slack: / If thou hint ere thou know, then it is too late.
Knowledge humbleth the great man, astonisheth the common man, and puffeth up the little man.
Knowledge is no burden.
Lætus sorte tua vives sapienter—You will live wisely if you live contented with your lot.
La faiblesse de l’ennemi fait notre propre force—The weakness of the enemy forms part of our own strength.
Labour past is pleasant.
Lad’s love’s a busk of broom, hot awhile and soon done.
Land was never lost for want of an heir.
Lapis qui volvitur algam non generat—A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Largitio fundum non habet—Giving has no bottom.
Last in bed, best heard.
Latrante uno, latrat statim et alter canis—When one dog barks, another straightway begins to bark too.
Latrantem curatne alta Diana canem?—Does the high-stepping Diana care for the dog that bays her?
Laus in proprio ore sordescit—Self-praise is offensive.
Lavishness is not generosity.
Law cannot persuade when it cannot punish.
Law is a bottomless pit; keep far from it.
Law is a lottery.
Law-makers should not be law-breakers.
Laws, like cobwebs, catch flies, but let hornets go free.
Lawyers and painters can soon make black white.
Lawyers and woodpeckers have long bills.
Lawyers are needful to keep us out of law.
Lay by something for a rainy day.
Lay by, like ants, a little store, / For summer lasts not evermore.
Lay not all the load on the lame horse.
Lay the blame at the right door.
Lay thy hand upon thy halfpenny twice before thou partest with it.
Lay up and lay out should go together.
Lay up that you may lay out.
Laziness begins with cobwebs and ends with iron chains.
Laziness is nothing unless you carry it out.
Lazy as Ludlam’s dog, that laid his head against the wall to bark.
Lean liberty is better than fat slavery.
Learn a craft while you are young, that you may not have to live by craft when you are old.
Learn to creep before you leap.
Learn to say before you sing.
Learn wisdom from the follies of others.
Learning is a sceptre to some, a bauble to others.
Learning makes a man a fit companion for himself.
Learning makes a man wise, but a fool is made all the more a fool by it.
Learning without thought is labour lost.
Least said is soonest mended.
Leave a jest when it pleases you best.
Leave a welcome behind you.
Leave it if you cannot mend it.
Leave not the meat to gnaw the bones, / Nor break your teeth on worthless stones.
Leave off no clothes / Till you see a June rose.
Leave to-morrow till to-morrow.
Leave well alone.
Leaves enough, but few grapes.
Leaving for gleaner makes farmer no leaner.
Leberide cæcior—Blinder than a serpent’s slough.
Leges bonæ malis ex moribus procreantur—Good laws are begotten of bad morals.
Leisure is the reward of labour.
Lend only what you can afford to lose.
Leonem larva terres—You frighten a lion with a mask.
Leporis vitam vivit—He lives the life of a hare, i.e., always full of fear.
Less of your courtesy and more of your purse.
Less of your honey and more of your honesty.
Lessons hard to learn are sweet to know.
Let a good pot have a good lid.
Let a horse drink when he will, not what he will.
Let a man be a man, and a woman a woman.
Let anger’s fire be slow to burn.
Let another do what thou wouldst do.
Let another’s shipwreck be your beacon.
Let charity be warm if the weather be cold.
Let each tailor mend his own coat.
Let every fox take care of his own brush.
Let every man do what he was made for.
Let every man praise the bridge he goes over.
Let every tailor keep to his goose.
Let gleaners glean, though crops be lean.
Let him that does not know you buy you.
Let him that earns eat.
Let him who is well off stay where he is.
Let him who knows not how to pray go to sea.
Let John Bull beware of John Barleycorn.
Let not mirth turn to mischief.
Let not plenty make you dainty.
Let not poverty part good company.
Let not your money become your master.
Let not your mouth swallow you.
Let the best horse leap the hedge first.
Let the cobbler stick to his last.
Let the night come before we praise the day.
Let the world wag.
Let the young people mind what the old people say, / And where there is danger keep out of the way.
Let your purse be your master.
Let your trouble tarry till its own day comes.
Liberality is not giving largely but wisely.
Libido effrenata effrenatam appetentiam efficit—Unbridled gratification produces unbridled desire.
Lie not in the mire, and say, “God help!”
Lies hunt in packs.
Lies may be acted as well as spoken.
Lies need a great deal of killing.
Lies that are half true are the worst of lies.
Life would be too smooth if it had no rubs in it.
Light another’s candle, but don’t put out your own.
Light not your candle at both ends.
Light without life is a candle in a tomb; / Life without love is a garden without bloom.
Lightly come, lightly go.
Like a lusty winter, frosty but kindly.
Like a tailor’s needle, say, “I go through.”
Like author, like book.
Like cures like.
Like draws to like, the world over.
Like father, like son.
Like master, like man.
Like mistress, like maid.
Like mother, like daughter.
Like priest, like people.
Like prince, like people.
Like Scotsmen, aye wise ahint the hand (after the event).
Like the dog in the manger, he will neither eat himself nor let the horse eat.
Likely tumbles in the fire, / When unlikely rises higher.
Limit your wants by your wealth.
Lions are not frightened by cats.
Lions’ skins are not to be had cheap.
Lis litem generat—Strife genders strife.
Litem parit lis, noxa item noxam parit—Strife begets strife, and injury likewise begets injury.
Little and often fills the purse.
Little bantams are great at crowing.
Little boats must keep near shore.
Little bodies have great souls.
Little by little the little bird builds its nest.
Little children, little sorrows; big children, great sorrows.
Little chips light great fires.
Little enemies and little wounds must not be despised.
Little fishes should not spout like whales.
Little folks like to talk about great folks.
Little griefs are loud, great sorrows are silent.
Little is done when every man is master.
Little minds, like weak liquors, are soonest soured.
Little pigeons can carry great messages.
Little pigs eat great potatoes.
Little pitchers have long ears—i.e., children have.
Little pot, / Don’t get hot / On the spot.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Little things please little minds.
Little troubles are great to little people.
Little wealth, little sorrow.
Little wit in the head makes much work for the feet.
Little wrongs done to others are great wrongs done to ourselves.
Live and let live.
Live in to-day, but not for to-day.
Live not for yourself alone.
Live not to eat, but eat to live.
Live only a moment at a time.
Live to learn and learn to live.
Live upon trust, / And pay double you must.
Live with a singer if you would learn to sing.
Live with your friend as if he might become your enemy.
Living well is the best revenge.
Loans and debts make worries and frets.
Loans should come laughing home.
Loaves put awry in the oven come out awry.
Lock the stable before you lose the steed.
Locking the stable door when the steed is stolen.
Loin de la cour, loin du souci—Far front court, far from care.
Long lent is not given.
Long talk makes short work.
Look above you, and then look about you.
Look at paintings and fightings from a distance.
Look at your own corn in May, / And you’ll come weeping away.
Look before you leap.
Look before you, or you’ll have to look behind you.
Look for squalls, but don’t make them.
Look not a gift horse in the mouth.
Look through a keyhole, and your eye will be sore.
Lookers-on see more than the players.
Loquacity storms the ear, but modesty takes the heart.
Lose thy fun rather than thy friend.
Lost time is never found again.
Loudness is a foe to melody.
Love and lordship like not fellowship.
Love and poverty are hard to hide.
Love and pride stock Bedlam.
Love asks faith, and faith asks firmness.
Love can neither be bought nor sold; its only price is love.
Love does much, but money does more.
Love furthers knowledge.
Love hath a large mantle.
Love in the heart is better than honey in the mouth.
Love is a secret no man knows / Till it within his bosom glows.
Love is as warm in fustian as in velvet.
Love is neither bought nor sold.
Love is the mother of love.
Love laughs at locksmiths.
Love lightens labour and sweetens sorrow.
Love me, love my dog.
Love rules his kingdom without a sword.
Love rules without a sword and binds without a cord.
Love should not be all on one side.
Love will creep where it cannot go.
Love’s fire, if it once go out, is hard to kindle.
Lovers’ purses are tied with cobwebs.
Lovers’ time runs faster than the clock.
Luck is the idol of the idle.
Lupus non curat numerum (ovum)—The wolf is not scared by the number of the sheep.
Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem—The wolf changes his coat, but not his disposition.
Lying and stealing live next door to each other.
Lying pays no tax.
Lying rides on debt’s back.
Mad bulls cannot be tied up with a pack-thread.
Mad dogs cannot live long.
Mad people think others mad.
Magis gaudet quam qui senectam exult—He rejoices more than an old man who has put off old age, i.e., has become young again.
Magis magni clerici non sunt magis sapientes—The greatest scholars are not the wisest men.
Magni refert quibuscum vixeris—It matters a great deal with whom you live.
Magnus Alexander corpore parvus erat—The great Alexander was small in stature.
Maidens should be mild and meek, / Swift to hear, and slow to speak.
Maids should be seen and not heard.
Make a crutch of your cross.
Make all sure, and keep all pure.
Make every bargain clear and plain, / That none may afterwards complain.
Make good cheese, if you make little.
Make haste slowly.
Make hay while the sun shines.
Make not another’s shoes by your own foot.
Make not thy friend too cheap to thee, nor thyself to thy friend.
Make not thy tail broader than thy wings.
Make not two sorrows of one.
Make short the miles with talk and smiles.
Make the plaster as large as the sore.
Make your hay as best you may.
Make your mark, but mind what your mark is.
Mala gallina, malum ovum—Bad ben, bad egg.
Mala ultro adsunt—Misfortunes come unsought.
Male parta male dilabuntur—Things ill gotten go ill.
Malo nodo malus quærendus cuneus—For a hard knot a hard tool must be sought.
Malum vas non frangitur—A worthless vessel is seldom broken.
Man doth what he can, and God what He will.
Man is a bundle of habits.
Man is fire and woman tow; the devil comes and sets them in a blaze.
Man proposes, God disposes.
Man’s best candle is his understanding.
Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
Man’s life is filed by his foe.
Man’s work lasts till set of sun; / Woman’s work is never done.
Manners are stronger than laws.
Many a cow stands in the meadow and looks wistfully at the common.
Many a fine dish has nothing on it.
Many a good cow hath a bad calf.
Many a good drop of broth may come out of an old pot.
Many a good father hath but a bad son.
Many a man settleth more by an inch of his will than by an ell of his thrift.
Many a one is good because he can do no mischief.
Many a true word is spoken in jest.
Many acres will not make a wiseacre.
Many an honest man stands in need of help that has not the face to beg it.
Many are wise in jest but fools in earnest.
Many beat the sack, and mean the miller.
Many can bear adversity, but few contempt.
Many can make bricks, but cannot build.
Many commit sin and blame Satan.
Many cooks spoil the broth.
Many cut broad thongs out of other people’s leather.
Many estates are spent in the getting, / Since women, for tea, forsook spinning and knitting, / And men, for their punch, forsook hewing and splitting.
Many find fault without any end, / And yet do nothing at all to mend.
Many get into a dispute well that cannot get out well.
Many go out for clothes, and come home stript.
Many hands make light work.
Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths.
Many have come to port after a great storm.
Many kiss the hand they wish cut off.
Many lick before they bite.
Many littles make a mickle.
Many old camels carry the skins of the young ones to the market.
Many rendings need many mendings.
Many talk like philosophers and live like fools.
Many there be that buy nothing with their money but repentance.
Many ventures make a full freight.
Many words hurt more than swords.
Many would be cowards if they had courage enough.
Many would have been worse if their estates had been better.
Mar not what, marred, cannot be mended.
March winds and April showers.
Margarita e stercore—A pearl from a dunghill.
Marriage with peace is the world’s paradise; with strife, this life’s purgatory.
Marriages are made in heaven.
Marry above your match, and you get a master.
Marry for love, but only love that which is lovely.
Marrying is easy, but housekeeping is hard.
Masters are mostly the greatest servants in the house.
Masters should be sometimes blind and sometimes deaf.
Masters two / Will not do.
Match-makers often burn their fingers.
Mature fieri senem, si diu velis esse senex—You must become an old man soon if you would be an old man long.In Cicero.
Maximus novator tempus—Time is the greatest innovator.
“May-be” is very well, but “must” is the master.
Meals and matins minish never.
Measure men around the heart.
Measure three times before you cut once.
Meat and matins hinder no man’s journey.
Meat is more than its carving, and truth is more than oratory.
Medicines are not meant to feed on.
Meekness is not weakness.
Mellitum venerium, blanda oratio—A flattering speech is honied poison.
Men apt to promise are apt to forget.
Men are never wise but returning from law.
Men are not to be measured by inches.
Men are very generous with that which costs them nothing.
Men chew not when they have no bread.
Men rattle their chains to show that they are free.
Men will blame themselves for the purpose of being praised.
Men’s actions are not to be judged of at first sight.
Mendico ne parentes quidem amici sunt—To a beggar not even his own parents show affection.
Mendings are honourable, rags are abominable.
Mens bona regnum possidet—A good mind possesses a kingdom.
Merces virtutis laus est—Applause is the reward of virtue.
Mere wishes are bony fishes.
Merry be the first, / And merry be the last, / And merry be the first of August.
Merx ultronea putret—Proffered service stinks (i.e., is despised).
Mésalliance—A marriage with one of inferior rank.
Mildness governs more than anger.
Mind the corner where life’s road turns.
Mind your P’s and Q’s.
Mind your work, and God will find your wages.
Minima de malis—Of two evils choose the least.
Miramur ex intervallo fallentia—We admire at a distance things which deceive us.
Misfortunes come on wings and depart on foot.
Misfortunes never come single.
Misfortunes when asleep are not to be wakened.
Misreckoning is no payment.
Misunderstanding brings lies to town.
Moderate riches will carry you; if you have more, you must carry them.
Modest dogs miss much meat.
Modesty ruins all that bring it to court.
Moles and misers live in their graves.
Monday religion is better than Sunday profession.
Money answers everything, / Save a guilty conscience sting.
Money begets money.
Money borrowed is soon sorrowed.
Money calls, but does not stay: / It is round and rolls away.
Money is the ruin of many.
Money is the sinew of love as well as of war.
Money makes the mare to go.
Money masters all things.
Money often unmakes the men who make it.
Money refused loses its brightness.
Money spent on the brain is never spent in vain.
More credit may be thrown down in a moment than can be built up in an age.
More light, more life, more love.
More meat and less mustard.
More springs up in the garden than the gardener sows there.
More than we use is more than we want.
Mores amid noveris, non oderis—Know well, but take no offence at the manners of a friend.
Mortuo leoni et lepores insultant—Even hares insult a dead lion.
Most felt, least said.
Most of our evils come from our vices.
Most things have two handles, and a wise man takes hold of the best.
Mother’s darlings are but milksop heroes.
Mother’s love is the cream of love.
Mother’s truth keeps constant youth.
Mourning tendeth to mending.
Mrs. Chatterbox is the mother of mischief.
Much bruit, little fruit.
Much corn lies under the straw that is not seen.
Much learning is a weariness of the flesh.
Much meat, much disease.
Much religion, but no goodness.
Much rust needs a rough file.
Mud chokes no eels.
Muddy spring, muddy stream.
Mules deliver great discourses because their ancestors were horses.
Mulier quæ sola cogitat male cogitat—The thoughts of a woman when alone tend to mischief.
Multæ manus onus levius faciunt—Many hands make light work.
Multa docet fames—Hunger (i.e., necessity) teaches us many things.
Multa novit vulpis, sed felis unum magnum—The fox knows many shifts, the cat only one great one, viz., to run up a tree.
Multas amicitias silentium diremit—Silence, or neglect, dissolves many friendships.
Multos in summa pericula misit / Venturi timor ipse mali—The mere apprehension of coming evil has driven many into positions of great peril.
Multos ingratos invenimus, plures facimus—We find many men ungrateful; we make more.
Multum sapit qui non diu desipit—He is very wise who does not long persist in folly.
Music will not cure the toothache.
My dame fed her hens on thanks, but they laid no eggs.
My house is my castle.
My house, my house, though thou art small, / Thou art to me the Escurial.
My son is my son till he have got him a wife, / But my daughter’s my daughter all the days of her life.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
Nature is beyond all teaching.
Nature passes nurture.
Nature takes as much pains in the forming of a beggar as an emperor.
Ne depugnes in alieno negrotio—Do not take up the cudgels in another man’s affairs.
Ne Jupiter quidem omnibus placet—Not even Jupiter can please everybody.
Near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin.
Nec caput nec pedes—In confusion, neither head nor tail.
Nec cui de te plusquam tibi credas—Do not believe any man more than yourself about yourself.
Nec obolum habet unde restim emat—He hasn’t a penny left to buy a halter.
Necessity is the mistress of the arts.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Necessity makes even cowards brave.
Needles and pins, needles and pins! / When a man marries his trouble begins.
Neither crow nor croak.
Neither lead nor drive.
Neither wise men nor fools / Can work without tools.
Neither women nor linen by candlelight.
Nemo læditur nisi a seipso—No man is harmed but by himself.
Nemo potest nudo vestimenta detrahere—You cannot strip a garment off a naked man.
Nemo sibi nascitur—No one is born for himself.
Nequicquam sapit qui sibi non sapit—He is wise to no purpose who is not wise for himself.
Never bray at an ass.
Never burn your fingers to snuff another man’s candle.
Never buy a pig in a poke.
Never cackle till your egg is laid.
Never despise the day of small things.
Never do things by halves.
Never fall out with your bread and butter.
Never find fault with the absent.
Never fish in troubled waters.
Never fry a fish till it’s caught.
Never give up the ship.
Never grudge a penny for a pennyworth.
Never grumble nor mumble.
Never hang a man twice for one offence.
Never have an idle hour, or an idle pound.
Never hold a candle to the devil.
Never is a long day.
Never lean on a broken staff.
Never leave a certainty for an uncertainty.
Never look a gift-horse in the mouth.
Never look for a knot in a bulrush.
Never meet trouble half way.
Never mind who was your grandfather. What are you?
Never offer to teach fish to swim.
Never preach beyond your experience.
Never put your hand into a wasp’s nest.
Never repeat old grievances.
Never say die! / Up, man, and try!
Never say of another what you would not have him hear.
Never shirk the hardest work.
Never sigh, but send.
Never speak ill of those whose bread you eat.
Never spur a willing horse.
Never stint soap and water.
Never swap horses while crossing a stream.
Never tell in the parlour what you heard in the kitchen.
Never throw a hen’s egg at a sparrow.
Never too old to turn; never too late to learn.
Never trouble yourself with trouble till trouble troubles you.
Never trust a wolf with the care of lambs.
Never try to prove what nobody doubts.
Never venture all in one bottom.
Never write what you dare not sign.
New brooms sweep clean.
New laws, new frauds.
New lords, new laws.
Nightingales will not sing in a cage.
Nihil scire est vita jucundissima—To know nothing at all is the happiest life.
Nil sole et sale utilius—Nothing so useful as the sun and salt.
Nil tam difficile est quod non solertia vincat—There is nothing so difficult but skill will surmount it.
Nimia cura deterit magis quam emendat—Too much pains may injure rather than improve your work.
Nimium altercando veritas amittitur—In too eager disputation the truth is lost sight of.
Nine tailors cannot make a man.
No answer is also an answer.
No autumn fruit without spring blossoms.
No bees, no honey; / No work, no money.
No cloth is too fine for moth to devour.
No errors are so mischievous as those of great men.
No fishing like fishing in the sea.
No fool was ever so foolish, but some one thought him clever.
No frost can freeze Providence.
No gains without pains.
No greater promisers than those who have nothing to give.
No herb will cure love.
No horse so blind as the blind mare.
No house without mouse; no throne without thorn.
No joy without alloy.
No longer pipe, no longer dance.
No man can gather cherries in Kent at the season of Christmas.
No man can make a good coat with bad cloth.
No man can see over his own height.
No man has a worse friend than he brings with him from home.
No man hath a velvet cross.
No man is always wise except a fool.
No man is born wise or learned.
No man is the worse for knowing the worst of himself.
No man lives so poor as he was born.
No man loveth his fetters, be they made of gold.
No mill, no meal.
No need to teach your grandames to suck eggs.
No news is good news.
No one claims kindred with the poor.
No one eats goldfish.
No one knows the weight of another’s burden.
No one knows where the shoe pinches but him who wears it.
No one likes to bell the cat.
No pains, no gains.
No penny, no paternoster.
No receiver, no thief.
No safe wading in an unknown water.
No tale so good but may be spoiled in the telling.
No vice goes alone.
No weather’s ill when the wind’s still.
No weeping for shed milk.
No whip cuts so sharply as the lash of conscience.
No wonder lasts over three days.
No word is ill spoken if it be not ill taken.
No work, no recompense.
Noble housekeepers need no doors.
Nobody calls himself rogue.
Nodum in scirpo quæris—You look for a knot in a bulrush, i.e., are too scrupulous.
Non est bonum ludere cum Diis—It is not good to trifle with the gods.
Non est de sacco tanta farina tuo—So much meal cannot have come from your own sack.
Non est ejusdem et multa et opportuna dicere—The same person will not both talk much and to the purpose.
Non progredi est regredi—Not to advance is to go back.
Non purgat peccata qui negat—He who denies his sins does not atone for them.
Non uti libet, sed uti licet, sic vivamus—We must live not as we like, but as we can.
Nondum omnium dierum sol occidit—The sun of all days has not yet set.
None are so well shod but they may slip.
None can pray well but he who lives well.
None is so deaf as he who will not hear.
None so blind as they who will not see.
None think the great unhappy but the great.
Nosce tempus—Know your time; make hay while the sun shines.
Not every parish priest can wear Dr. Luther’s shoes.
Nothing comes amiss to a hungry man.
Nothing for nothing, and very little for a halfpenny.
Nothing for nothing.
Nothing is cheap if you don’t want it.
Nothing is lasting that is feigned.
Nothing is safe from fault-finders.
Nothing stands in need of lying but a lie.
Nothing stings so bitterly as loss of money.
Nothing that is violent is permanent.
Nothing venture, nothing win.
Novacula in cotem—He has met his match (lit. the razor against the whetstone).
“Now” is the watchword of the wise.
Nulla dies sine linea—Let no day pass without its line.
Nullum numen abest si sit prudentia—Where there is prudence, a protecting divinity is not far away.
Nullum simile quatuor pedibus currit—No simile runs on all fours, i.e., holds in every respect.
Nuts are given us, but we must crack them ourselves.
Oaks fall when reeds stand.
Obedience is better than sacrifice.From Bible.
Occasio facit furem—Opportunity makes the thief.
Oculus domini saginat equum—The master’s eye makes the horse fat.
Of all studies, study your present condition.
Of two evils choose the least.
Offenders never pardon.
Old age is a heavy burden.
Old age is honourable.
Old age, though despised, is coveted by all.
Old birds are hard to pluck.
Old birds are not caught with chaff.
Old head and young hand.
Old head upon young shoulders.
Old heads will not suit young shoulders.
Old men are twice children.
Old ovens are soon heated.
Old oxen have stiff horns.
Old shoes are easiest.
Old wounds soon bleed.
Olla male ferret—It does not look hopeful; the pot boils poorly.
Omne nimium vertitur in vitium—Every excess develops into a vice.
Omnem movere lapidem—To leave no stone unturned.
Omnia bonos viros decent—All things are becoming in good men.
Omnia ejusdem farinæ—All things are of the same stuff, lit. grain.
Omnia venalia Romæ—All things can be bought at Rome.
Omnis commoditas sua fert incommoda secum—Every convenience brings its own inconveniences along with it.
On a long journey even a straw is heavy.
On his own saddle one rides safest.
On Monday morning don’t be looking for Saturday night.
On prend le peuple par les oreilles, comme on fait un pot par les anses—The public are to be caught by the ears, as one takes a pot by the handles.
On some men’s bread butter will not stick.
On the sea sail, on the land settle.
Once a knave, always a knave.
Once a man and twice a child.
Once is no custom.
Once is no rule.
One abides not long on the summit of fortune.
One barking dog sets all the street a-barking.
One beats the bush, and another catches the bird.
One can live on little, but not on nothing.
One chick keeps a hen busy.
One cloud is enough to eclipse all the sun.
One crow never pulls out another’s eyes.
One dog can drive a flock of sheep.
One enemy is too many, and a hundred friends too few.
One enemy may do us more harm than a hundred friends can do us good.
One eye of the master does more than both his hands.
One eye-witness is better than ten hearsays.
One false move may lose the game.
One fool makes many.
One good head is better than a hundred strong hands.
One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters.
One good turn deserves another.
One grain fills not a sack, but helps his fellows.
One hand washes another.
One hard word brings on another.
One head cannot hold all wisdom.
One hour’s sleep before midnight is worth two after.
One jeer seldom goeth forth but it bringeth back its equal.
One keep-clean is better than ten make-cleans.
One lie makes many.
One lie needs seven lies to wait upon it.
One link broken, the whole chain is broken.
One loss brings another.
One man makes a chair, and another man sits in it.
One man may lead a horse to the water, but twenty cannot make him drink.
One man may steal a horse more safely than another may look at him over a hedge.
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
One man’s opinion is no man’s opinion.
One may see that with half an eye.
One must not look a gift horse in the mouth.
One of these days is none of these days.
One pirate gets nothing of another but his cask.
One ploughs, another sows; / Who will reap, no one knows.
One sheep follows another.
One sickly sheep infects the flock.
One sin opens the door to another.
One swallow does not make a summer.
One sword keeps another in the scabbard.
One wrong step may give you a great fall.
One’s too few, three’s too many.
Onus segni impone asello—Lay the burden on the lazy ass.
Open not your door when the devil knocks.
Open rebuke is better than secret love.
Opinion is the mistress of fools.
Opportunities neglected are irrecoverable.
Optimi consiliarii mortui—The best counsellors are the dead.
Optimum obsonium labor—Labour is the best sauce.
Otiosis nullus adsistit Deus—No deity assists the idle.
Our fear commonly meets us at the door by which we think to run from it.
Our flatterers are our worst enemies.
Out of debt, out of danger.
Out of the frying-pan into the fire.
Ouvrage de longue haleine—A long-winded or tedious business.
Overdone is worse than underdone.
Oysters are not good in a month that hath not an R in it.
Pain past is pleasure.
Par le droit du plus fort—By the right of the strongest.
Parents’ blessings can neither be drowned in water nor consumed in fire.
Patch and long sit, / Build and soon flit.
Patience is a plaister for all sores.
Patience is a stout horse, but it will tire at last.
Patience, money, and time bring all things to pass.
Patient waiters are no losers.
Patriæ fumus igne alieno luculentior—The smoke of our own country is brighter than fire in a foreign one.
Paul Pry is on the spy.
Pay beforehand if you would have your work ill done.
Pay good wages, or your servants will pay themselves.
Pay the reckoning over-night, and you won’t be troubled in the morning.
Pay well when you are served well.
Pay what you owe, and what you’re worth you’ll know.
Pay without fail, / Down on the nail.
Pelt all dogs that bark, and you will need many stones.
Pence well-spent are better than pence ill-spared.
Penny goes after penny, / Till Peter hasn’t any.
Penny wise is often pound foolish.
People throw stones only at trees which have fruit on them.
People who are too sharp cut their own fingers.
People who live in glass houses should never throw stones.
“Perhaps” hinders folks from lying.
Perimus licitis—We come to ruin by permitted things.
Perseverance performs greater works than strength.
Persevere and never fear.
Persuasion is better than force.
Peter’s in, Paul’s out.
Pigs grow fat where lambs would starve.
Pigs grunt about everything and nothing.
Pigs when they fly go tail first.
Plain dealing is dead, and died without issue.
Plain dealing’s a jewel, but they that use it die beggars.
Plaster thick, / Some will stick.
Plough or not plough, you must pay your rent.
Plures adorant solem orientem quam occidentem—More do homage to the rising sun than the setting one.
Plures crapula quam gladius—Excess kills more than the sword.
Poor folks must say “Thank ye” for little.
Poor men’s tables are soon placed.
Porte fermée, le diable s’en va—The devil goes away when he sees a shut door.
Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Post epulas stabis vel passus mille meabis—After eating, you should either stand or walk a mile.
Pot! don’t call the kettle black.
Potatoes don’t grow by the side of the pot.
Poverty breeds strife.
Poverty has no greater foe than bashfulness.
Poverty is no crime and no credit.
Poverty is not a shame, but the being ashamed of it is.
Practice makes perfect.
Practise thrift, or else you’ll drift.
Præcepta ducunt, at exempla trahunt—Precept guides, but example draws.
Praise a fool, and you water his folly.
Praise God more, and blame neighbours less.
Praise makes good men better, and bad men worse.
Praise Peter, but don’t find fault with Paul.
Praise the bridge which carries you over.
Praise the hill, but keep below.
Pray devoutly, / And hammer stoutly.
Pray to God, but keep the hammer going.
Pray to God, sailor, but pull for the shore.
Prayer and provender never hinder a journey.
Prayer knocks till the door opens.
Prayer must not come from the roof of the mouth, but from the root of the heart.
Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.
Precious ointments are put in small boxes.
Prejudice is a prophet which prophesies only evil.
“Pretty Pussy” will not feed a cat.
Prevention is better than cure.
Pride and poverty are ill met, yet often live together.
Pride feels no cold.
Pride must suffer pain.
Pride will have a fall; for pride goeth before, and shame cometh after.
Pride with pride will not abide.
Pride’s chickens have bonny feathers, but bony bodies.
Priestcraft is no better than witchcraft.
Private reproof is the best grave for private faults.
Procul a Jove, procul a fulmine—Far from Jove, far from his thunderbolts.
Proffered service stinks—i.e., is not appreciated.
Prope ad summum, prope ad exitum—Near the summit, near the end.
Prosperity destroys fools and endangers the wise.
Proverbs are the wisdom of the streets.
Providence may change, but the promise must stand.
Providence often puts a large potato in a little pig’s way.
Providence provides for the provident.
Punctuality is the soul of business.
Punishment follows hard upon crime.
Put the saddle on the right horse.
Put your foot down where you mean to stand.
Put your hand no farther than your sleeve will reach.
Put your hand quickly to your hat and slowly to your purse, and you’ll take no harm.
Put your own shoulder to the wheel.
Quæ e longinquo magis placent—Things please the more the farther fetched.
Quæ infra nos nihil ad nos—The things that are below us are nothing to us.
Quæ peccamus juvenes ea luimus senes—We pay when old for the excesses of our youth.
Quæ supra nos nihil ad nos—Things which are above us are nothing to us.
Quære verum—Seek the truth.
Quævis terra alit artificem—Every land supports the artisan.
Quackery has no friend like gullibility.
Qualis rex, talis grex—Like king, like people.
Quality is better than quantity.
Quem Jupiter vult perdere dementat prius—Him whom Jupiter wishes to ruin, be first infatuates.
Qui capit ille facit—He who takes it to himself has done it.
Qui medice vivit, misere vivit—He who lives by medical prescription lives miserably.
Qui non proficit, deficit—He who does not advance loses ground.
Qui perd péche—He who loses sins.
Qui spe aluntur, pendent, non vivunt—Those who feed on hope, hang on, they do not live.
Quick removals are slow prosperings.
Quick resentments are often fatal.
Quick returns make rich merchants.
Quick steps are best over miry ground.
Quick to borrow is always slow to pay.
Quicker by taking more time.
Quit not certainty for hope.
Quum Romæ fueris, Romano vivite more—When you are at Rome live after the fashion at Rome.
Raison d’état—A reason of state.
Re opitulandum non verbis—We should assist by deeds, not in words.
Rebuke ought to have a grain more of salt than of sugar.
Rebuke with soft words and hard arguments.
Reckoners without their host must reckon twice.
Religion lies more in walk than in talk.
Remis velisque—With oars and sails; with tooth and nail.
Remove the cause, and the effect will cease.
Repentance costs very dear.
Repentance is good, but innocence is better.
Report makes crows blacker than they are.
Reproof never does a wise man harm.
Reputation is commonly measured by the acre.
Reputation serves to virtue as light does to a picture.
Reserve the master-blow.
Respect a man, he will do the more.
Respect yourself, or no one else will respect you.
Rest and success are fellows.
Rest is won only by work.
Riches bring cares.
Riches have wings.
Right wrongs no man.
Rivers need a spring.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Rore vixit more cicadæ—He lived upon dew like a grasshopper.
Roses grow among thorns.
Round the world, but never in it.Of sailors.
Sæpe est etiam sub palliolo sordido sapientia—Wisdom is often found even under a shabby coat.
Sabbath profaned, / Whate’er may be gained, / Is sure to be followed by sorrow.
Sabbath well spent / Brings a week of content.
Sadness and gladness succeed each other.
Safe bind, safe find.
Sallow wits censure everything that is beyond their depth.
Sapiens dominabitur astris—A wise man will lord it over the stars.
Satan’s friendship reaches to the prison door.
Satires run faster than panegyrics.
Satius est recurrere, quam currere male—It is better to run back than run on the wrong way.
Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Save a thief from the gallows, and he’ll cut your throat.
Save something for a sore foot.
Say nay, and take it.
Say no ill of the year till it be past.
“Say well” is good, but “Do well” is better.
Say well or be still.
Saying and doing are two different things.
Scald not thy lips with another man’s porridge.
Scandal will not rub out like dirt when it is dry.
Scatter with one hand, gather with two.
Scotsmen reckon ay frae an ill hour.
Screw not the chord too sharply lest it snap.
Seek not to reform every one’s dial by your own watch.
Seek till you find, and you’ll not lose your labour.
Seek your salve where you got your sore.
Self loves itself best.
Send a fool to the market, and a fool he’ll return.
Send a wise man of an errand, and say nothing to him.
Send your charity abroad wrapt in blankets.
Septem convivium, novem convitium—Seven is a banquet, nine a brawl.
Septem horas dormisse sat est juvenique, senique—Seven hours of sleep is enough both for old and young.
Sero clypeum post vulnera sumo—I am too late in taking my shield after being wounded.
Sero sapiunt Phryges—The Trojans became wise when too late.
Sero venientibus ossa—The bones for those who come late.
Serpens ni edat serpentem, draco non fiet—Unless a serpent devour a serpent, it will not become a dragon, i.e., unless one power absorb another, it will not become great.
Serum auxilium post prælium—Help comes too late when the fight is over.
Serving one’s own passions is the greatest slavery.
Set a beggar on horseback and he’ll ride to the devil.
Set a thief to catch a thief.
Set not your loaf in till the oven’s hot.
Shallow streams make most din.
Shame of poverty is almost as bad as pride of wealth.
She that is ashamed to eat at table eats in private.
She that is born handsome is born married.
She that takes gifts herself she sells, / And she that gives them does nothing else.
Short boughs, long vintage.
Short prayers reach heaven.
Short reckonings make long friends.
Si caput dolet omnia membra languent—If the head aches, all the members of the body become languid.
Si claudo cohabites, subclaudicare disces—If you live with a lame man you will learn to limp.
Si gravis brevis, si longus levis—If severe, short; if long, light.
Si jeunesse savait! si vieillesse pouvait!—If youth knew; if age could!
Si leonina pellis non satis est, assuenda vulpina—If the lion’s skin is not enough, we must sew on the fox’s.
Silence gives (or implies) consent.
Silence is wisdom, when speaking is folly.
Silent men, like still waters, are deep and dangerous.
Simile gaudet simili—Like loves like.
Sit in your own place, and no man can make you rise.
Six feet of earth make all men equal.
Skill is stronger than strength.
Sloth is the key to poverty.
Slow fire makes sweet malt.
Slow help is no help.
Small faults indulged let in greater.
Small profits and quick returns.
Small rain lays great dust.
Smooth waters run deep.
Smooth words make smooth ways.
So many servants, so many enemies.
So many slaves, so many enemies.
Soft words win hard hearts.
Soft, or fair, words butter no parsnips.
Solitude is often the best society.
Some evils are cured by contempt.
Some have been thought brave because they were afraid to run away.
Some men are wise, and some are otherwise.
Some men go through a forest and see no firewood.
Some that speak no ill of any do no good to any.
Soon enough, if well enough.
Soon hot, soon cold.
Soon ripe, soon rotten.
Sorex suo perit indicio—The mouse perishes by betraying himself.
Sorrow is good for nothing but sin.
Sorrow will pay no debt.
Sow good works and you will reap gladness.
Spare but to spend, and only spend to spare.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
Speak little and to the purpose.
Speak little, but speak the truth.
Speak the truth and shame the devil.
Speak well of your friend; of your enemy say nothing.
Speak when you are spoken to, and come when you are called for.
Speaking without thinking is shooting without aim.
Speedy execution is the mother of good fortune.
Step by step one goes far.
Still swine eat all the draff.
Still waters run deep.
Storms make oaks take deeper root.
Straws show which way the wind blows.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.
Stultus semper incipit vivere—The fool is always beginning to live.
Stultus, qui, patre occiso, liberos relinquat—He who kills the father and leaves the children is a fool.
Submitting to one wrong often brings on another.
Supple knees feed arrogance.
Surfeit has killed more than hunger.
Sweep before your own door.
Tête de fou ne blanchit jamais—A fool’s head never grows grey.
Take a hair of the same dog that bit you, and it will heal the wound.
Take care of the pence; the pounds will take care of themselves.
Take heed of the vinegar of sweet wine.
Take heed you find not that you do not seek.
Take time in turning a corner.
Talk of the devil and he’ll appear.
Talking of love is making it.
Tam Marte quam Minerva—As much by Mars as by Minerva; as much by courage as by wisdom.
Tanquam ungues digitosque suos—As well as his nails and fingers; at his fingers’ ends.
Tarde venientibus ossa—To those who come late the bones.
Taurum tollet qui vitulum sustulerit—He who has carried the calf will be able by and by to carry the ox.
Teaching others teacheth yourself.
Tenterden steeple was the cause of Goodwin Sands.
That grief is light which is capable of counsel.
That is but an empty purse that is full of other men’s money.
That is gold that is worth gold.
That is well spoken that is well taken.
That must be true which all men say.
That one will not, another will.
That suit is best that best fits me.
That that comes of a hen will scrape.
That which is good to take is good to keep.
That which one least anticipates soonest comes to pass.
That which proves too much proves nothing.
That which two will takes effect.
That which was bitter to endure may be sweet to remember.
That which we may live without we need not much covet.
That which will not be butter must be made into cheese.
That which will not be spun, let it not come between the spindle and the distaff.
That’s a lee wi’ a lid on, / And a brass handle to tak ho’d on.
That’s my good that does me good.
That’s the best gown that goes up and down the house.
The absent party is still faulty.
The archer who overshoots the mark misses, as well as he that falls short of it.
The back of one door is the face of another.
The back-door robs the house.
The beaten road is the safest.
The best fish swim near the bottom.
The best is best cheap.
The best mirror is an old friend.
The best of the sport is to do the deed and say nothing.
The best remedy against an ill man is much ground between both.
The best use of money is to pay debts.
The best work in the world is done on the quiet.
The bishop has set his foot in it—i.e., the broth is singed.(The explanation of which, according to Grose, is: Whenever a bishop passed through a town or a village, all the inhabitants ran out to receive his blessing; this frequently caused the milk on the fire to be left till burnt.)
The biter is often bit.
The burden one likes is cheerfully borne.
The cat shuts its eyes when stealing the cream.
The charitable give out at the door, and God puts in at the window.
The counsel thou wouldst have another keep, first keep thyself.
The danger past and God forgotten.
The darkest hour is nearest the dawn.
The devil is an ass.
The devil lurks behind the cross.
The devil may get in by the keyhole, but the door won’t let him out.
The dog that fetches will carry.
The donkey means one thing and the driver another.
The earthen pot must keep clear of the brass kettle.
The evil that goeth out of thy mouth flieth into thy bosom.
The evil wound is cured, but not the evil name.
The example of good men is visible philosophy.
The exception proves the rule.
The eye is the mirror of the soul.
The eye that sees all things else sees not itself.
The face is the index of the mind.
The fair maid who, the first of May, / Goes to the fields at break of day, / And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree, / Will ever after handsome be.
The faithful servant is a humble friend.
The falling out of faithful friends is the renewing of love.
The fire in the flint shows not till it’s struck.
The fire that does not warm me shall never scorch me.
The first article that a young trader offers for sale is his honesty.
The first breath / Is the beginning of death.
The first faults are theirs that commit them, / The second are theirs that permit them.
The first of the nine orders of knaves is he that tells his errand before he goes it.
The first step towards greatness is to be honest.
The first year let your house to your enemy; the second to your friend; the third, live in it yourself.
The foot of the owner is the best manure for his land.
The fox thrives best when he is most curst.
The full moon brings fair weather.
The good mother saith not, “Will you?” but gives.
The gown is hers that wears it, and the world is his who enjoys it.
“The grapes are sour,” said the fox when he could not reach them.
The great thieves punish the little ones.
The greatest expense we can be at is that of our time.
The greatest scholars are not always the wisest men.
The greatest vessel hath but its measure.
The grey mare is the better horse.
The groundsel speaks not save what it heard at the hinges.
The hand that gives, gathers.
The hardest step is over the threshold.
The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.
The heart sees farther than the head.
The heart that once truly loves never forgets.
The highest price a man can pay for a thing is to ask for it.
The horse thinks one thing, and he that rides him another.
The house that is a-building looks not as the house that is built.
The king’s errand may come in at the cadger’s gate.
The last drop makes the cup run over.
The last ounce breaks the camel’s back.
The longest day soon comes to an end.
The man who has imagination without learning has wings without feet.
The mastiff is quiet while curs are yelping.
The mill will never grind with the water that is past.
The mob has many heads, but no brains.
The more haste, the worse speed.
The mother’s heart is always with her children.
The nearer the church the farther from God.
The noblest vengeance is to forgive.
The old fox is caught at last.
The owl of ignorance lays the egg of pride.
The ox lies still while the geese are hissing.
The pitcher goes so often to the water that it comes home broken at last.
The poor man’s budget is full of schemes.
The rainbow in the morning / Is the shepherd’s warning; / The rainbow at night / Is the shepherd’s delight.
The road to ruin is always kept in good repair, and the travellers pay the expense of it.
The road’s afore you, the sky’s aboon you.
The shortest answer is doing.
The smoke of a man’s own house is better than the fire of another’s.
The snail sees nothing but his own shell, and thinks it the grandest place in the world.
The soul is not where it lives, but where it loves.
The stomach has no ears.
The stone that lieth not in your way need not offend you.
The stream can never rise above the springhead.
The sun can be seen by nothing but its own light.
The sun may do its duty, though your grapes are not ripe.
The sweetest wine makes the sharpest vinegar.
The thin edge of the wedge is to be feared.
The tongue ever turns to the aching tooth.
The tongue is not of steel, but it cuts.
The tree is no sooner down than every one runs for his hatchet.
The vulgar keep no account of your hits, but of your misses.
The whole man to one thing at a time.
The wife is the key of the house.
The wished-for comes too late.
The words of the wise are as goads.
The world is as you take it.
The worse things are, the better they are.
The wrath of brothers is fierce and devilish.
There are more ways to the wood than one.
There are two sides to every question.
There is a skeleton in every house.
There is a snake in the grass.
There is a time for all things.
There is always life for a living one.
There is more pleasure in loving than in being beloved.
There is no better counsellor than time.
There is no going to heaven in a sedan.
There is no grief that time will not soften.
There is no jesting with edge tools.
There is no joy without alloy.
There is no true love without jealousy.
There is no venom like that of the tongue.
There is not so much comfort in having children as there is sorrow in parting with them.
There is not the thickness of a sixpence between good and evil.
There is nothing like leather.A cobbler’s advice in an emergency.
There is nothing so secret but it comes to light.
There were no ill language if it were not ill taken.
There’s always life for the living.
There’s many a slip / ’Twixt the cup and the lip.
There’s no seeing one’s way through tears.
There’s nothing certain but uncertainty.
They love most who are least valued.
They love us truly who correct us freely.
They must hunger in winter that will not work in summer.
“They say so” is half a lie.
They that are booted are not always ready.
They that know one another salute afar off.
They who seek only for faults see nothing else.
Things will never be bettered by an excess of haste.
Think and thank God.
Those who do nothing generally take to shouting.
Those who make the best use of their time have none to spare.
Though he says nothing, he pays it with thinking, like the Welshman’s jackdaw.
Though the cat winks a while, yet sure she is not blind.
Though we lose our fortune, yet we should not lose our patience.
Though you stroke the nettle ever so kindly, yet it will sting you.
Threatened folks live long.
Three things drive a man out of doors—smoke, a leaking roof, and a scolding wife.
Thrift must begin with little savings.
Throw no gift again at the giver’s head; / Better is half a loaf than no bread.
Thursday come, and the week’s gone.
Thy hand is never the worse for doing thy own work.
Thy secret is thy prisoner.
Tickle me, Bobby, and I’ll tickle you.
Time and thinking tame the strongest grief.
Time brings roses.
Time devours all things.
Time is money.
Time trieth truth.
Time works great changes.
Timidi mater non flet—The mother of the coward has no occasion to weep.
’Tis a folly to fret; grief’s no comfort.
’Tis a good ill that comes alone.
’Tis better to cry over your goods than after them.
’Tis day still while the sun shines.
Tit for tat is fair play.
To be born with a silver spoon in the mouth.
To do good to the ungrateful is to throw rose-water into the sea.
To draw a long bow, i.e., exaggerate.
To every deep there is a deeper still.
To keep the wolf from the door.
To open your windows be ever your care.
To pour oil on the fire is not the way to quench it.
To put the cart before the horse.
To seem and not to be, is throwing the shuttle without weaving.
To shoot wide of the mark—i.e., guess foolishly when you don’t know.
To strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Tourner casaque—To change sides; become a turncoat.
True blue will never stain.
True coral needs no painter’s brush.
Trust begets truth.
Trust dies because bad pay poisons him.
Trust, but not too much.
Truth and oil are ever above.
Truth hath always a fast bottom.
Truth is God’s daughter.
Truth is the daughter of Time.
Truth may languish, but can never perish.
Truth seeks no corners.
Try and Trust will move mountains.
Two dogs over one bone seldom agree.
Two dogs strive for a bone, and a third runs away with it.
Two heads are better than one, or why do folks marry?
Two in distress make sorrow less.
Two is company, but three is none.
Two kitchen fires burn not on one hearth.
Two may keep counsel, putting one away.
Two of a trade seldom agree.
Two removals are as bad as a fire.
Two things a man should never be angry at; what he can help, and what he cannot.
Ubi bene, ibi patria—Where it is well with me, there is my country.
Ubi uber, ibi tuber—There are no roses without thorns.
Ubt dolor, ibi digitus—Where the pain is, there the finger will be.
Undertake no more than you can perform.
Unequal marriages are seldom happy ones.
Union is strength.
Unkindness destroys love.
Unus vir nullus vir—One man is no man.
Upbraiding turns a benefit into an injury.
Usus est tyrannus—Custom is a tyrant.
Usus promptum facit—Practice makes perfect.
Ut canis e Nilo—Like the dog by the Nile, i.e., drinking and running.
Vache ne sait ce que vaut sa queue jusqu’à ce-qu’elle l’ait perdue—The cow doesn’t know the worth of her tail until she has lost it.
Vainglory blossoms, but never bears.
Valour is worth little without discretion.
Vanity is a blue-bottle, which buzzes in the window of the wise.
Vanity is the pride of Nature.
Vel cæco appareat—Even a blind man could perceive it.
Velocem tardus assequitur—The slow overtakes the swift.
Velvet paws hide sharp claws.
Vengeance is wild justice.
Vent au visage rend un homme sage—Wind in the face (i.e., adversity) makes a man wise.
Verbum sat sapienti—A word is enough to a wise man.
Vestibulum domus ornamentum est—The hall is the ornament of a house, i.e., first impressions have great weight.
Vestis virum facit—The garment makes the man.
Vice is its own punishment.
Violent fires soon burn out.
Virtue is the queen of labourers.
Vows made in storms are forgotten in calms.
Vultus est index animi—The countenance is the index of the mind.
Want is the mother of industry.
Want makes wit.
Watched pot never boils.
Waters that are deep do not babble as they flow.
We are bound to be honest, but not to be rich.
We can live without our friends, but not without our neighbours.
We hate delay, yet it makes us wise.
We must take the world as we find it.
We readily believe what we wish to be true.
We should eat to live, and not live to eat.
We should not spur a willing horse.
Weave in faith and God will find thread.
Welcome is the best cheer.
Welcome, Misfortune, if thou comest alone.
Well thriveth that well suffereth.
Well to work and make a fire, / Doth both care and skill require.
What belongs to everybody belongs to nobody.
What comes from the heart goes to the heart.
What devilry soever kings do, the Greeks must pay the piper.
What God makes he never mars.
What is bought is cheaper than a gift.
What is bred in the bone will never come out of the flesh.
What is done by night appears by day.
What is done in a hurry is never done well.
What is known to three is known to everybody.
What is learned in the cradle is carried to the tomb.
What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
What the eye does not admire, / The heart does not desire.
What the eye don’t see, the heart don’t grieve.
What will you have? quoth God; pay for it and take it.
What’s good for the bee is good for the hive.
What’s the good of a sun-dial in the shade?
Whatever you are, be a man.
When a man is going downhill, everybody gives him a kick.
When a Sark-foot wife gets on her broomstick, the dames of Allonby are ready to mount.
When Adam dolve and Eve span, / Who was then the gentleman?
When caught by a tempest, wherever it be, / If it lightens and thunders, beware of a tree.
When children stand quiet, they have done some harm.
When clouds appear like rocks and towers, / The earth’s refreshed with frequent showers.
When God will, no wind but brings rain.
When it’s dark at Dover, / It is dark all the world over.
When money’s taken, / Freedom’s forsaken.
When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out at the window.
When rogues fall out, honest men get their own.
When the cat’s away, / The mice will play.
When the devil dies, he never lacks a chief mourner.
When the fox preaches, take care of your geese.
When the heart is afire, some sparks will fly out at the mouth.
When the hungry curate licks the knife, there is not much for the cleric.
When the sun is highest, he casts the least shadow.
When things are at their worst, they will mend.
When three know it, all know it.
When two friends have a common purse, one sings and the other weeps.
When we can’t do as we would, we must do as we can.
When whins are out of bloom, kissing is out of fashion.
When you are all agreed upon the time, quoth the vicar, I’ll make it rain.
When you see a snake, never mind where he came from.
Where content is there is a feast.
Where drink goes in, wit goes out.
Where God helps, nought harms.
Where it is weakest, the thread breaketh.
Where no fault is, there needs no pardon.
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean.
Where one is wise, two are happy.
Where the carcase is, the ravens will gather.
Where there is no love, all are faults.
Where there is no shame, there is no honour.
Where there is smoke there is fire.
Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Where your will is ready, your feet are light.
Wherever a man dwells he will be sure to have a thorn-bush near his door.
Whether the pitcher strike the stone or the stone the pitcher, it is bad for the pitcher.
Whether you boil snow or pound it, you can have but water of it.
While thy shoe is on thy foot, tread upon the thorns.
Who chatters to you, will chatter of you.
Who doth not work shall not eat.
Who goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing.
Who looks not before finds himself behind.
Whoso does not good, does evil enough.
Wide will wear, but tight will tear.
Wilful waste makes woeful want.
Willows are weak, yet they bind other wood.
Wine neither keeps secrets nor fulfils promises.
Wine washes off the daub.
Wink at small faults.
Wisdom sometimes walks in clouted shoes.
Wit once bought is worth twice taught.
Women, priests, and poultry have never enough.
Women’s jars breed men’s wars.
Words are fools’ pence.
Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present.
Yielding is sometimes the best way of succeeding.
You can’t be lost on a straight road.
You can’t see the wood for the trees.
You can’t tell a nut till you crack it.
You cannot climb a ladder by pushing others down.
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
You cannot push a man far up a tree.
You gazed at the moon and fell in the gutter.
You know not where a blessing may light.
You may grow good corn in a little field.
You must be content sometimes with rough roads.
You must lose a fly to catch a trout.
You must not measure every man’s corn by your own bushel.
Zeal is like fire; it needs both feeding and watching.
Zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse.
A man in the right, with God on his side, is in the majority, though he be alone.
Do as the bee does with the rose, take the honey and leave the thorn.
Early start makes easy stages.
Every man has a goose that lays golden eggs, if he only knew it.
Every time you forgive a man you weaken him and strengthen yourself.
God save the fools, and don’t let them run out; for, without them, wise men couldn’t get a living.
Good wine needs no brandy.
Honesty is like an icicle; if it once melts, that is the last of it.
Hope is a pleasant acquaintance but an unsafe friend. He’ll do on a pinch for your travelling companion, but he’s not the man for your banker.
If you cannot make a man think as you do, make him do as you think.
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage; half-shut afterwards.
Opportunities, like eggs, come one at a time.
Put no trust in money; put your money in trust.
Secrets make a dungeon of the heart and a jailer of its owner.
Very few enjoy money, because they can’t get enough.
When a man’s dog deserts him on account of his poverty, he can’t get any lower down in this world.
When a woman wears the breeches, she has a good right to them.
When you are down, poverty, like snowshoes, keeps your feet fast and prevents your rising.
Wherever nature does least, man does most.
A secret is in my custody if I keep it; but if I blab it, it is I that am prisoner.
Cast him (a lucky fellow) into the Nile, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth.
Debts make the cheeks black.
Do not tell a friend anything that you would conceal from an enemy.
Every day in thy life is a leaf in thy history.
Every people has its prophet.
God has given a prophet to every people in its own tongue.
He has no religion who has no humanity.
He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is stupid. Shun him.
He that knows not, and knows that he knows not, is good. Teach him.
He that knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep. Arouse him.
He that knows, and knows that he knows, is wise. Follow him.
Him who makes chaff of himself the cows will eat.
If I am master and you are master, who shall drive the asses?
Joke with a slave, and he’ll soon show his heels.
Man is the slave of beneficence.
No man is a good physician who has never been sick.
No man is without enemies.
Nothing but a handful of dust will fill the eye of man.
Pardon is the choicest flower of victory.
Pitch a lucky man into the Nile and he will come up with a fish in his mouth.
Purchase the next world with this; thus shalt thou win both.
The devil tempts all other men, but idle men tempt the devil.
The surgeon practises on the orphan’s head.
The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace.
Vinegar given is better than honey bought.
Wedlock is like a besieged fortress: those who are outside wish to get in, and those who are inside wish to get out.
A grave and a majestic exterior is the palace of the soul.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.
Exaggeration is to paint a snake and add legs.
For the sake of one good action a hundred evil actions should be condoned.
Great profits, great risks.
If people take no care for the future, they will soon have sorrow for the present.
It is easy to open a shop, but hard to keep it open.
Ivory does not come from a rat’s mouth.
Not the cry, but the flight of a wild duck, rouses the flock to fly and follow.
One never needs his wit so much as when he argues with a fool.
Repentance is the May of the virtues.
Resolution is independent of great age, but without it one lives a hundred years in vain.
Respect for one’s parents is the highest of the duties of civil life.
Riches come better after poverty than poverty after riches.
To climb a tree to catch a fish is talking much and doing nothing.
To excite a fierce dog to capture a lame rabbit is to attack a contemptible enemy.
Top and bottom teeth sometimes come into awkward collision.
Towers are measured by their shadows.
A royal heart is often hid under a tattered coat.
A short cut is often a wrong cut.
A silent man’s words are not brought into court.
A wound never heals so well that the scar cannot be seen.
Beauty carries its dower in its face.
Better suffer for truth than prosper by falsehood.
Better the world know you as a sinner than God as a hypocrite.
Big words seldom accompany good deeds.
Blame is the lazy man’s wages.
Call not the devil; he will come fast enough without.
Care, and not fine stables, makes a good horse.
Children are certain sorrows, but uncertain joys.
Children are the poor man’s wealth.
Correction is good, administered in time.
Daylight will come, though the cock does not crow.
Diligent working makes an expert workman.
Do as others do, and few will laugh at you.
Don’t despise a slight wound or a poor relative.
Earnest and sport go well together.
Efter en god Avler kommer en god Oder—After an earner comes a waster.
Egen Arne er Guld værd—A hearth of one’s own is worth gold.
Eggs and oaths are easily broken.
En villig Hielper töver ei til man beder—One who is willing to help does not wait till he is asked.
Ene i Raad, ene i Sorg—Alone in counsel, alone in sorrow.
Enough is great riches.
Envy does not enter an empty house.
Even that fish may be caught which resists most stoutly against it.
Every fool thinks himself clever enough.
Every little fish expects to become a whale.
Every little helps, as the sow said when she snapt at a gnat.
Every man carries an enemy in his own bosom.
Every man has his lot, and the wide world before him.
Every man must carry his own sack to the mill.
Every one finds sin sweet and repentance bitter.
Every one rakes the fire under his own pot.
Fader og Moder ere gode, end er Gud bedre—Father and mother are kind, but God is kinder.
Fagerhed uden Tugt, Rose uden Hugt—Beauty without virtue is a rose without scent.
Falsehood is the devil’s daughter, and speaks her father’s tongue.
Favour and gifts disturb justice.
Fine words without deeds go not far.
Flowers are the pledges of fruit.
Follow the customs or fly the country.
Fools need no passport.
Fortune often knocks at the door, but the fool does not invite her in.
Gammel Mands Sagn er sielden usand—An old man’s sayings are rarely untrue.
Give alms, that thy children may not ask them.
Give only so much to one that you may have to give to another.
God gives the will; necessity gives the law.
God help the sheep when the wolf is judge.
God Konge er bedre end gammel Lov—A good king is better than an old law.
God never sends mouths but He sends meat.
Godt Haandværk har en gylden Grund—A good handicraft rests on a golden foundation.
Gold is tried in the fire, friendship in need.
Good counsel is no better than bad counsel, if it is not taken in time.
Great lords have great hands, but they do not reach to heaven.
Guds Raadkammer har ingen Nögle—To God’s council-chamber we have no key.
He is nearest to God who has the fewest wants.
He is not a bad driver who knows how to turn.
He is not yet born who can please everybody.
He must cry loud who would frighten the devil.
He must stand high who would see his destiny to the end.
He who is of no use to himself is of no use to any one.
He who says what he likes must hear what he does not like.
He who tastes every man’s broth often burns his mouth.
He who would be everywhere will be nowhere.
If a beard were all, the goat would be winner.
If the beard were all, the goat might preach.
If you can’t heal the wound, don’t tear it open.
It is a poor horse that is not worth its oats.
It is bitter fare eating one’s own words.
It is good to lend to God and the soil; they pay good interest.
It is time enough to doff your hat when you see the man.
Jest with your equals.
Jo ædlere Blod, jo mindre Hovmod—The nobler the blood, the less the pride.
Jo argere Skalk, je bedre Lykke—The greater knave, the better luck.
Jo mere af Lov, jo mindre af Ret—The more by law, the less by right.
Joy is like the ague; one good day between two bad ones.
Keep your mouth and keep your friend.
Kill no more than you can salt.
Kind words don’t wear the tongue.
Kisses are the messengers of love.
Labour has a bitter root but a sweet taste.
Let a saint be ever so humble, he will have his wax taper.
Let every bird sing its own note.
Love’s plant must be watered with tears and tended with care.
Make yourself an ass, and you’ll have every man’s sack on your shoulders.
Many a one labours for the day he will never live to see.
Many are fain to praise what is right and do what is wrong.
Many have too much, but none enough.
No man is so tall that he need never stretch, nor so small that he need never stoop.
No one falls low unless he attempt to climb high.
No one gets into trouble without his own help.
No one is rich enough to do without his neighbour.
Ofte er Skarlagens Hierte under reven Kaabe—There is often a royal heart under a tattered coat.
Old signs do not deceive.
Ond Gierning har Vidne i Barmen—There is a witness of the evil deed in one’s own bosom.
Ondt bliver aldrig godt för halv værre kommer—Bad is never good till worse befall.
One hand full of money is more persuasive than two full of truth.
One man is born to money, and another to the purse.
Praise a fool and you may make him useful.
Rather an egg to-day than a hen to-morrow.
Rest is good after the work is done.
Riches and favour go before wisdom and art.
Riches are often abused, never refused.
Riches breed care, poverty is safe.
Rust consumes iron, and envy consumes itself.
Sight before hearsay.
Slander expires at a good woman’s door.
Smuler ere og Bröd—Even crumbs are bread.
Store Ord giöre sielden from Gierning—Big words seldom accompany good deeds.
To circumstances and custom the law must yield.
Under white ashes there often lurk glowing embers.
Unwilling service earns no thanks.
Unworthy offspring brag most of their worthy descent.
Vice is learned without a schoolmaster.
Weighty work must be done with few words.
When every one minds his own business the work is done.
When it rains porridge, the beggar has no spoon.
A smart coat is a good letter of introduction.
A wreck on shore is a beacon at sea.
“Bad company,” muttered the thief, as he stepped to the gallows between the hangman and a monk.
Behind every mountain lies a vale.
Beter eens in den hemel dan tienmaal aan de deur—Better once in heaven than ten times at the door.
Bloemen zijn geen vruchten—Blossoms are not fruits.
Boomen die men veel verplant gedijen zelden—Trees you transplant often, seldom thrive.
Clothes make the man.
Daar ’t een mensch wee doet, daar heeft hij de hand—A man lays his hand where he feels the pain.
Daar niets goeds in is, gaat niets goeds uit—Where no good is in, no good comes out.
Daar twee kijven hebben ze beiden schuld—When two quarrel both are to blame.
Daar zijn meer dieven als er opgehangen worden—There are more thieves than are hanged.
De adel der ziel is meer waardig dan de adel des geslachts—Nobility of soul is more honourable than nobility by birth.
De beste zaak heeft nog een goed’ advocaat noodig—The best cause has need of a good pleader.
De ezels dragen de haver, en de paarden eten die—Asses fetch the oats and horses eat them.
De kleine dieven hangt men, de groote laat men loopen—We hang little thieves and let great ones off.
De tijd is aan God en ons—Time is God’s and ours.
De waarheid is eene dochter van den tijd—Truth is a daughter of Time.
De wereld wil betrogen zijn—The world likes to be deceived.
Die de wereld wel beziet, men zag nooit schoonder niet—Whoso considers the world well must allow he has never seen a better.
Die een ander jaagt zit zelfs niet stil—He who chases another does not sit still himself.
Die het in het vuur verloren heeft, moet het in de asch zoeken—What is lost in the fire must be searched for in the ashes.
Die te veel onderneemt slaagt zelden—He who undertakes too much seldom succeeds.
Die veel dienstboden heeft, die heeft veel dieven—He who has many servants has many thieves.
Dochters zijn broze waren—Daughters are fragile ware.
Don’t throw away the old shoes till you’ve got new ones.
Dreigers vechten niet—Those who threaten don’t fight.
Een diamant van eene dochter wordt een glas van eene vrouw—A diamond of a daughter becomes a glass of a wife.
Een dief maakt gelegenheid—A thief makes opportunity.
Een hond aan een been kent geene vrienden—A dog with a bone knows no friends.
Een kleine pot wordt haast heet—A little pot becomes soon hot.
Een once geduld is meer dan een pond verstand—One ounce of patience is worth more than a pound of brains.
Eenmaal is geen gewoonte—Once is no custom.
Elk het zijne is niet te veel—Every one his own is not too much.
Every flood has its ebb.
Every one is a preacher under the gallows.
Every shot does not bring down a bird.
Fools learn nothing from wise men, but wise men much from fools.
Forced love does not last.
From small beginnings come great things.
Gebrade duijven vliegen niet door de lucht—Roasted pigeons don’t fly through the air.
Gedult gaat boven geleerdheid—Patience excels learning.
Gedwongen liefde vergaat haast—Love that is forced does not last.
Geese are plucked as long as they have any feathers.
Geld beheert de wereld. Money rules the world.
Gemeen goed, geen goed—Common goods, no goods.
Gierigheid is niet verzadigd voor zij den mond vol aarde heeft—Greed is never satisfied till its mouth is filled with earth.
Give an ass oats, and it runs after thistles.
God does not pay every week, but He pays at the end.
God gives birds their food, but they must fly for it.
Gods water over Gods akker laten loopen—Let God’s waters run over God’s fields.
Goed verloren, niet verloren: moed verloren, veel verloren; eer verloren, meer verloren; ziel verloren, al verloren—Money lost, nothing lost; courage lost, much lost; honour lost, more lost; soul lost, all lost.
Gold beheert de wereld—Gold rules the world.
Good hunters track closely.
Good leading makes good following.
Good right needs good help.
Good things take time.
Good wine is its own recommendation.
Great fools have great bells.
Great wealth, great care.
Guessing is missing (the point).
He cannot lay eggs, but he can cackle.
He must be a good shot who always hits the mark.
He that can be patient has his foe at his feet.
He that finds something before it is lost will die before he falls ill.
He that has to choose has trouble.
He that is embarked with the devil must sail with him.
He who serves the public serves a fickle master.
He who would gather honey must brave the sting of the bees.
He who would gather roses must not fear thorns.
If you pull one pig by the tail, all the rest will squeak.
Ill begun, ill done.
In prosperity caution, in adversity patience.
In the division of the inheritance, friendship standeth still.
In the land of promise a man may die of hunger.
Jong rijs is te buigen, maar geen oude boomen—Young twigs will bend, but not old trees.
Jonge lui, domme lui; oude lui, koude lui—Young folk, silly folk; old folk, cold folk.
Klein gewin brengt rijkdom in—Small gains bring riches in.
Let every one look to himself, and no one will be lost.
Little thieves have iron chains and great thieves gold ones.
Man kan geen loopend paard beslaan—One cannot shoe a running-horse.
No bird ever flew so high but it had to come to the ground for food.
No corn without chaff.
Nothing in haste save catching fleas.
Of hasty counsel take good heed, for very rarely haste is speed.
One can’t shoe a runaway horse.
Opportunity makes desire.
Paint costs nothing.
Poor folk’s wisdom goes for little.
Poverty is the reward of idleness.
Promises make debts, and debts make promises.
Proverbs are the daughters of daily experience.
Put not all your eggs in one basket.
Roses fall, but the thorns remain.
Schuim is geen bier—Froth is no beer.
Sooner or later the truth comes to light.
The rich devour the poor, the devil the rich, and so both are devoured.
There are no better masters than poverty and want.
Thistles and thorns prick sore, but evil tongues prick more.
Who watches not catches not.
Young folk, silly folk; old folk, cold folk.
Cast thy bread upon the waters; God will know of it, if the fishes do not.
God will punish him who sees and him who is seen.
God’s mills grind slow, but they grind woe.
He is a true sage who learns from all the world.
Hold all the skirts of thy mantle extended when heaven is raining gold.
Keep the dogs near when thou suppest with the wolf.
Men contemplate distinctions because they are stupefied with ignorance (viz., of the substantial identity of things).Quoted by Emerson.
Of thy word unspoken thou art master; thy spoken word is master of thee.
The hen of our neighbour appears to us as a goose.
The world is a carcase, and they who gather round it are dogs.
You will catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a cask of vinegar.
A aucun les biens viennent en dormant—Good things come to some while asleep.
A beau jeu beau retour—One good turn deserves another.
A bon chien il ne vient jamais un bon os—A good bone never falls to a good dog.
A cœur vaillant rien d’impossible—To a valiant heart nothing is impossible.
A chacun selon sa capacité, à chaque capacité selon ses œuvres—Every one according to his talent, and every talent according to its works.
A chacun son fardeau pèse—Every one thinks his own burden heavy.
A chaque fou plait sa marotte—Every fool is pleased with his own hobby.
A confesseurs, médecins, avocats, la vérité ne cèle de ton cas—Do not conceal the truth from confessors, doctors, and lawyers.
A dur âne dur aiguillon—A hard goad for a stubborn ass.
A force de mal aller tout ira bien—By dint of going wrong all will go right.
A force de peindre le diable sur les murs, il finit par apparaître en personne—If you keep painting the devil on the walls, he will by and by appear to you in person.
A l’impossible nul n’est tenu—No one can be held bound to do what is impossible.
A la chandelle la chèvre semble demoiselle—By candlelight a goat looks like a young lady.
A la fin saura-t-on qui a mangé le lard—We shall know in the end who ate the bacon.
A la presse vont les fous—Fools go in crowds.
A qui veut rien n’est impossible—Nothing is impossible to one with a will.
A Rome comment à Rome—At Rome do as Rome does.
A rude âne rude ânier—A stubborn driver to a stubborn ass.
A toute seigneur tout honneur—Let every one have his due honour.
Adieu la voiture, adieu la boutique—Adieu to the carriage, adieu to the shop, i.e., to the business.
Aisé à dire est difficile à faire—Easy to say is hard to do.
Amour fait moult, argent fait tout—Love can do much, but money can do everything.
Après la mort le médecin—After death the doctor.
Après la pluie, le beau temps—After the rain, fair weather.
Argent comptant porte medicine—Ready money works great cures.
Assez a qui se contente—He has enough who is content.
Assez dort qui rien ne fait—He sleeps enough who does nothing.
Assez gagne qui malheur perd—He gains enough who gets rid of a sorrow.
Assez sait qui sait vivre et se taire—He knows enough who knows how to live and how to keep his own counsel.
Assez tôt si assez bien—Soon enough if well enough.
Assez y a, si trop n’y a—There is enough where there is not too much.
Attendez à la nuit pour dire que le jour a été beau—Wait till night before saying that the day has been fine.
Au dernier les os—For the last the bones.
Au nouveau tout est beau—Everything is fine that is new.
Aujourd’hui marié, demain marri—To-day married, to-morrow marred.
Autant chemine un homme en un jour qu’un limaçon en cent ans—A man travels as far in a day as a snail in a hundred years.
Autant dépend chiche que large, et à la fin plus davantage—Niggard spends as much as generous, and in the end a good deal more.
Autant en emporte le vent—Alt idle talk (lit. so much the wind carries away).
Autant pèche celui que tient le sac que celui qui met dedans—He is as guilty who holds the bag as he who puts in.
Autant vaut l’homme comme il s’estime—A man is rated by others as he rates himself.
Autre temps, autres mœurs—Other times, other fashions.
Aux grands maux les grands remèdes—Desperate maladies require desperate remedies.
Avec un Si on mettrait Paris dans une bouteille—With an “if” one might put Paris in a bottle.
Bûche tortue fait bon feu—A crooked log makes a good fire.
Beaucoup de mémoire et peu de jugement—A retentive memory and little judgment.
Beauté et folie sont souvent en compagnie—Beauty and folly go often together.
Belle chose est tôt ravie—A fine thing is soon snapt up.
Belle, bonne, riche, et sage, est une femme en quatre étages—A woman who is beautiful, good, rich, and wise, is four stories high.
Better mad with all the world than wise all alone.
Bien dire fait rire; bien faire fait taire—Saying well makes us laugh; doing well makes us silent.
Bien est larron qui larron dérobe—He is a thief with a witness who robs another.
Bien nourri et mal appris—Well fed but ill taught.
Bien vient à mieux, et mieux à mal—Good comes to better and better to bad.
Boiz ont oreilles et champs œillets—Woods have ears and fields eyes.
Bon avocat, mauvais voisin—A good lawyer is a bad neighbour.
Bon chien chasse de race—A good dog hunts from pure instinct.
Bon droit a besoin d’aide—A good cause needs help.
Bon guet chasse maladventure—A good look-out drives ill-luck away.
Bon jour, bonne œuvre—The better the day, the better the deed.
Bon marché tire l’argent hors de la bourse—A good bargain is a pick-purse.
Bon sang ne peut mentir—Good blood disdains to lie.
Bonne épée point querelleur—A good swordsman is not given to quarrel.
Bonne est la maille que sauve le denier—Good is the farthing that saves the penny.
Bonne journée fait qui de fol se délivre—He who rids himself of a fool does a good day’s work.
Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée—A good name is worth more than a girdle of gold.
Bons mots n’épargnent nuls—Witticisms spare nobody.
Brouille sera à la maison si la quenouille est maîtresse—There will be disagreement in the house if the distaff holds the reins.
C’est le ton qui fait la musique—In music everything depends on the tone.
C’est le valet du diable, il fait plus qu’on ne lui ordonne—He who does more than he is bid is the devil’s valet.
C’est partout comme chez nous—It is everywhere the same as among ourselves.
C’est peu que de courir; il faut partir à point—It is not enough to run, one must set out in time.
Ce ne sont pas les plus belles qui font les grandes passions—It is not the most beautiful women that inspire the greatest passion.
Ce qu’on apprend au berceau dure jusqu’au tombeau—What is learned in the cradle lasts till the grave.
Ce que femme veut, Dieu le veut—What woman wills, God wills.
Ce qui fait qu’on n’est pas content de sa condition, c’est l’idée chimérique qu’on forme du bonheur d’autrui—What makes us discontented with our condition is the absurdly exaggerated idea we have of the happiness of others.
Ce qui suffit ne fut jamais peu—What is enough was never a small quantity.
Ce qui vient de la flûte, s’en retourne au tambour—What is earned by the fife goes back to the drum; easily gotten, easily gone.
Cela fera comme un coup d’épée dans l’eau—It will be all lost labour (lit. like a sword-stroke in the water).
Cela saute aux yeux—That is quite evident (lit. leaps to the eyes).
Celui est homme de bien qui est homme de biens—He is a good man who is a man of goods.
Celui qui aime mieux ses trésors que ses amis, mérite de n’être aimé de personne—He who loves his wealth better than his friends does not deserve to be loved by any one.
Celui qui dévore la substance du pauvre, y trouve à la fin un os qui l’étrangle—He who devours the substance of the poor will in the end find a bone in it to choke him.
Celui qui est sur épaules d’un géant voit plus loin que celui qui le porte—He who is on the shoulders of a giant sees farther than he does who carries him.
Cent ans n’est guère, mais jamais c’est beaucoup—A hundred years is not much, but “never” is along while.
Cest trop aimer quand on en meurt—It is loving too much to die of loving.
Cet homme va à bride abattue—That man goes at full speed (lit. with loose reins).
Chacun à sa marotte—Every one to his hobby.
Chacun à son métier, et les vaches seront bien gardées—Let every one mind his own business, and the cows will be well cared for.
Chacun cherche son semblable—Like seeks like.
Chacun doit balayer devant sa propre porte—Everybody ought to sweep before his own door.
Chacun n’est pas aise qui danse—Not every one who dances is happy.
Chacun pour soi et Dieu pour tous—Every one for himself and God for all.
Chacun tire l’eau à son moulin—Every one draws the water to his own mill.
Chacun vaut son prix—Every man has his value.
Chaque demain apporte son pain—Every to-morrow supplies its own loaf.
Chaque médaille a son revers—Every medal has its reverse.
Chaque potier vante sa pot—Every potter cracks up his own vessel.
Chat échaudé craint l’eau froide—A scalded cat dreads cold water.
Chien sur son fumier est hardi—A dog is bold on his own dunghill.
Chose perdue, chose connue—A thing lost is a thing known, i.e., valued.
Communautés commencent par bâtir leur cuisine—Communities begin with building their kitchen.
Comparaison n’est pas raison—Comparison is no proof.
Contredire, c’est quelquefois frapper à une porte, pour savour s’il y a quelqu’un dans la maison—To contradict sometimes means to knock at the door in order to know whether there is any one in the house.
D’une vache perdue, c’est quelque chose de recouvrer la queue—When a cow is lost, it is something to recover the tail.
Désir de Dieu et désir de l’homme sont deux—What God wishes and man wishes are two different things.
De oui et non vient toute question—All disputation comes out of “Yes” and “No.”
De tout s’avise à qui pain faut—A man in want of bread is ready for anything.
Derrière la croix souvent se tient le diable—Behind the cross the devil often lurks.
Dieu aide à trois sortes de personnes, aux fous, aux enfants, et aux ivrognes—God protects three sorts of people, fools, children, and drunkards.
Dieu donne le froid selon le drap—God gives the cold according to the cloth.
Dieu garde la lune des loups—God guards the moon from the wolves.
Dieu mésure le froid à la brebis tondue—God measures the cold to the shorn lamb.
Dieu nous garde d’un homme qui n’a qu’une affaire—God keep us from a man who knows only one subject.
Dieu seul devine les sots—God only understands fools.
Discreet women have neither eyes nor ears.
Donner une chandelle à Dieu et une au diable—To give one candle to God and another to the devil.
Du choc des esprits jaillissent les étincelles—When great spirits clash, sparks fly about.
Eléve le corbeau, il te crèvera les yeux—Bring up a raven, he will pick out your eyes.
Elle n’en fit point la petite bouche—She did not mince matters (lit. make a small mouth about it).
Elle riait du bout des dents—She gave a forced laugh (lit. laughed with the end of her teeth).
En fin les renards se trouvent cher le pelletier—Foxes come to the furrier’s in the end.
En la cour du roi chacun y est pour soi—In the court of the king it is every one for himself.
En petit champ croît bien bon blé—Very good corn grows in a little field.
En vieillissant on devient plus fou et plus sage—As men grow old they become both foolisher and wiser.
Enfermer le loup dans la bergerie—To shut up the wolf in the sheepfold; to patch up a wound or a disease.
Ennemi ne s’endort—An enemy does not go to sleep.
Est assez riche qui ne doit rien—He is rich enough who owes nothing.
Et l’on revient toujours / A ses premiers amours—One returns always to his first love.
Evêque d’or, crosse de bois; crosse d’or, évêque de bois—Bishop of gold, staff of wood; bishop of wood, staff of gold.
Faire un trou pour en boucher un autre—To make one hole in order to stop another.
Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra—Do your duty, come what may.
Faute de grives le diable mange des merles—For want of thrushes the devil eats blackbirds.
Femme rit quand elle peut, et pleure quand elle veut—A woman laughs when she can, and weeps when she likes.
Femme, argent et vin ont leur bien et leur venin—Women, money, and wine have their blessing and their bane.
Flies are easier caught with honey than vinegar.
Folle est la brébis qui au loup se confesse—It is a silly sheep that makes the wolf her confessor.
Fools invent fashions and wise men follow them.
Force n’a pas droit—Might knows no right.
Gâteau et mauvaise coutume se doivent rompre—A cake and a bad custom are fated to be broken.
Gâter une chandelle pour trouver une épingle—To waste a candle to find a pin.
Gardez cela pour la bonne bouche—Keep that for a tit-bit.
God works in moments.
Grand besoin a de fol qui de soi-même le fait—He has great need of a fool who makes himself one.
Grand parleur, grand menteur—Great talker, great liar.
Grand venteur, petit faiseur—Great boaster, little doer.
He sins as much who holds the sack as he who puts into it.
He who combines every defect will be more likely to find favour in the world than the man who is possessed of every virtue.
He who parts with his property before his death may prepare himself for bitter experiences.
Heureux commencement est la moitié de l’œuvre—A work well begun is half done.
Homme chiche jamais riche—A niggardly man is always poor.
Il a la mer à boire—He has the sea to drink up, i.e., has undertaken an impossible task.
Il a la tête près du bonnet—He is of a passionate temper (lit. has his head near his cap).
Il a le diable au corps—The deuce (lit. the devil) is in him.
Il a le verbe haut—He assumes a high tone; he has a loud voice.
Il a le vin mauvais—He is quarrelsome over his wine.
Il a les yeux à fleur de tête—He has prominent eyes.
Il a mangé son pain blanc le premier—He has eaten the best first.
Il a travaillé pour le roi de Prusse—He has worked for the King of Prussia, i.e., laboured in vain.
Il a vu le loup—He has seen the world.
Il aboye à tout le monde—He barks at everybody.
Il arrive comme Mars en Carème—He arrives opportunely (lit. like March in Lent).
Il coûte peu à amasser beaucoup de richesse, et beaucoup à en amasser peu—It costs little trouble to amass a great deal of wealth, but great labour to amass a little.
Il conduit bien sa barque—He manages his affairs well.
Il en est d’un homme qui aime, comme d’un moineau, pris à la glu; plus il se débat, plus il s’embarrasse—It is with a man in love, as with a sparrow caught in bird-lime; the more he struggles, the more he is entangled.
Il en fait ses choux gras—He feathers his nest with it.
Il est aisé d’ajouter aux inventions des autres—It is easy to add to the inventions of others.
Il est aisé d’aller à pied, quand on tient son cheval par la bride—It is easy to go afoot when one leads one’s horse by the bridle.
Il est avis à vieille vache qu’elle ne fût oncques veau—The old cow persuades herself that she never was a calf.
Il est bien aisé à ceux qui se portent bien de donner des avis aux malades—It is very easy for those who are well to give advice to the sick.
Il est bien difficile de garder un trésor dont tous les hommes ont la clef—It is very difficult to guard a treasure of which all men have the key.
Il est bien fou qui s’oublie—He is a great fool who forgets himself.
Il est bon d’être habile, mais non pas de le paraître—It is good to be clever, but not to show it.
Il est comme l’oiseau sur la branche—He is unsettled or wavering (lit. like a bird on a branch).
Il est temps d’être sage quand on a la barbe au menton—It is time to be wise when you have a beard on your chin.
Il est tout prêché qui n’a cure de bien faire—He is past preaching to who does not care to do well.
Il faut attendre le boiteux—We must wait for the lame.
Il faut avaler bien de la fumée aux lampes avant que de devenir bon orateur—A man must swallow a great deal of lamp-smoke before he can be a good orator.
Il faut hurler avec les loups—You must howl if you are among wolves.
Il faut laver son linge sale en famille—One’s filthy linen should be washed at home.
Il faut payer de sa vie—One must pay with his life.
Il faut perdre un véron pour pêcher un saumon—We must lose a minnow to catch a salmon.
Il monta sur ses grands chevaux—He mounted his high horse.
Il n’a pas inventé la poudre—He was not the inventor of gunpowder.
Il n’a pas l’air, mais la chanson—He has not the tune, but the song.
Il n’attache pas ses chiens avec des saucisses—He does not chain his dogs together with sausages.
Il n’est d’heureux que qui croit l’être—Only he is happy who thinks he is.
Il n’est orgueil que de pauvre enrichi—There is no pride like that of a poor man who has become rich.
Il n’est pas échappé qui traîne son lien—He is not escaped who still drags his chains.
Il n’est pas d’homme nécessaire—There is no man but can be dispensed with.
Il n’est sauce que d’appétit—Hunger is the best sauce.
Il n’y a de nouveau que ce qui a vieilli—There is nothing new but what has become antiquated.
Il n’y a pas à dire—There is no use saying anything; the thing is settled.
Il n’y a pas de cheval si bon qu’il ne bronche pas—There is no horse so sure-fooled as never to trip.
Il n’y a pas de gens plus affairés que ceux qui n’ont rien à faire—There are no people so busy as those who have nothing to do.
Il n’y a pas de petit ennemi—There is no such thing as an insignificant enemy.
Il n’y a que la vérité qui blesse—It is only the truth that offends (lit. wounds).
Il n’y a que le matin en toutes choses—There is only the morning in all things.
Il n’y a que le premier pas qui coûte—It is only the first step which costs.
Il n’y a que les honteux qui perdent—It is only the bashful who lose.
Il nage entre deux eaux—He keeps fair with both parties (lit. swims between two waters).
Il ne faut pas parler latin devant les Cordeliers—It doesn’t do to talk Latin before the Grey Friars.
Il ne faut pas voler avant que d’avoir des ailes—One must not fly before he develops wings.
Il ne faut point parler corde dans la famille d’un pendu—Never speak of a rope in the family of one who has been hanged.
Il ne sait plus de quel bois faire flèche—He is put to his last shift (lit. knows of no wood to make his arrow).
Il porte le deuil de sa blanchisseuse—He wears mourning for his laundress, i.e., his linen is dirty.
Il se faut entr’aider; c’est la loi de nature—We must assist one another; it is the law of Nature.
Il trouverait à tondre sur un œuf—He would skin a flint (lit. find something to shave on an egg).
Il va du blanc au noir—He runs to extremes (lit. from white to black).
Il vaut mieux être fou avec tous, que sage tout seul—Better to be mad with everybody, than wise all alone.
Il vaut mieux être marteau qu’enclume—It is better to be hammer than anvil.
Il vaut mieux avoir affaire à Dieu qu’à ses saints—It is better to deal with God than with His saints.
Il vaut mieux faire envie que pitié—It is better to be envied than pitied.
Il vaut mieux tâcher d’oublier ses malheurs que d’en parler—It is better to try and forget one’s misfortunes than to speak of them.
Il y a anguille sous roche—There is a snake in the grass; a mystery in the affair.
Il y a bien des gens qu’on estime, parce qu’on ne les connaît point—Many people are esteemed merely because they are not known.
Il y a encore de quoi glaner—There are still other fields to glean from; the subject is not exhausted.
Il y a plus fous acheteurs que de fous vendeurs—There are more foolish buyers than foolish sellers.
Il y a quelque chose dans les malheurs de nos meilleurs amis qui ne nous déplaît pas—There is something in the misfortunes of our best friends which does not displease us.
Il y en a peu qui gagnent à être approfondis—Few men rise in our esteem on a closer scrutiny.
In too much disputing truth is lost.
It belongs to great men to have great defects.
It is better to be the hammer than the anvil.
It is better to have to do with God than with His saints.
J’ai graissé la patte au concierge—I have tipped the door-keeper (lit. greased his paw).
J’ai trouvé chaussure à mon pied—I have found a good berth (lit. shoes for my feet).
Jamais la cornemuse ne dit mot si elle n’a le ventre plein—The bagpipe never utters a word till its belly is full.
Jamais long nez n’a gâté beau visage—A big nose never disfigured a handsome face, i.e., it is disfigured already.
Je sais à mon pot comment les autres bouillent—I can tell by my own pot how others boil.
Je vous apprendrai à vivre—I will teach you better manners (lit. to live.
Je vous ferai voir de quel bois je me chauffe—I will let you see what metal I am made of (lit. with what wood I heat myself).
Jean a étudié pour être bête—John has been to college to learn to be a fool.
Jeter le manche après la cognée—To throw the helve after the hatchet.
Jeune chirurgien, vieux médécin—A surgeon (should be) young, a physician old.
Joindre les mains, c’est bien; les ouvrir, c’est mieux—To fold the hands (in prayer) is well; to open them (in charity) is better.
L’âme n’a pas de secret que la conduite ne révèle—The heart has no secret which our conduct does not reveal.
L’adresse surmonte la force—Skill surpasses strength.
L’amitié est l’amour sans ailes—Friendship is love without wings, i.e., is steadfast.
L’amour apprend aux ânes à danser—Love teaches even asses to dance.
L’amour et la fumée ne peuvent se cacher—Love and smoke cannot be concealed.
L’argent est un bon passe-partout—Money is a good pass-key or passport.
L’argent est un bon serviteur et un méchant maître—Money is a good servant, but a bad master.
L’espérance est le songe d’un homme éveillé—Hope is the dream of a man awake.
L’esprit est une plante dont on ne sauroit arrêter la végétation sans la faire périr—Wit is a plant of which you cannot arrest the development without destroying it.
L’homme propose et Dieu dispose—Man proposes and God disposes.
L’occasion fait le larron—Opportunity makes the thief.
Là où la chèvre est attachée, il faut qu’elle broute—The goat must browse where it is tethered.
La beauté sans vertu est une fleur sans parfum—Beauty without virtue is a flower without fragrance.
La décence est le teint naturel de la vertu, et le fard du vice—Decency is the natural complexion of virtue and the deceptive guise of vice.
La faim chasse le loup hors du bois—Hunger drives the wolf out of the wood.
La farine du diable s’en va moitié en son—The devil’s meal goes half to bran.
La fortune vend ce qu’on croit qu’elle donne—Fortune sells what we think she gives.
La grande sagesse de l’homme consiste à connaître ses folies—It is in the knowledge of his follies that man shows his superior wisdom.
La jeunesse vit d’espérance, la vieillesse de souvenir—Youth lives on hope, old age on memory.
La langue des femmes est leur épée, et elles ne la laissent pas rouiller—The tongue of a woman is her sword, which she seldom suffers to rust.
La moitié du monde prend plaisir à médire, et l’autre moitié à croire les médisances—One half of the world takes delight in slander, and the other half in believing it.
La nuit porte conseil—The night brings good counsel.
La pauvreté n’est pas un péché, / Mieux vaut cependant la cacher—Poverty is not a sin; but it is better to hide it.
La peur est un grand inventeur—Fear is a great inventor.
La sauce vaut mieux que le poisson—The sauce is better than the fish.
La vérité est cachée au fond du puits—Truth is hidden at the bottom of a well.
La vertu dans l’indigence est comme un voyageur, que le vent et la pluie contraignent de s’envelopper de son manteau—Virtue in want is like a traveller who is compelled by the wind and rain to wrap himself up in his cloak.
Lawyers’ houses are built of fools’ heads.
Le bien ne se fait jamais mieux que lorsqu’il opère lentement—Good is never more effectually done than when it is produced slowly.
Le bruit est si fort, qu’on n’entend pas Dieu tonner—The noise (of things) is so deafening that we cannot hear God when He thunders.
Le coûte en ôte le goût—The cost takes away from the relish.
Le courage est souvent un effet de la peur—Courage is often an effect of fear.
Le désespoir redouble les forces—Despair doubles our powers.
Le diable était beau quand il était jeune—The devil was handsome when he was young.
Le génie c’est la patience—Genius is just patience.
Le jeu est le fils de l’avarice et le père du désespoir—Gambling is the son of avarice and the father of despair.
Le jeu n’en vaut pas la chandelle—The game is not worth the candle.
Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien—Better is the enemy of well.
Le moineau en la main vaut mieux que l’oie qui vole—A sparrow in the hand is worth a goose on the wing.
Le monde paye d’ingratitude—The world pays with ingratitude.
Le premier écu est plus difficile à gagner que le second million—The first five shillings are harder to win than the second million.
Le sage entend à demi-mot—A hint suffices for a wise man.
Le sage songe avant que de parler à ce qu’il doit dire; le fou parle, et ensuite songe à ce qu’il a dit—A wise man thinks before he speaks what he ought to say; the fool speaks and thinks afterwards what he has said.
Le vrai mérite ne depend point du temps ni de la mode—True merit depends on neither time nor mode.
Le vrai n’est pas toujours vraisemblable—The true is not always verisimilar.
Les amis de mes amis sont mes amis—My friends’ friends are my friends.
Les beaux esprits se rencontrent—Great wits draw together.
Les biens mal acquis s’en vont à vau-l’eau—Wealth ill acquired soon goes (lit. goes with the stream).
Les cloches appellent à l’église, mais n’y entrent pas—The bells call to church, but they do not enter.
Les enfants sont ce qu’on les fait—Children are what we make them.
Les femmes peuvent tout, parcequ’elles gouvernent les personnes qui gouvernent tout—Women can accomplish everything, because they govern those who govern everything.
Les girouettes qui sont placées le plus haut, tournent le mieux—Weathercocks placed on the most elevated stations turn the most readily.
Les hommes sont rares—Men are rare.
Les honneurs changent les mœurs—Honours change manners.
Les honneurs coutent à qui veut les posséder—Honours are dearly bought by whoever wishes to possess them.
Les jours se suivent et ne se ressemblent pas—The days follow, but are not like each other.
Les murailles (or murs) ont des oreilles—Walls have ears.
Les plaisirs sont amers si tôt qu’on en abuse—Pleasures become bitter as soon as they are abused.
Les vérités sont des fruits qui ne doivent être cueillis que bien mûrs—Truths, like fruits, ought not to be gathered until they are quite ripe, i.e., till the time is ripe for them.
Liberty has no crueller enemy than license.
Life is half spent before we know what life is.
Love makes time pass away, and time makes love pass away.
Même quand l’oiseau marche, on sent qu’il a des ailes—Even when a bird walks, we may see that it has wings.
Malheureux celui qui est en avance de son siècle—Unhappy is the man who is in advance of his time.
Marchandise qui plait est à demie vendue—Goods which please are half sold.
Marie ton fils quand tu voudras, mais ta fille quand tu pourras—Marry your son when you like, your daughter when you can.
Men’s ignorance makes the priest’s pot boil.
Mettre les pieds dans le plat—To put one’s foot in it.
Mieux nourri qu’ instruit—Better fed than taught.
Mieux vaut glisser du pied que de la langue—Better slip with the foot than the tongue.
Mieux vaut perdre la laine que la brebis—Better lose the wool than the sheep.
Mieux vaut un “Tiens” que deux “Tu l’auras”—One “Take this” is better than two “You shall have it.”
Mieux vaut un bon renom, que du bien plein la maison—Better a good name than a house full of riches.
Mieux vaut une once de fortune qu’une livre de sagesse—An ounce of fortune is better than a pound of wisdom.
Mon frère a mis son bonnet de travers—My brother is cross (lit. has put on his cap the wrong way).
Mot à mot on fait les gros livres—Word by word big books are made.
N’aboyez pas à la lune—Do not cry out to no purpose (lit. don’t bark at the moon).
No wind is of service to him who is bound for nowhere.
Nous sommes mieux seul qu’avec un sot—One had better be alone than with a fool.
On a beau prêcher à qui n’a cure de bien faire—It is no use preaching to him who has no wish to do well.
On apprend en faillant—One learns by failing.
On attrape plus de mouches avec du miel qu’ vinaigre—More flies are caught with honey than vinegar.
On connaît les amis au besoin—Friends are known in time of need.
On dit, est souvent un grand menteur—“They say” is often a great liar.
On doit être heureux sans trop penser à l’être—One ought to be happy without thinking too much of being so.
On fait toujours le loup plus gros qu’il n’est—People always make the wolf more formidable than he is.
On n’a jamais bon marché de mauvaise marchandise—Bad ware is never cheap.
On n’a rien pour rien—Nothing can be had for nothing.
On n’est jamais si riche que quand on déménage—People are never so rich as when they are moving their stuff.
On n’est souvent mécontent des autres que parce qu’on l’est de sol-même—We are often dissatisfied with others because we are so with ourselves.
On ne cherche point à prouver la lumière—There is no need to prove the existence of light.
On ne jette des pierres qu’à l’arbre chargé de fruits—People throw stones only at the tree which is loaded with fruit.
On ne lui fait pas prendre des vessies pour des lanternes—You won’t get him to take bladders for lanterns.
On ne peut faire qu’en faisant—One can do only by doing.
On ne peut sonner les cloches et aller à la procession—One cannot ring the bells and join in the procession.
On ne prête qu’aux riches—People lend only to the rich.
On ne sait pour qui on amasse—We know not for whom we gather.
On ne sent bien que ses propres maux—We feel only the evils that affect ourselves.
On ne va jamais si loin que lorsqu’on ne sait pas où l’on va—One never goes so far as when he does not know where he is going.
On peut mépriser le monde, mais on ne peut pas s’en passer—We may despise the world, but we cannot do without it.
On prend son bien où on le trouve—One takes what is his own wherever he finds it.
On prend souvent l’indolence pour la patience—Indolence is often taken for patience.
On se heurte tonjours où l’on a mal—One always knocks himself on the spot where the sore is.
Otez un vilain du gibet, il vous y mettra—Save a thief from the gallows, and he will cut your throat.
Péché avoué est à moitié pardonné—A sin confessed is half forgiven.
Par trop débattre la vérité se perd—The truth is sacrificed by too much disputation.
Parlez du loup et vous en verrez la queue—Speak of the wolf and you will see his tail; speak of the devil and he will appear.
Partage de Montgomerie: tout d’un côté, rien de l’autre—A Montgomery division: everything on one side and nothing on the other.
Pense ce que tu veux, dis ce que tu dois—Think what you like, say what you ought.
Pense moult, parle peu, écris moins—Think much, speak little, write less.
Petit homme abat grand chêne—A little man fells a tall oak.
Petite étincelle luit en ténèbres—A tiny spark shines in the dark.
Peu de bien, peu de soin—Little wealth, little care.
Peu de moyens, beaucoup d’effet—Simple means, great results.
Point d’argent, point de Suisse—No money, no Swiss.
Pour être assez bon, il faut l’être trop—To be good enough, one must be too good.
Pour bien connaître un homme il faut avoir mangé un boisseau de sel avec lui—To know a man well, one must have eaten a bushel of salt with him.
Pour connaître le prix de l’argent, il faut être obligé d’en emprunter—To know the value of money, a man has only to borrow.
Pour connaître les autres, il faut se connaître soi-même—To know other people one must know one’s self.
Pour faire un bon ménage il faut que l’homme soit sourd et la femme aveugle—To live happily together the husband must be deaf and the wife blind.
Pour ranger le loup, il faut le marier—To tame the wolf you must get him married.
Pour un plaisir mille douleurs—For a single pleasure a thousand pains.
Prendre la clef des champs—To run away (lit. take the key of the fields).
Prends le premier conseil d’une femme et non le second—Take a woman’s first advice and not her second.
Quand l’aveugle porte la bannière, mal pour ceux qui marchent derrière—When the blind man bears the standard, pity those who follow.
Quand on est mort, c’est pour longtemps—When one is dead, it is for a long while.
Qui a bruit de se lever matin peut dormir jusqu’ à diner—He who has a name for rising in the morning may sleep till midday.
Qui aime bien, châtie bien—Who loves well, chastises well.
Qui brille au second rang s’eclipse au premier—He who shines in the second rank is eclipsed in the first.
Qui commence et ne parfait, sa peine perd—He who begins and does not finish loves his pains.
Qui craint de souffrir, souffer de crainte—He who fears to suffer suffers from fear.
Qui est maître de sa soif est maître de sa santé—He who has the mastery of his thirst has the mastery of his health.
Qui n’a point de sens à trente ans n’en aura jamais—He who has not sense at thirty will never have any.
Qui n’a rien, ne craint rien—He who has nought fears nought.
Qui n’a, ne peut—He who has not cannot.
Qui ne sait obéir, ne sait commander—Who knows not how to obey knows not how to command.
Qui ne sait pas, trouvera à apprendre—He that does not know will find ways and means to learn.
Qui porte épée porte paix—He who bears the sword bears peace.
Qui prête à l’ami perd au double—He who lends money to a friend loses doubly.
Qui rit Vendredi, Dimanche pleurera—He who laughs Friday will weep Sunday.
Qui s’excuse, s’accuse—He who excuses himself accuses himself.
Qui sait dissimuler, sait régner—He that knows how to dissemble knows how to reign.
Qui se fait brebis, loup le mange—Him who makes himself a sheep the wolf eats.
Qui se ressemble, s’assemble—Like associates with like.
Qui se sent galeux se gratte—Let him who feels it resent it, or apply it (lit. let him scratch who feels the itch).
Qui trop embrasse, mal étreint—He who grasps too much grasps ill.
Qui veut la fin, veut les moyens—Who wills the end, wills the means.
Qui veut manger de noyeau, qu’il casse la noix—He that would eat the kernel must break the shell.
Qui veut tener nette sa maison, / N’y mette ni femme, ni prêtre, ni pigeon—Let him who would keep his house clean, house in it neither woman, priest, nor pigeon.
Qui vit sans folie, n’est pas si sage qu’il croit—He who lives without folly is not as wise as he thinks.
Rage avails less than courage.
Rien de plus éloquent que l’argent comptant—Nothing is more eloquent than ready money.
Rien de plus hautain qu’un homme médiocre devenu puissant—Nothing is more haughty than a common-place man raised to power.
Rien n’a qui assez n’a—Who has nothing has not enough.
Rien n’arrive pour rien—Nothing happens for nothing.
Rien ne ressemble plus à un honnête homme qu’un fripon—Nothing resembles an honest man more than a rogue.
Rien ne vaut poulain s’il ne rompt son lien—A colt is nothing worth if it does not break its halter.
Rira bien qui rira le dernier—He laughs well who laughs the last.
Rust wastes more than use.
S’il est vrai, il peut être—It may be, if it is true.
S’il fait beau, prends ton manteau; s’il pleut, prends-le si tu veux—If the weather is fine, take your cloak; if it rains, do as you please.
Saint cannot, if God will not.
Se laisser prendre aux apparences—To let one’s self be imposed on by appearances.
Si l’adversité te trouve toujours sur tes pieds, la prospérité ne te fait pas aller plus vite—If adversity finds you always on foot, prosperity will not make you go faster.
Soon or late the strong need the help of the weak.
Soupçon est d’amitié poison—Suspicion is the poison of friendship.
Surement va qui n’a rien—He who has nothing goes securely.
Tel coup de langue est pire qu’un coup de lance—Such a stroke with the tongue is worse than one with a lance.
Tel maître, tel valet—Like master, like man.
Tel père, tel fils—Like father, like son.
Tenez la bride haute à votre fils—Keep a tight hand over your son (lit. hold the bridle high).
Tenir le haut du pavé—To keep the best place (lit. the highest side of the pavement).
The wit one wants spoils what one has.
To do, one must be doing.
Tout va à qui n’a pas besoin—Everything goes to him who does not need it.
Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre—Everything comes in time to the man who knows how to wait.
Trop de zèle gâte tout—Too much zeal spoils all.
Un “tiens” vaut mieux que deux “tu l’aura”—One “take this” is worth more than two “you-shall-have-it.”
Un bon ami vaut mieux que cent parents—A good friend is worth more than a hundred relations.
Un bon ouvrier n’est jamais trop chèrement payé—The wages of a good workman are never too high.
Un clou chasse l’autre—One nail drives out another.
Un fou avise bien un sage—A wise man may learn of a fool.
Un peu de fiel gâte beaucoup de miel—A little gall spoils a great deal of honey.
Un renard n’est pas pris deux fois à un piège—A fox is not caught twice in the same trap.
Un sot savant est sot plus qu’un sot ignorant—A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant one.
Une faute niée est deux fois commise—A fault denied is twice committed.
Une once de vanité gâte un quintal de mérite—An ounce of vanity spoils a hundredweight of merit.
Une seule foi, une seule langue, un seul cœur—One faith, one tongue, one heart.
Une souris qui n’a qu’un trou est bientôt prise—A mouse that has only one hole is soon taken.
Unfortunate and imprudent are two words for the same thing.
Vaux mieux avoir affaire à Dieu qu’à ses saints—Better to have dealings with God than his saints.
Ventre affamé n’a point d’oreilles—A hungry belly has no ears.
Voilà une femme qui a des lunes—There is a woman who is full of whims (lit. has moons).
Volez de vos propres ailes—Do for yourself (lit. fly with your own wings).
Vos finesses sont cousues de fil blanc—Your arts are easily seen through (lit. sewed with white thread).
Vouloir c’est pouvoir—Where there’s a will, there’s a way (lit. to will is to be able).
Vous bridez le cheval par la queue—You begin at the wrong end (lit. bridle the horse by the tail).
Vous prenez tout ce qu’il dit au pied de la lettre—You take everything he says literally.
Vous voulez prendre la lune avec les dents—You attempt impossibilities (lit. wish to take the moon with your teeth).
Voyez comme il brûle le pavé—See how fast he drives (lit. burns the pavement).
What you can’t get is just what suits you.
Whoso devours the substance of the poor will at length find in it a bone to choke him.
Calf love, half love; old love, cold love.
Creaking waggons are long in passing.
Dutchmen must have wide breeches.
Far from home is near to harm.
He who will eat the nut must crack it.
Langh festjen is nin brae sperjen—A long fast saves no bread.
The nurse’s bread is sweeter than the mother’s cake.
A blockhead can find more faults than a wise man can mend.
A friend’s eye is a good looking-glass.
A king’s son is no nobler than his company.
A man in a farm and his thoughts away, is better out of it than in it.
A man is king in his own house.
A man may survive distress, but not disgrace.
A man’s wife is his blessing or his bane.
A promise is a debt.
A thing is the bigger of being shared.
All good has an end but the goodness of God.
All the difference between the wise man and the fool is, that the wise man keeps his counsel, and the fool reveals it.
All will be as God wills.
As a man makes his bed, so must he lie.
Assurance is two-thirds of success.
Avoid the evil, and it will avoid thee.
Better be unborn than untaught.
Better knot straws than do nothing.
Better understand the world than condemn it.
Blue are the hills that are far from us.
Carelessness is worse than theft.
Choose a good mother’s daughter, though her father were the devil.
Choose thy speech.
Choose your wife as you wish your children to be.
Correct counting keeps good friends.
Courtesy never broke one’s crown.
Death-bed repentance is sowing seed at Martinmas.
Dry shoes won’t catch fish.
Every creature can bear well-being except man.
Every foot will tread on him who is in the mud.
Far-off cows have long horns.
Fear is worse than fighting.
Flesh will warm in a man to his kin against his will.
For whom ill is fated, him it will strike.
Forwardness spoils manners.
Friends are lost by calling often and calling seldom.
Friendship’s as it’s kept.
From hand to mouth will never make a worthy man.
God comes in distress, and distress goes.
God has not said all that thou hast said.
Going to ruin is silent work.
Good is not got without grief.
Good sword has often been in poor scabbard.
Half-wits greet each other.
Hard is the factor’s rule; no better is the minister’s.
He that conquers himself conquers an enemy.
He that doth not plough at home won’t plough abroad.
He that flees not will be fled from.
He that is courteous at all, will be courteous to all.
He that knows is strong.
He that lives longest sees most.
He that waits long at the ferry will get over some time.
He that won’t plough at home won’t plough abroad.
He thinks no evil who means no evil.
High is the head of the stag on the mountain crag.
Honour is nobler than gold.
Honour won’t patch.
Hunger is a good cook.
If you tell me all you see, you’ll tell what will make you feel shame.
Ignorance is a heavy burden.
“I shall go to-morrow,” said the king. “You shall wait for me,” quoth the wind.
It’s bad flesh that won’t take salt; worse is the body that won’t take warning.
It’s difficult to give sense to a fool.
It’s poor friendship that needs to be constantly bought.
Lazy is the hand that ploughs not.
Losing the bundles gathering the wisps.
Love hides ugliness.
Love the good and forgive the bad.
Meal is finer than grain; women are finer than men.
Modesty is the beauty of women.
Monday is the key of the week.
Neither seek nor shun the fight.
Night is a good herdsman; she brings all creatures home.
None lie that would not steal.
Not less in God’s sight is the end of the day than the beginning.
Patience wears out stones.
Pity him who has his choice, and chooses the worse.
Poor when I have, poor when I haven’t, poor will I ever be.
Repentance won’t cure mischief.
Say little and say well.
Sense hides shame.
Short lived is all rule but the rule of God.
Slippery is the flagstone at the great house door.
Take a bird from a clean nest.
Take your thirst to the stream, as the dog does.
The betrayer is the murderer.
The day is longer than the brae; we’ll be at the top yet.
The dependant is timid.
The fated will happen.
The heaviest head of corn hangs its head lowest.
Their own will to all men, all their will to women.
There is no greater fraud than a promise unfulfilled.
There is no hiding of evil but not to do it.
There was never good or ill but women had to do with it.
What’s the good of the pipe if it’s not played on?
Abends wird der Faule fleissig—Towards evening the lazy man begins to be busy.
Adam muss eine Eve haben, die er zeiht was er gethan—Adam must have an Eve, to blame for what he has done.
Aendern und bessern sind zwei—To change, and to change for the better, are two different things.
Alle Frachten lichten, sagte der Schiffer, da warf er seine Frau über Bord—All freights lighten, said the skipper, as he threw his wife into the sea.
Aller Anfang ist schwer, sprach der Dieb, und stahl zuerst einen Amboss—Every beginning is difficult, said the thief, when he began by stealing an anvil.
Alles wäre gut, wär keln Aber dabel—Everything would be right if it were not for the “Buts.”
Alles wanket, wo der Glaube fehlt—All is unsteady (lit. wavers) where faith fails.
Allzuviel ist nicht genug—Too much is not enough.
Am meisten Unkraut trägt der fettste Boden—The fattest soil brings forth the most weeds.
Ambos oder Hammer—One must be either anvil or hammer.
Amt ohne Geld macht Diebe—Office without pay makes thieves.
Anfang heiss, Mittel lau, Ende kalt—The beginning hot, the middle lukewarm, the end cold.
Armuth ist der sechste Sinn—Poverty is the sixth sense.
Armuth ist listig, sie fängt auch einen Fuchs—Poverty is crafty; it outwits (lit. catches) even a fox.
Armuth und Hunger haben viel gelehrte Jünger—Poverty and hunger have many learned disciples.
As soon as a man is born he begins to die.
Auch der Löwe muss sich vor der Mücke wehren—Even the lion has to defend itself against flies.
Auch ein Haar hat seinen Schatten—Even a hair casts its shadow.
Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben—Postponed is not abandoned.
Aus ungelegten Eiern werden spät junge Hühner—Chickens are long in coming out of unlaid eggs.
Böser Brunnen, da man Wasser muss eintragen—It is a bad well into which you must pour water.
Böser Pfennig kommt immer wieder—A bad penny always comes back again.
Beauty is a good letter of introduction.
Behaupten ist nicht beweisen—Assertion is no proof.
Beinahe bringt keine Mücke um—Almost never killed a fly.
Beleidigst du einen Mönch, so knappen alle Kuttenzipfel bis nach Rom—Offend but one monk, and the lappets of all cowls will flutter as far as Rome.
Bellet ein alter Hund, so soll man aufschauen—When an old dog barks, one must look out.
Bescheidenheit ist eine Zier, / Doch weiter kommt man ohne ihr—Modesty is an ornament, yet people get on better without it.
Besser ein Flick als ein Loch—Better a patch than a hole.
Besser ein magrer Vergleich als ein fetter Prozess—Better is a lean agreement than a fat lawsuit.
Besser frei in der Fremde als Knecht daheim—Better free in a strange land than a slave at home.
Besser freundlich versagen als unwillig gewähren—Better a friendly refusal than an unwilling consent (lit. pledge).
Besser was als gar nichts—Better something than nothing at all.
Besser zweimal fragen dann einmal irre gehn—Better ask twice than go wrong once.
Bettelsack ist bodenlos—The beggar’s bag has no bottom.
Better one living word than a hundred dead ones.
Between a woman’s “Yes” and “No” you may insert the point of a needle.
Bist du Amboss, sei geduldig; bist du Hammer, schlage hart—Art thou anvil, be patient; art thou hammer, strike hard.
Blinder Gaul geht geradezu—A blind horse goes right on.
Borgen thut nur einmal wohl—Borrowing does well only once.
Bricht ein Ring, so bricht die ganze Katte—A link broken, the whole chain broken.
Buying is cheaper than asking.
Charity gives itself rich; covetousness hoards itself poor.
Cheese is gold in the morning, silver at midday, and lead at night.
Christen haben keine Nachbarn—Christians have no neighbours.
Could everything be done twice, it would be done better.
Cunning surpasses strength.
Das Auge des Herrn schafft mehr als seine beiden Hände—The master’s eye does more than both his hands.
Das Glück giebt Vielen zu viel, aber Keinem genug—Fortune gives to many too much, but to no one enough.
Das glaub’ ich—That is exactly my opinion.
Das Kind mit dem Bade verschütten—To throw away the child with the bath, i.e., the good with the bad.
Das Leben heisst Streben—Life is a striving.
Das Nächste das Liebste—The nearest is the dearest.
Das Recht hat eine wächserne Nase—Justice has a nose of wax.
Das Werk lobt den Meister—The work praises the artist.
Dem Esel träumet von Disteln—When the ass dreams, it is of thistles.
Dem Glücklichen schlägt keine Stunde—When a man is happy he does not hear the clock strike.
Den Mantel nach dem Winde kehren—To trim one’s sails (lit. to turn one’s cloak) to the wind.
Der beste Prediger ist die Zeit—Time is the best preacher.
Der Fuchs ändert den Pelz und behält den Schalk—The fox changes his skin but keeps his knavery.
Der grösste Schritt ist der aus der Thür—The greatest step is that out of the door.
Der Hahn schliesst die Augen, wann er krähet, weil er es auswendig kann—The cock shuts his eyes when he crows, because he has it by heart.
Der Mensch denkt, Gott lenkt—Man proposes, God disposes.
Der Mensch liebt nur einmal—Man loves only once.
Der Pfaff liebt seine Herde, doch die Lämmlein mehr als die Widder—The priest loves his flock, but the lambs more than the rams.
Der Stärkste hat Recht—The right is with the strongest.
Der Weise hat die Ohren lang, die Zunge kurz—The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.
Der Wille ist des Werkes Seele—What we will is the soul of what we do.
Des Mannes Mutter ist der Frau Teufel—The husband’s mother is the wife’s devil.
Die ärgsten Studenten werden die frömmsten Prediger—The worst-behaved students turn out the most pious preachers.
Die Aemter sind Gottes; die Amtleute Teufels—Places are God’s; place-holders are the devil’s.
Die Armen müssen tanzen wie die Reichen pfeifen—The poor must dance as the rich pipe.
Die Augen glauben sich selbst, die Ohren andern Leuten—The eyes believe themselves, the ears other people.
Die Augen sind weiter als der Bauch—The eyes are larger than the belly.
Die besten Freunde stehen im Beutel—Our best friends are in our purse.
Die Ehe ist Himmel und Hölle—Marriage is heaven and hell.
Die Kleinen reden gar so gern von dem was die Grossen thun—Small people are so fond of talking of what great people do.
Die Kunst geht nach Brod—Art goes a-begging.
Die süssesten Trauben hängen am höchsten—The sweetest grapes hang highest.
Die Schulden sind der nächste Erbe—Debts fall to the next heir.
Die Wahrheit zu sagen ist nützlich dem, der höret, schädlich dem der spricht—Telling the truth does good to him who hears, harm to him who speaks.
Doctor Luther’s shoes don’t fit every village priest.
Dogs should not be taught to eat leather (so indispensable for leashes and muzzles).
Don’t budge, if you are at ease where you are.
Don’t fly till your wings are fledged.
Ducats are clipped, pennies are not.
Dumb dogs and still waters are dangerous.
Edel ist, der eidel thut—Noble is that noble does.
Edel macht das Gemüth, nicht das Geblüt—It is the mind, not the blood, that ennobles.
Ehestand, Wehestand—State of wedlock, state of sorrow.
Ehren und Leben / Kann Niemand zurück geben—No man can give back honour and life.
Ehrlich währt am längsten—Honesty lasts longest.
“Ei ist Ei,” sagte der Küster, aber er nahm das Gans Ei—“An egg is an egg,” said the sexton, but he took the goose-egg.
Eigenliebe macht die Augen trübe—Self-love clouds the eyes.
Eile mit Weile—Haste with leisure.
Ein “Nimm hin” ist besser als zehn “Helf Gott”—One “Take this” is better than ten of “God help you.”
Ein alter Fuchs läuft nicht zum zweiten Mal in’s Garn—An old fox does not run into the snare a second time.
Ein Ding ist nicht bös, wenn man es gut versteht—A thing is not bad if we understand it well.
Ein eigen Herd, ein braves Weib, sind Gold und Perlen werth—A hearth of one’s own and a good wife are as good as gold and pearls.
Ein Esel schimpft den andern Langohr—One ass nicknames another Longears.
Ein Feind ist zu viel, und hundert Freunde sind zu wenig—One foe is too many, a hundred friends are too few.
Ein leerer Sack steht nicht aufrecht—An empty sack does not stand upright.
Ein Mühlstein wird nicht moosig—A millstone does not become covered with moss.
Ein Mann, ein Wort; ein Wort, ein Mann—A man, a word; a word, a man.
Ein Pfennig mit Recht ist besser denn tausend mit Unrecht—A penny by right is better than a thousand by wrong.
Ein Vater ernährt eher zehn Kinder, denn zehn Kinder einen Vater—One father supports ten children sooner than ten children one father.
Ein wenig zu spät ist viel zu spät—A little too late is much too late.
Eine Hälfte der Welt verlacht die andere—One half of the world laughs at the other half.
Eine Handvoll Gewalt ist besser als Sackvoll Recht—A handful of might is better than a sackful of right.
Einer kann redet und Sieben können singen—One can speak and seven can sing.
Entzwei und gebiete—Divide and rule.
Er geht herum, wie die Katze um den heissen Brei—He goes round it like a cat round hot broth.
Er steckt seine Nase in Alles—He thrusts his nose into everything.
Erring is not cheating.
Es findet jeder seinen Meister—Every one finds his master.
Es giebt kein Gesetz was hat nicht ein Loch, wer’s finden kann—There is no law but has in it a hole for him who can find it.
Es giebt mehr Diebe als Galgen—There are more thieves than gallows.
Es sind nicht alle frei, die ihrer Ketten spotten—All are not free who mock their chains.
Es sind so gute Katzen die Mäuse verjagen, als die sie fangen—They are as good cats that chase away the mice as those that catch them.
Es steckt nicht in Spiegel was man im Spiegel sieht—That is not in the mirror which you see in the mirror.
Es trinken tausend sich den Tod, ehe einer stirbt vor Durstes Noth—A thousand will drink themselves to death ere one die under stress of thirst.
Esel singen schlecht, weil sie zu hoch anstimmen—Asses sing abominably, because they pitch their notes at too high a key.
Etwas ist besser als gar nichts—Something is better than nothing at all.
Every one knows good counsel except him who needs it.
Für Gerechte giebt es keine Gesetze—There are no laws for just men.
Fürsten haben lange Hände und viele Ohren—Princes have long hands and many ears.
Fair flowers don’t remain lying by the highway.
Fancy requires much, necessity but little.
Faulheit ist der Schlüssel zur Armuth—Sloth is the key to poverty.
Fette Küche, magere Erbschaft—A fat kitchen, a lean legacy.
Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head.
Flatterers are cats that lick before, and scratch behind.
Fools build houses, and wise men buy them.
Forbearance is not acquittance.
Forgiven is not forgotten.
Frühe Hochzeit, lange Liebe—Early marriage, long love.
Frau und Mond leuchten mit fremden Licht—Madame and the moon shine with borrowed light.
Frauen und Jungfrauen soll man loben, es sei wahr oder erlogen—Truly or falsely, women and maidens must be praised.
Fremdes Pferd und eigene Sporen haben bald den Wind verloren—Another’s horse and our own spurs soon outstrip the wind.
Friendship is a plant which one must water often.
Friendship is love with understanding.
Frisch gewagt ist halb gewonnen—Boldly ventured is half done (won).
Fromm, Klug, Weis, und Mild, gehört in des Adels Schild—The words pious, prudent, wise, and gentle are appropriately suitable on the shield of a noble.
Fromme Leute wohnen weit auseinander—Good people dwell far apart.
Gäb es keine Narren, so gäb es keine Weisen—Were there no fools, there would be no wise men.
Güte bricht einem kein Bein—Kindness breaks no one’s bones.
Gebratene Tauben, die einem im Maul fliegen?—Do pigeons fly ready-roasted into one’s mouth?
Gedanken sind zollfrei, aber nicht höllenfrei—Thoughts are toll-free, but not hell-free.
Gefährte munter kürzt die Meilen—Lively companionship shortens the miles.
Geld est der Mann—Money makes (lit. is) the man.
Geld im Beutel vertreibt die Schwermuth—Money in the purse drives away melancholy.
Gelegenheit macht den Dieb—Opportunity makes the thief.
Gemsen steigen hoch und werden doch gefangen—The chamois climb high, and yet are caught.
Genug ist über einer Sackvoll—Enough excels a sackful.
Geredt ist geredt, man kann es mit einem Schwamme abwischen—What is said is said; there is no sponge that can wipe it out.
Geschrei macht den Wolf grösser als er ist—Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.
Gewinnen ist leichter als Erhalten—Getting is easier than keeping.
Giebt es Krieg, so macht der Teufel die Hölle weiter—When war falls out, the devil enlarges hell.
Glück auf dem Weg—Good luck by the way.
Glück und Weiber haben die Narren lieb—Fortune and women have a liking for fools.
Gleich und Gleich gesellt sich gern, sprach der Teufel zum Köhler—Like will to like, as the devil said to the charcoal-burner.
Gleiches Blut, gleiches Gut, und gleiche Jahre machen die besten Heirathspaare—Like blood, like estate, and like age make the happiest wedded pair.
God blesses the seeking, not the finding.
God is a creditor who has no bad debts.
Gold liegt tief im Berge, aber Koth am Wege—Gold lies deep in the mountain, but dirt on the highway.
Gone is gone; no Jew will lend upon it.
Good counsel without good fortune is a windmill without wind.
Good example is half a sermon.
Good people live far apart.
Gott ist überall, ausser wo er seinem Statthalter hat—God is everywhere except his vicar is.
Gott macht gesund, und der Doktor kriegt das Geld—God cures us, and the doctor gets the fee.
Gottes Freund, der Pfaffen Feind—God’s friend, priest’s foe.
Gottes Mühle geht langsam, aber sie mahlt fein—God’s mill goes slow, but it grinds fine.
Grau’ Haare sind Kirchhofsblumen—Gray hairs are churchyard flowers.
Gross Diligenz und klein Conscienz macht reich—Great industry and little conscience make one rich.
Gross und leer, wie das Heidelberger Fass—Big and empty, like the Heidelberg tun.
Grosser Herren Leute lassen sich was bedünken—Great people’s servants think themselves of no small consequence.
Gut Gewissen ist ein sanftes Ruhekissen—A good conscience is a soft pillow.
Guter Rath kommt über Nacht—Good counsel comes over-night.
“Habe gehabt,” ist ein armer Mann—“I have had,” is a poor man.
Hänge nicht alles auf einen Nagel—Hang not all on one nail.
Half a house is half a hell.
“Hatte ich gewusst,” ist ein armer Mann—“If I had known,” is a poor man.
Having is having, come whence it may.
He cannot see the wood for the trees.
He swallows the egg and gives away the shell in alms.
He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.
He who would rule must hear and be deaf, must see and be blind.
Heute muss dem Morgen nichts borgen—To-day must borrow nothing of to-morrow.
Heute roth, Morgen todt—To-day red, to-morrow dead.
High houses are usually empty in the upper storey.
Hin ist die Zeit, da Bertha spann—Gone is the time when Queen Bertha span.
Im Becher ersaufen mehr als im Meer—More are drowned in the wine-cup than in the sea.
Im Unglück halte aus; / Im Glücke halte ein—In bad fortune hold out; in good, hold in.
Immer etwas Neues, selten etwas Gutes—Always something new, seldom anything good.
In die Hölle kommt man mit grösserer Mühe, als in den Himmel—It’s harder work getting to hell than heaven.
In Glück Vorsichtigkeit, in Unglück Geduld—In good fortune, prudence; in bad, patience.
In the mirror we see the face; in wine, the heart.
In the morning of life, work; in the mid-day, give counsel; in the evening, pray.
It is better to trust the eye than the ear.
It takes a good many spadefuls of earth to bury the truth.
It’s harder work getting to hell than to heaven.
Je fetter der Floh, je magerer der Hund—The fatter the flea, the leaner the dog.
Je mehr der Brunnen gebraucht wird, desto mehr giebt er Wasser—The more the well is used, the more water it gives.
Je mehr Gesetze, je weniger Recht—The more laws, the less justice.
Je schôner die Wirthin, je schwerer die Zeche—The fairer the hostess the heavier the bill.
Je weniger die Worte, je besser Gebet—The fewer the words, the better the prayer.
Jedem das Seine ist nicht zu viel—To no one is his own too much.
Jeder gilt so viel als er hat—Every one is worth as much as he has.
Jeder ist seiner Worte bester Ausleger—Every one is the best interpreter of his own words.
Jeder Krämer lobt seine Ware—Every dealer cracks up his wares.
Jeder muss der Natur seine Schuld bezahlen—Every one must pay his debt to Nature.
Jeder muss ein Paar Narrenschuhe zerreissen, zerreisst er nicht mehr—Every one must wear out one pair of fool’s shoes, if he wear out no more.
Jedes Weib will lieber schön als fromm sein—Every woman would rather be handsome than pious.
Junge Faullenzer, alte Bettler—A young idler makes an old beggar.
Junger Spieler, alter Bettler—Young a gambler, old a beggar.
Juristen, böse Christen—Jurists are bad Christians.
Kalte Hand, warmes Herz—A cold hand, a warm heart.
Kartenspiel ist des Teufels Gebetsbuch—A pack of cards is the devil’s prayer-book.
Kauf bedarf hundert Augen; Verkauf hat an einem genug—One who buys needs a hundred eyes; one is enough for him who sells.
Kaufen ist wohlfeiler als Bitten—Buying is cheaper than asking.
Kein Baum fällt auf den ersten Schlag—No tree falls at the first blow.
Kein Ding ist so schlecht, dass es nicht zu etwas nützen sollte—There’s nothing so bad as not to be of service for something.
Keiner ist so klug, dass er nicht ein wenig Narrheit übrig hätte—No one is so wise as not to have a little folly to spare.
Kleine Diebe henkt man, grosse lässt man laufen—We hang little thieves, but we let big ones off.
Kleine Diebe henkt man, vor grossen zieht man den Hut ab—We hang little thieves, and doff our hats to big ones.
Kleine Feinde und kleine Wunden sind nicht zu verachten—Paltry enemies and trifling wounds are not to be despised.
Kleiner Profit und oft, ist besser wie grosser und selten—Slender profits and often are better than large ones and seldom.
Kluge Männer suchen wirthliche Frauen—Prudent men woo thrifty women.
Krankes Fleish, kranker Geist—Sickly in body, sickly in mind.
Lade nicht alles in ein Schiff—Embark not your all in one venture.
Lange ist nicht ewig—Long is not for ever.
Lass die Leute reden und die Hunde bellen—Let the people talk and the dogs bark.
Late fruit keeps well.
Lawyers will live as long as mine and thine does.
Learned fools are the greatest of all fools.
Let the devil get into the church, and he will soon be on the altar.
Liberty is God’s gift; liberties are the devil’s.
Liebe kann viel, Geld kann alles—Love cannot do much; money everything.
Liebe ohne Gegenliebe ist wie eine Frage ohne Antwort—Love unreciprocated is like a question without an answer.
Lieber Neid denn Mitleid—Better envy than pity.
Light is light, though the blind man doesn’t see it.
List geht über Gewalt—Cunning overcomes strength.
Little pots soon boil over.
Love without return is like a question without an answer.
Love your neighbour, but don’t tear down the fence.
Luck seeks those who flee, and flees those who seek it.
Luther’s shoes don’t fit every country parson.
Mächtig in Werke, nicht in Worte—Mighty in deeds, not in words.
Mach’ dich nicht zu hoch, die Thür ist niedrig—Don’t carry your head too high; the door is low.
Man darf nur sterben, um gelobt zu werden—One has but to die to be praised.
Man disputirt mehr über die Schaale, als über den Kern—People dispute more about the shell than the kernel.
Man soll kein Buch nach dem Titelblatt beurtheilen—We should not judge of a book from the title-page.
Man soll nicht mehr Teufel rufen, als man bannen kann—One should raise no more devils than one can lay.
Man verändert sich oft und bessert sich selten—People change often enough, but seldom for the better.
Many go in quest of wool, and come back shorn.
Many see more with one eye than others with two.
Maulesel treiben viel Parlaren / Dass ihre Voreltern Pferde waren—Mules boast much that their ancestors were horses.
More are drowned in the beaker than in the sea.
Muss ist eine harte Nuss—Must is a hard nut to crack.
Nachgeben stillt allen Krieg—Yielding stills all war.
Nature and love cannot be concealed.
Nature draws with greater force than seven oxen.
Necessity unites hearts.
Nicht alle sind Diebe, die der Hund anbellt—All are not thieves whom the dog barks at.
Nichts thun lehrt Uebel thun—Doing nothing is a lesson in doing ill.
Nimm die Welt, wie sie ist, nicht wie sie seyn sollte—Take the world as it is, not as it should be.
Not to see the wood for the trees, i.e., the whole for the details.
Noth bricht Eisen—Necessity breaks iron.
Noth kennt kein Gebot—Necessity knows no law.
Noth lehrt beten—Necessity teaches to pray.
Nothing is so new as what has been long forgotten.
Nothing weighs lighter than a promise.
O was müssen wir der Kirche Gottes halber leiden, rief der / Abt, als ihm das gebratene Huhn die Finger versengte—“What must we suffer for the Church of God’s sake!” exclaimed the Abbot when the roast fowl burnt his fingers.
Of big words and feathers many go to the pound.
Oft schiessen trifft das Ziel—Shooting often hits the mark.
Ohne Mehl und Wasser ist übel backen—It is ill baking without meal and water.
Ohne Wissen, ohne Sünde—Where there’s no knowledge there’s no sin.
Pillen muss man schlingen, nicht kauen—Pills must be swallowed, not chewed.
Poverty and hunger have many learned disciples.
Proverbs are the wisdom of ages.
Rast macht Rost—Rest breeds rust.
Rathe Niemand ungebeten—Advise no man unasked.
Rathen ist leichter denn helfen—To advise is easier than to help.
Rathen ist nicht zwingen—To advise is not to compel.
Rede wenig, rede wahr. Zehre wenig, zahle baar—Speak little, speak true. Spend little, pay cash down.
Reden kommt von Natur, Schweigen vom Verstande—Speaking comes from nature, silence from discretion.
Reichen giebt man, Armen nimmt man—We give to the rich, we take from the poor.
Revenge converts a little right into a great wrong.
Richter sollen zwel gleiche Ohren haben—Judges should have two ears, both alike.
Ruh kommt aus Unruh, und wieder Unruh aus Ruh—Rest comes from unrest, and unrest again from rest.
Süsser Wein giebt sauern Essig—Sweet wine yields sour vinegar.
Sag’ eine Lüge, so hörst du die Wahrheit—Tell a lie, you will then hear the truth.
Salt and bread make the cheeks red.
Samson was a strong man, but he could not pay money before he got it.
Schäme dich deines Handwerks nicht—Think no shame of your craft.
Schöne Blumen stehen nicht lange am Wege—Fair flowers are not left standing long by the wayside.
Schick dich in die Zeit—Adapt yourself to the times.
Schweig, oder rede etwas, das ist besser denn Schweigen—Be silent, or say something that is better than silence.
Sei was du sein willst—Be what you would be.
Selbst gethan ist halb gethan—What you do yourself is half done.
Sie streiten um ein Ei, und lassen die Henne fliegen—They dispute about an egg, and let the hens fly away.
Sparen ist grössere Kunst als erwerben—Saving is a greater art than gaining.
Speaking comes by nature, silence by understanding.
Steckenpferde sind theurer als arabische Hengste—Hobby-horses are more expensive than Arab ones.
Strong folks have strong maladies.
Tadeln kann ein jeder Bauer; besser machen wird ihm sauer—Every boor can find fault; it would baffle him to do better.
Take-it-easy and Live-long are brothers.
The dog that starts the hare is as good as the one that catches it.
The priest loves his flock, but the lambs more than the wethers.
The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.
The worst wheel in the waggon creaks the loudest.
To spend much and gain little is the sure road to ruin.
To-day must not borrow of to-morrow.
Todte Hunde beissen nicht—Dead dogs don’t bite.
Übung macht den Meister—Practice makes perfect (lit. the master).
Undank ist der Welt Lohn—Ingratitude is the world’s reward.
Unverhofft kommt oft—The unlooked-for often happens.
Verletzen ist leicht, heilen schwer—To hurt is easy, to heal is hard.
Vermögren sucht Vermögen—Ability seeks ability.
Verschoben ist nicht aufgehoben—To put off is not to let off.
Verzeih dir nichts und den Andern viel—Forgive thyself nothing, others much.
Viele Freunde und wenige Nothhelfer—Many friends and few helpers in distress.
Voll, toll—Full, foolish.
Würf er einen Groschen auf’s Dach, fiel ihm ein Thaler herunter—If he threw a penny up, a dollar came down.
Wahrheit wird wohl gedrückt, aber nicht erstickt—Truth may be smothered, but not extinguished.
Was der Löwe nicht kann, das kann der Fuchs—What the lion cannot manage to do, the fox can.
Was die Fürsten geigen, müssen die Unterthanen tanzen—Subjects must dance as princes fiddle to them.
Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr—What little Jack does not learn, big John never will.
Was hilft laufen, wenn man nicht auf dem rechten Weg ist?—What boots running if one is on the wrong road?
Was man Gott opfern will, mass man nicht vom Teufel einsegnen lassen—We must not let the devil consecrate what we mean for God.
We hang little thieves, and take off our hats to great ones.
Weise Hut, / Behält ihr Gut—Wise care keeps what it has gained.
Weise sein ist nicht allzeit gut—It is not always good to be wise.
Weiser Mann, starker Mann—A wise man is a strong man.
Wem nicht zu rathen ist, dem ist auch nicht zu helfen—Who will not be advised, cannot be helped.
Wenn das Glück anpocht, soll man ihm aufthun—When fortune knocks, open the door.
Wenn Gott sagt: Heute, sagt der Teufel: Morgen—When God says “To-day,” the devil says “To-morrow.”
Wenn mancher Mann wüsste, / Wer mancher Mann wär’, / Thät’ mancher Mann manchem Mann / Manchmal mehr Ehr’—If many a man knew who many a man was, many a man would do many a time more honour to many a man.
Wer die Leiter hinauf will, muss bei der untersten Sprosse schon beginnen—He who would mount a ladder must begin at the lowest step.
Wer lügt, der stiehlt—He who lies, steals.
Wer nicht Bitteres gekostet hat, weiss nicht was süss ist—He who has not tasted bitter does not know what sweet is.
Wer nicht hören will, der muss fühlen—He that will not hear must be made to feel.
Wer oft schiesst, trifft endlich—He who shoots often, hits the mark at last.
Wer sein eigener Lehrmeister sein will, hat einen Narren zum Schüler—He who undertakes to be his own teacher has a fool for a pupil.
Wer will, der vermag—He is able who is willing.
Wer wohl sitzt, der rücke nicht—Let him who is well seated not stir.
When need is highest, help is nighest.
Where the devil cannot come, he will send.
Who digs a pit for others falls into it himself.
Wissen ist leichter als thun—To know is easier than to do.
Wo der Teufel nicht hin mag; da send er seinen Boten hin—Where the devil cannot come, he will send his messenger.
Wohlgethan überlebt den Tod—Well-done outlives death.
Work is our business; its success is God’s.
Worte sind gut, wenn Werke folgen—Words are good if works follow.
You must empty out the bathing-tub, but not the baby along with it.
Zahltag kommt alle Tag—Pay-day comes every day.
Zeit verdeckt und entdeckt—Time covers and uncovers everything.
Zielen ist nicht genug; es gilt Treffen—To aim is not enough; you must hit.
Zu viel Demuth ist Hochmuth—Too much humility is pride.
Zu viel Glück ist Unglück—Too much good luck is ill luck.
Zu viel Weisheit ist Narrheit—Too much wisdom is folly.
Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen—To kill two flies with one flapper; to kill two birds with one stone.
Zwei gute Tage hat der Mensch auf Erden; / Den Hochzeitstag und das Begrabenwerden—Man has two gala-days on earth—his marriage-day and his funeral-day.
Zwischen Amboss und Hammer—Between the anvil and the hammer.
Before the act consider, so that nothing foolish may arise out of it.
Fear old age, for it does not come alone.
He who is about to marry is on the way to repentance.
Man is an air-bubble.
One man is no man.
Success is befriended by many people.
The fountain of wisdom flows through books.
The gods themselves do not fight against necessity.
When the candle is taken away, every woman is alike.
While the fisher sleeps the net takes.
Beauty is the flowering of virtue.
Morgenstunde hat Gold im Munde—The morning hour has gold in its mouth.
Nature needs little, fancy (Wahn) much.
The bearers of the thyrsus (the symbol of the Bacchus inspiration) are many, but the Bacchants (the truly inspired) are few.
The man who fears not death will start at no shadows.
A nod for a wise man, and a rod for a fool.
An old man in a house is a good sign in a house.
As is the garden, such is the gardener.
God is more delighted in adverbs than in nouns—i.e., not in what is done so much as how it is done.
If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
In your own country your name, in other countries your appearance.
Let not one enemy be few, nor a thousand friends many, in thy sight.
One soweth and another reapeth.
Physician, heal thyself.
When the tale of bricks is doubled, then comes Moses.
God never shuts one door but He opens another.
God’s help is nearer than the door.
Keep your hurry in your fist.
Let every herring hang by its own tail.
Marriage comes unawares, like a soot-drop.
A cader va chi troppo in alto sale—He who climbs too high is near a fall.
A causa perduta parole assai—Plenty of words when the cause is lost.
A nemico che fugge, fa un ponte d’oro—Make a bridge of gold for an enemy who is flying from you.
A tutti non si adatta una sola scarpa—One shoe does not fit every foot.
A veste logorata poco fede vien prestata—A shabby coat finds small credit.
A young man idle, an old man needy.
A’ sottili cascano le brache—The cloak sometimes falls off a cunning man.
Accasca in un punto quel che non accasca in cento anni—That may happen in a moment which may not occur again in a hundred years.
Acqua lontana non spegne fuoco vicino—Water afar won’t quench a fire at hand.
Ad ogni santo la sua torcia—To every saint his own torch, i.e., his place of honour.
Ad ogni uocello suo nido è bello—Every bird thinks its own nest beautiful.
Ad ognuno par più grave la croce sua—Every one thinks his own cross the hardest to bear.
Al molino, ed alla sposa / Sempre manca qualche cosa—A mill and a woman are always in want of something.
Ama l’amico tuo con il diffetto suo—Love your friend with all his faults.
Amico d’ognuno, amico di nessuno—Everybody’s friend is nobody’s friend.
Amor tutti eguaglia—Love makes all equal.
Amore è di sospetti fabro—Love is a forger of suspicions.
Anche il mar, che è si grande, si pacifica—Even the sea, great though it be, grows calm.
Anche la rana morderebbe se avesse denti—Even the frog would bite if it had teeth.
Argus at home, a mole abroad.
Aspettare e non venire, Stare in letto e non dormire, / Ben servire e non gradire, / Son tre cose da morire—To wait for what never comes, to lie abed and not sleep, to serve and not be advanced, are three things to die of.
Assai è ricco à chi non manca—He is rich enough who has no wants.
Assai acqua passa per il molino, che il molinaio non se n’accorge—A good deal of water passes by the mill which the miller takes no note of.
Assai basta, e troppo guasta—Enough is enough, and too much spoils.
Assai ben balla, à chi fortuna suona—He dances well to whom fortune pipes.
Assai guadagna chi vano sperar perde—He gains a great deal who loses a vain hope.
Assai sa, chi non sa, se tacer sa—He who knows not, knows a good deal if he knows how to hold his tongue.
Barba bagnata è mezza rasa—A beard well lathered is half shaved.
Bella femmina che ride, vuol dire borsa che piange—The smiles of a pretty woman are the tears of the purse.
Ben è cieco chi non vede il sole—He is very blind who does not see the sun.
Benchè la bugia sia veloce, la verità l’arriva—Though a lie may be swift, truth overtakes it.
Benedetto è quel male che vien solo—Blessed is the misfortune that comes alone.
Berretta in mano non fece mai danno—Cap in hand never harmed any one.
Beware of one who has nothing to lose.
Bisogna amar l’amico con i suoi difetti—We must love our friend with all his defects.
Broad thongs may be cut from other people’s leather.
Buon cavallo non ha bisogno di sproni—Don’t spur a willing horse.
Can ch’ abbaia non morde—A dog that barks does not bite.
Can che morde non abbaia in vano—A dog that bites does not bark in vain.
Cane vecchio non abbaia indarno—An old dog does not bark for nothing.
Capo grasso, cervello magro—Fat head, lean brains.
Cara al mio cuor tu sei, / Ciò ch’è il sole agli occhi miei—Thou art as dear to my heart as the sun to my eyes.
Carica volontario non carica—A willing burden is no burden.
Casa mia, casa mia, per piccina che tu sia, tu mi sembri una badia—Home, dear home, small though thou be, thou art to me a palace.
Cattiva è quella lana, che non si può tingere—Bad is the cloth that won’t dye.
Cattivo è quel sacco che non si puo rappezzare—Bad is the sack that won’t patch.
Cavallo ingrassato tira calci—A horse that is grown fat kicks.
Cent ’ore di malinconia non pagano un quattrino di’ debito—A hundred hours of vexation will not pay one farthing of debt.
Cento carri di pensieri, non pagaranno un’ oncia di debito—A hundred cartloads of care will not pay an ounce of debt.
Chastise the good, and he will grow better; chastise the bad, and he will grow worse.
Che dorme coi cani, si leva colle pulci—Those who sleep with dogs will rise up with fleas.
Che ne può la gatta se la massaia è matta—How can the cat help it if the maid is fool (enough to leave things in her way)?
Chi é causa del suo mal, pianga se stesso—He who is the cause of his own misfortunes may bewail them himself.
Chi altri giudica, sè condanna—Whoso judges others condemns himself.
Chi ama, crede—He who loves, believes.
Chi ama, teme—He who loves, fears.
Chi asino è, e cervo esser si crede, al saltar del fosso se n’avvede—He who is an ass and thinks he is a stag, will find his error when he has to leap a ditch.
Chi compra ciò pagar non può, vende ciò che non vuole—He who buys what he cannot pay for, sells what he fain would not.
Chi compra ha bisogno di cent occhi—He who buys requires an hundred eyes.
Chi compra terra, compra guerra—Who buys land, buys war.
Chi con l’occhio vede, di cuor crede—Seeing is believing (lit. he who sees with the eye believes with the heart).
Chi da il suo inanzi morire s’apparecchia assai patire—He who gives of his wealth before dying, prepares himself to suffer much.
Chi dinanzi mi pinge, di dietro mi tinge—He who paints me before, blackens me behind.
Chi due padroni ha da servire, ad uno ha da mentire—Whoso serves two masters must lie to one of them.
Chi edifica, sua borsa purifica—He who builds clears his purse.
Chi erra nelle decine, erra nelle migliaja—He who errs in the tens, errs in the thousands.
Chi fa il conto senza l’oste, gli convien farlo due volte—He who reckons without his host must reckon again.
Chi fa quel ch’ e’ pu, non fa mai bene—He who does all he can do never does well.
Chi ha capo di cera non vada al sole—Let not him whose head is of wax walk in the sun.
Chi ha danari da buttar via, metta gli operaj, e non vi stia—He who has money to squander, let him employ workmen and not stand by them.
Chi ha denti, non ha pane; e chi ha pane, non ha denti—He who has teeth is without bread, and he who has bread is without teeth.
Chi ha l’amor nel petto, ha lo sprone a’ fianchi—He who has love in his heart has spurs in his sides.
Chi ha lingua in bocca, può andar per tutto—He who has a tongue in his head can travel all the world over.
Chi ha paura del diavolo, non fa roba—He who has a dread of the devil does not grow rich.
Chi ha sanità è ricco, e non lo sa—He who has good health is rich, and does not know it.
Chi ha sospetto, di rado è in difetto—He who suspects is seldom at fault.
Chi lingua ha, a Roma va—He who has a tongue may go to Rome, i.e., may go anywhere.
Chi nasce bella, nasce maritata—She who is born a beauty is born married.
Chi niente sa, di niente dubita—He who knows nothing, doubts nothing.
Chi non dà fine al pensare, non dà principio al fare—He who is never done with thinking never gets the length of doing.
Chi non ha cuore, abbia gambe—He who has no courage should have legs (to run).
Chi non ha piaghe, se ne fa—He who has no worries makes himself some.
Chi non ha testa, abbia gambe—He who has no brains should have legs.
Chi non ha, non è—He who has not, is not.
Chi non istima vien stimato—To disregard is to win regard.
Chi non puo fare come voglia, faccia come puo—He who cannot do as he would, must do as he can.
Chi non sa fingere, non sa vivere—He that knows not how to dissemble knows not how to live.
Chi non vede il fondo, non passi l’acqua—Who sees not the bottom, let him not attempt to wade the water.
Chi non vuol servir ad un sol signor, a molto ha da servir—He who will not serve one master will have to serve many.
Chi offende scrive nella rena, chi è offeso nel marmo—He who offends writes on sand; he who is offended, on marble.
Chi offende, non perdona mai—He who offends you never forgives you.
Chi parla semina, chi tace raccoglie—Who speaks, sows; who keeps silence, reaps.
Chi più sa, meno parla—Who knows most, says least.
Chi piglia leone in assenza suol temer del topi in presenza—He who takes a lion far off will shudder at a mole close by.
Chi piu sa, meno crede—Who knows most, believes least.
Chi sa la strada, puo andar di trotto—He who knows the road can go at a trot.
Chi sa poco presto lo dice—He who knows little quickly tells it.
Chi serve al commune serve nessuno—He who serves the public serves no one.
Chi si fa fango, il porco lo calpestra—He who makes himself dirt, the swine will tread on him.
Chi si trova senz’ amici, è come un corpo senz’ anima—He who is without friends is like a body without a soul.
Chi sta bene, non si muova—Let him who is well off remain where he is.
Chi t’ha offeso non ti perdonera mai—He who has offended you will never forgive you.
Chi tace confessa—Silence is confession.
Chi troppo abbraccia nulla stringe—He who grasps at too much holds fast nothing.
Chi tutto vuole, tutto perde—Covet all, lose all.
Chi va piano, va sano, chi va sano va lontano—He who goes softly goes safely, and he who goes safely goes far.
Chi va, vuole; chi manda, non se ha cura—He who goes himself, means it; he who sends another does not care.
Chi vuol dell’ acqua chiara, vada alla fonte—He who wants the water pure must go to the spring-head.
Chi vuol esser mal servito tenga assai famiglia—Let him who would be ill served keep plenty servants.
Chi vuol il lavoro mal fatto, paghi innanzi tratto—If you wish your work ill done, pay beforehand.
Chi vuol presto e ben, faccia da se—He who wishes a thing done quickly and well, must do it himself.
Ciò che si usa, non ha bisogno di scusa—That which is customary needs no excuse.
Cieco è l’occhio, se l’animo è distratto—The eye sees nothing if the mind is distracted.
Con arte e con inganno si vive mezzo l’anno; con inganno si vive l’altra parte—People live with art and deception one half the year, and with deception and art the other half.
Con poco cervello si governa il mondo—The world is governed with small wit.
Constant occupation prevents temptation.
Contesa vecchia tosto si fa nuova—An old feud is easily renewed.
Corpo satollo non crede all’ affamato—A satisfied appetite does not believe in hunger.
Corre lontano chi non torna mai—He runs a long way who never turns.
Cosa ben fatta è fatta due volte—A thing well done is twice done.
Cosa fatta, capo ha—A thing which is done has a head, i.e., it is never done till completed.
Cui serpe mozzica, lucenta teme—Whom a serpent has bitten fears a lizard.
Dà tempo al tempo—Give time to time.
Da chi mi fido, / Guardi mi Dio. / Da chi non mi fido, / Mi guarderò io—From him I trust may God keep me; from him I do not trust I will keep myself.
Dal detto al fatto v’è un gran tratto—From saying to doing is a long stride.
Danari fanno danari—Money breeds money.
Dannosa è il dono che toglie la libertà—Injurious is the gift that takes away our liberty.
De’ peccati de’ signori fanno penitenza i poveri—The poor do penance for the sins of the rich.
Del giudizio, ognun ne vende—Of judgment every one has some to sell.
Del vero s’adira l’uomo—It is the truth that irritates a man.
Dell’ albero non si giudica dalla scorza—You can’t judge of a tree by its bark.
Di picciol uomo spesso grand’ ombra—A little man often casts a long shadow.
Di tutte le arti maestro è amore—Love is master of all arts.
Different times different manners.
Domandar chi nacque prima, l’uovo o la gallina—Ask which was first produced, the egg or the hen.
Donna di finestra, uva di strada—A woman at the window is a bunch of grapes by the wayside.
Dove è grand’ amore, quivi è gran dolore—Where the love is great the pain is great.
Dove è il Papa, ivi è Roma—Where the Pope is, Rome is.
Dove è l’amore, là è l’occhio—Where love is, there the eye is.
Dove bisognan rimedj, il sospirar non vale—Where remedies are needed, sighing is of no use.
Dove entra il vino, esce la vergogna—When wine enters modesty goes.
Dove la voglia è pronta, le gambe son leggiere—When the will is prompt, the legs are light.
Dura più incudine che il martello—The anvil lasts longer than the hammer.
E bello predicare il digiuno a corpo pieno—It is easy to preach fasting with a full belly.
E buon comprare quando un altro vuol vendere—It is well to buy when another wishes to sell.
E mala cosa esser cattivo, ma è peggiore esser conosciuto—It is a bad thing to be a knave, but worse to be found out.
E meglio aver oggi un uovo, che dimani una gallina—Better an egg to-day than a hen to-morrow.
E meglio cader dalla finestra che dal tetto—It is better to fall from the window than the roof.
E meglio dare che non aver a dare—Better give than not have to give.
E meglio domandar che errare—Better ask than lose your way.
E meglio esse fortunato che savio—’Tis better to be born fortunate than wise.
E meglio esser uccel di bosco che di gabbia—Better to be a bird in the wood than one in the cage.
E meglio il cuor felice che la borsa—Better the heart happy than the purse (full).
E meglio lasciare che mancare—Better leave than lack.
E meglio perder la sella che il cavallo—Better lose the saddle than the horse.
E meglio sdrucciolare col piè che con la lingua—Better slip with the foot than the tongue.
E meglio senza cibo restar che senz’ onore—Better be without food than without honour.
E meglio un buon amico che cento parente—One true friend is better than a hundred relations.
E meglio una volta che mai—Better once than never.
E’ va più d’un asino al mercato—There is more than one ass goes to the market.
Eggs of an hour, bread of a day, wine of a year, but a friend of thirty years is best.
Egli ha fatto il male, ed io mi porto la pena—He has done the mischief, and I pay the penalty.
Egli vende l’uccello in su la frasca—He sells the bird on the branch.
Egli venderebbe sino alla sua parte del sole—He would sell even his share in the sun.
Even a fly has its spleen.
Even a frog would bite if it had teeth.
Even among the apostles there was a Judas.
Even foxes are outwitted and caught.
Even the just man has need of help.
Fa bene, e non guardare a chi—Do good, no matter to whom.
Fammi indovino, e ti farò ricco—Make me a prophet, and I will make you rich.
Fatta la legge, trovata la malizia—As soon as a law is made its evasion is found out.
Fear guards the vineyard.
Fidarsi è bene, ma non fidarsi è meglio—To trust one’s self is good, but not to trust one’s self is better.
Fidati era un buon uomo, Nontifidare era meglio—Trust was a good man, Trust Not was a better.
Follow the wise few rather than the vulgar many.
For an honest man half his wits are enough; for a knave, the whole are too little.
For the buyer a hundred eyes are too few, for the seller one is enough.
Forte è l’aceto di vin dolce—Strong is vinegar from sweet wine.
Freno indorato non megliora il cavallo—A golden bit, no better a horse.
Friar Modest never was prior.
From the same flower the bee extracts honey and the wasp gall.
Gifts are often losses.
Giovine santo, diavolo vecchio—A young saint, an old devil.
Gli alberi grandi fanno più ombra che frutto—Large trees yield more shade than fruit.
Gli amici legano la borsa con un filo di ragnatelo—Friends tie their purses with a spider’s thread.
Gli uomini alla moderna, e gli asini all’ antica—After the modern stamp men, and after the ancient, asses.
Gli uomini fanno la roba, e le donne la conservano—Men make the wealth and women husband it.
Gli uomini hanno gli anni che sentono, e le donne quelli che mostrano—Men are as old as they feel, and women as they look.
God keep me from my friends; from my enemies I will keep myself.
God sends meat and the devil sends cooks.
God sends nothing but what can be borne.
Gold’s worth is gold.
Guardalo ben, guardalo tutto / L’uom senza danar quanto è brutto—Watch him well, watch him closely; the man without money, how worthless he is!
Guardati da aceto di vin dolce—Beware of the vinegar of sweet wine.
Guardati da chi non ha che perdere—Beware of him who has nothing to lose.
Guardati dall’ occasione, e ti guarderà / Dio da peccati—Keep yourself from opportunities, and God will keep you from sins.
Guerra cominciata, inferno scatinato—War begun, hell let loose.
He cries out before he is hurt.
He is the world’s master who despises it, its slave who prizes it.
He runs far who never turns.
He that at twenty is not, at thirty knows not, and at forty has not, will never either be, or know, or have.
He that has a head will not want a hat.
He that seeks to have many friends never has any.
He who speaks sows; he who keeps silence reaps.
I danari del comune sono come l’ acqua benedetta, ognun ne piglia—Public money is like holy water; everybody helps himself to it.
I fatti sono maschii, le parole femine—Deeds are masculine, words feminine.
I favoriti dei grandi oltre all’ oro di regali, e l’incenso delle lodi, tocca loro anche la mirra della maldicenza—The favourites of the great, besides the gold of gifts and the incense of flattery, must also partake of the myrrh of calumny.
I gran dolori sono muti—Great griefs are dumb.
I guadagni mediocri empiono la borsa—Moderate profits fill the purse.
I picciol cani trovano, ma i grandi hanno la lepre—The little dogs hunt out the hare, but the big ones catch it.
If you would succeed, you must not be too good.
Il buon mercato vuota la borsa—Great bargains empty the purse.
Il buono è buono, ma il meglio vince—Good is good, but better surpasses it.
Il can battuto dal bastone ha paura dell ombra—The dog that has been beaten with a stick is afraid of its shadow.
Il castigo puo differirsi ma non si toglie—Punishment may be tardy, but it is sure to overtake the guilty.
Il diavolo tenta tutti, ma l’ozioso tenta il diavolo—The devil tempts all, but the idle man tempts the devil.
Il fuoco non s’estingue con fuoco—Fire is not extinguished by fire.
Il meglio è l’inimico del bene—Better is an enemy to well.
Il mondo è di chi ha pazienza—The world is his who has patience.
Il mondo è fatto a scale; / Chi le scende, e chi le sale—The world is like a staircase; some are going up and some going down.
Il mondo sta con tre cose: fare, disfare, e dare ad intendere—The world gets along with three things: doing, undoing, and pretending.
Il riso fa buon sangue—Laughter makes good blood; puts one in good humour.
Il tacer non fu mai scritto—Silence was never written down.
Il tempo è una lima sorda—Time is a file that emits no noise.
Il tempo buono viene una volta sola—The good time comes but once.
Il vero punge, e la bugia unge—Truth stings and falsehood salves over.
Il volto sciolto, i pensieri stretti—The countenance open, the thoughts reserved.
Ill luck comes by pounds and goes away by ounces.
In bocca chiusa non c’ entran mosche—Flies can’t enter into a mouth that is shut.
In buying horses and taking a wife, shut your eyes and commend yourself to God.
In prosperity no altars smoke.
It is a poor art that the artisan can’t live by.
It is not enough to aim; you must hit.
It is not enough to know how to steal; one must know also how to conceal.
It is petty expenses that empty the purse.
Kin or no kin, evil to him who has nothing.
L’animal delle lunghe orecchie, dopo aver beveto dà calci al secchio—The ass (lit. long-eared animal), after having drunk, gives a kick to the bucket.
L’arco si rompe se sta troppo teso—The bow when overstrained will break.
L’asino che ha fame mangia d’ogni strame—The ass that is hungry will eat any kind of litter.
L’ozio é il padre di tutti i vizi—Idleness is the parent of all the vices.
L’ultima che si perde è la speranza—Hope is the last thing we lose.
La biblioteca è l’nutrimento dell’ anima—Books are nourishment to the mind.
La diffidenza è la madre della sicurtà—Diffidence (caution) is the mother of safety.
La lingua batte dove la dente duole—The tongue strikes where the tooth aches.
La moltiplicità delle leggi e dei medici in un paese sono egualmente segni di malore di quello—A multiplicity of laws and a multiplicity of physicians in any country are proofs alike of its bad state.
La speranza è l’ultima ch’abbandona l’infelice—Hope is the last to abandon the unhappy.
La volontà è tutto—The will is everything.
Laughter makes good blood.
Laws were made for rogues.
Lawyers’ robes are lined with the obstinacy of litigants.
Le bestemmie fanno come le processioni; ritornano donde partirono—Curses are like processions, they come back to whence they set out.
Le cose non sono come sono, ma come si vedono—Things are not as they are, but as they are regarded.
Le vesciche galleggiano sopre aqua, mentre le cose di peso vanno al fondo—Bladders swim on the surface of the water, while things of weight sink to the bottom.
Let him who is reduced to beggary first try every one and then his friend.
Love knows nothing of labour.
Love rules without law.
Meglio amici da lontano che nemici d’appresso—Better be friends at a distance than enemies near each other.
Meglio solo che mal accompagnato—Better alone than in bad company.
Meglio tardi che mai—Better late than never.
Mille verisimili non fanno un vero—A thousand probabilities do not make one truth.
Nessuno nasce maestro—No one is born a master.
Never do that by proxy which you can do yourself.
Never let any one see the bottom of your purse or your mind.
Never neglect small matters and expenses.
No good doctor ever takes physic.
No good lawyer ever goes to law himself.
No one ever impoverished himself by almsgiving.
No si puo volar senza ale—He would fain fly, but he wants wings.
Non è in alcun luogo chi è per tutto—He is nowhere who is everywhere.
Non è si tristo cane che non meni la coda—No dog is so bad but he will wag his tail.
Non è uomo chi non sa dir di nò—He’s no man who can’t say “No.”
Non c’ è il peggior frutto di quello che non matura mai—There is no crop worse than fruit that never ripens.
Non ci è fumo senza fuoco—There is no smoke without fire.
Non destare il can che dorme—Do not wake a sleeping dog.
Non fa buon mangiar cireggie con signori—It is not good to eat cherries with great persons.
Non giudicar la nave stando in terra—Don’t judge of the ship from the shore.
Non v’è peggior ladro d’un cattivo libro—There is no robber worse than a bad book.
Nothing can come out of a sack that is not in it.
Odi, vedi, e taci, se vuoi viver in pace—Listen, see, and say nothing, if you wish to live in peace.
Of the wealth of the world each has as much as he takes.
Of what does not concern you say nothing, good or bad.
Offerir molto è spezie di negare—Offering extravagantly is a kind of denial.
Ogni cosa è d’ogni anno—Everything is of every year.
Ogni debole ha sempre il suo tiranno—Every weak man has always his tyrant.
Ogni medaglio ha il suo riverso—Every medal has its reverse.
Ogni monte ha la sua valle—Every mountain has its valley.
Ogni vero non è buono a dire—Every truth is not good to be told.
Oil, wine, and friends improve with age.
Once resolved, the trouble is over.
One misfortune is the vigil of another.
Oro è che oro vale—What is worth gold is gold.
Paga lo que debes, sabrás lo que tienes—Pay what you owe, and what you have you’ll know.
Passato il pericolo gabbato il santo—When the danger is passed the saint is cheated.
Pazza è chi non sa da che parte vien il vento—He is a senseless fellow who does not know from what quarter the wind blows.
Più ombra che frutto fanno gli arberi grandi—Large trees yield more shade than fruit.
Più sa il matto in casa sua che il savio in casa d’altri—The fool knows more in his own house than a wise man does in another’s.
Più vale il fumo di casa mia, che il fuoco dell’altrui—The smoke of my own house is better than the fire of another’s.
Poor men do penance for rich men’s sins.
Povertà non ha parenti—Poor people have no relations.
Quando i furbi vanno in processione, il diabolo porta la croce—When rogues go in procession the devil carries the cross.
Quando non c’è, perde la chiesa—When there is nothing, the church is a loser.
Quel che fa il pazzo all’ ultimo, lo fa il savio alla prima—The wise man does that at first which the fool must do at last.
Raggio d’asino non arriva al cielo—The braying of an ass does not reach heaven.
Reason lies between bridle and spur.
Sacco pieno rizza l’orecchio—A full sack pricks up (lit. erects) its ear.
Sanno più un savio ed un matto che un savio solo—A wise man and a fool know more than a wise man alone.
Se il giovane sapesse, se il vecchio potesse, e’ non c’ è cosa che non si facesse—If the young knew, and the old could, there is nothing which would not be done.
Se la moglie pecca, non è il marito innocente—If the wife sins, the husband is not innocent.
Se non è vero, è ben trovato—If it is not true, it is cleverly invented.
Se’l sol mi splende, non curo la luna—If the sun shines on me, I care not for the moon.
See Naples, and then die.
Sempre il mal non vien per nuocere—Misfortune does not always result in harm.
Senza Cerere e Bacco, Venere e di ghiaccio—Without bread and wine love is cold (lit. without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus is of ice).
Si trovano più ladri que forche—There are more thieves than gibbets.
Spesso chi troppo fa, poco fa—Often he who does too much does little.
Spesso d’un gran male nasce un gran bene—Out of a great evil there springs a great good.
Spesso i doni sono danni—Gifts are oftentimes losses.
Superbo è quel cavallo che non si vuol portar la biada—Proud is the horse that won’t carry its own oats.
Tanto buon, che val niente—So good as to be good for nothing.
Tanto vale la Messa detta quanto la cantata—A mass is as good said as sung.
Terra innanzi, e terra poi—Earth originally, and earth finally.
The man who lives by hope will die by despair.
The world is for him who has patience.
There is no worse fruit than that which never ripens.
To forget a wrong is the best revenge.
Traduttori, traditori—Translators, traitors.
Tre lo sanno, tutti lo sanno—If three know it, all know it.
Tre taceranno, se due vi non sono—Three may keep counsel if two be away.
Tua camicia non sappia il secreto—Let not your shirt know your secret.
Val meglio piegarsi che rompersi—Better submit than be ruined.
Val più un asino vivo che un dottore morto—A living ass is better than a dead doctor.
Val più un’ oncia di discrezione che una libra di sapere—An ounce of discretion is worth more than a pound of knowledge.
Vedi Napoli, e pot muori—See Naples and then die.
Vendetta boccon di Dio—Revenge is a sweet morsel for a god.
Vino dentro, senno fuora—When wine is in, wit is out.
Voce d’uno, voce di niuno—Voice of one, voice of none.
What the fool does in the end, the wise man does at the beginning.
When yon grind your corn, give not the flour to the devil, and the bran to God.
Who has a head will not want a hat.
Whoso hath love in his heart hath spurs in his sides.
With the Gospels one becomes a heretic.
As much love, so much mind, or heart.
Bis dat qui cito dat—He gives twice who gives quickly.
Bonus dux bonum reddit militem—The good general makes good soldiers.
Cutis vulpina consuenda est cum cute leonis—The fox’s skin must be sewed to that of the lion.
De calceo sollicitus, at pedem nihil curans—Anxious about the shoe, but careless about the foot.
Desunt inopiæ multa, avaritiæ omnia—Poverty is in want of many things, avarice of everything.
Dies adimit ægritudinem—Time cures our griefs.
Difficilia quæ pulchra—The really good is of difficult attainment.
Where God gives, envy harms not; and where he gives not, no labour avails.
A needle’s eye is wide enough for two friends; the whole world is too narrow for two foes.
Fooled thou must be, though wisest of the wise; / Then be the fool of virtue, not of vice.
It takes ten pounds of common-sense to carry one pound of learning.
Of four things every man has more than he knows—of sins, and debts, and years, and foes.
’Tis the same to him who wears a shoe as if the whole earth were thatched with leather.
Better wrong with the many than right with the few.
Birds of prey do not flock together.
Boca de mel, coraçaõ de fel—A tongue of honey, a heart of gall.
Boca que diz sim, diz naõ—The mouth that can say “Yea,” can say “Nay.”
Bole com o rabo o caõ, naõ por ti, senaõ pelo paõ—The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread.
Bons et máos mantem cidade—Good men and bad make a city.
Caõ que muito ladra, nunca bom para a caça—A dog that barks much is never a good hunter.
Cada cousa a seu tempo—Everything has its time.
Cada qual en seu officio—Every one to his trade.
Casar, casar, e que do governo?—Marry, marry, and what of the management of the house?
Casar, casar, soa bem, e sabe mal—Marrying sounds well, but tastes ill.
Change yourself, and your fortune will change too.
Children tell in the highway what they hear by the fireside.
Cobblers go to mass and pray that the cows may die (i.e., for the sake of their hides).
Contas na maõ, e o demonio no coraçaõ—Rosary in the hand, and the devil in the heart.
Coraçaõ determinado, naõ soffre conselho—He brooks no advice whose mind is made up.
Corpo ben feito naõ ha mester capa—A body that is well made needs no cloak.
Cuidar muitas cousas, fazer huma—Think of many things, do only one.
Cuidar naõ he saber—Thinking is not knowing.
Dear is cheap, and cheap is dear.
Despise your enemy and you will soon be beaten.
Don’t quit the highway for a short cut.
Drink nothing without seeing it, sign nothing without reading it.
Every one sings as he has the gift, and marries as he has the luck.
Falla pouco, e bem, ter-te-haô por alguem—Speak little and well; they will take you for somebody.
Fiandeira, fiai manso, que me estorvais, que estou rezando—Spinner, spin quietly, so as not to disturb me; I am praying.
Fit the foot to the shoe, not the shoe to the foot.
Follow the road, and you will come to an inn.
From a closed door the devil turns away.
God has given nuts to some who have no teeth.
Good is the delay that makes sure.
Good management is better than a good income.
He buys very dear who begs.
He doubts nothing who knows nothing.
He has a head, and so has a pin.
I renounce the friend who eats what is mine with me, and what is his own by himself.
It dawns no sooner for one’s early rising.
Let him who gives say nothing, and him who receives speak.
Mãi aguçosa, filha preguiçosa—A busy mother makes slothful daughters.
Make the night night, and the day day, and you will have a pleasant time of it.
No one has seen to-morrow.
Peace with a cudgel in hand is war.
Spinner, spin softly, you disturb me. I am praying.
Under fair words have a care of fraud.
Dla przyjaciela nowego / Nie opuszczaj starego!—To keep a new friend, never break with the old.
Fools grow of themselves without sowing or planting.
Gold has wings which carry everywhere except to heaven.
Measure your cloth ten times; you can cut it but once.
Shame is worse than death.
A cock aye craws crousest (boldest) on his ain midden-head.
A craw’s nae whiter for being washed.
A dog winna yowl if you fell him wi’ a bane.
A fool may speer (ask) mair questions than a wise man can answer.
A ganging fit (foot) is aye getting.
A little spark maks muckle wark.
A man canna wive and thrive the same year.
A man may be proud of his house, and not ride on the rigging (ridge) of it.
A man may spit in his nieve and do little.
A man’s aye crousest in his ain cause.
A penny hained (saved) is a penny gained.
A scalded cat dreads cauld water.
A sicht (sight) o’ you is guid for sair een.
A sillerless (moneyless) man gangs fast through the market.
A thread will tie an honest man better than a rope will do a rogue.
A tocherless dame sits lang at hame.
A toom (empty) pantry maks a thriftless guidwife.
A wee bush is better than nae bield (shelter).
A weel-bred dog gaes oot when he sees them preparing to kick him oot.
A wise man gets learning frae them that hae nane.
A witless heed (head) mak’s weary feet.
A’ are guid lasses, but where do a’ the ill wives come frae?
A’ are no freens that speak us fair.
A’ complain o’ want o’ siller; nane o’ want o’ sense.
A’ Stuarts are no sib (related) to the king (the family name of the Scotch kings being Stuart).
A’s guid that God sends.
Ae half o’ the world doesna ken how the other half lives.
Ae man may tak’ a horse to the water, but twenty winna gar (make) him drink.
Ae man’s meat is anither man’s poison.
An ill-willie (ill-natured) cow should have short horns.
An ounce o’ mother-wit is worth a pound o’ clergy.
Any port in a storm.
As guid fish i’ the sea as e’er came oot o’t.
As guid may haud (hold) the stirrup as he that loups on.
As weel be oot o’ the world as oot o’ the fashion.
Auld folk are twice bairns.
Aye in a hurry, and aye ahint.
Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in changing him.
Better a fremit freend than a freend fremit—i.e., a stranger for a friend than a friend turned stranger.
Better a toom (empty) house than an ill tenant.
Better bairns greet (weep) than bearded men.
Better be at the end o’ a feast than the beginning o’ a fray.
Better be idle than ill employed.
Better go to bed supperless than rise in debt.
Better haud (hold on) wi’ the hound than rin wi’ the hare.
Better keep the deil oot than hae to turn him oot.
Better keep weel than mak’ weel.
Better my freen’s think me fremit as fasheous—i.e., strange rather than troublesome.
Better rue sit than rue flit—i.e., regret remaining than regret removing.
Better sit still than rise and fa’.
Better sma’ fish than nane.
Better the ill ken’d than the ill unken’d—i.e., the ill we know than the ill we don’t know.
Better wear shoon (shoes) than sheets.
Between the deil and the deep sea.
Bitin’ and scartin’ ’s Scotch folk’s wooing.
Bonnie feathers mak’ bonnie fowls.
Broken friendships may be sowthered (soldered), but never sound.
Burnt bairns dread the fire.
Buy what ye dinna want, an’ ye’ll sell what ye canna spare.
Ca’ (drive) a cow to the ha’ (hall), and she’ll rin to the byre.
“Can do” is easy (easily) carried aboot.
Care will kill a cat, but ye canna live without it.
Changes are lightsome, an’ fules are fond o’ them.
Charity begins at hame, but shouldna end there.
Confessed faults are half mended.
Corbies (crows) and clergy are kittle shot (hard to hit).
Corbies dinna pick oot corbies’ een, i.e., harm each other.
Courtesy is cumbersome to him that kens it not.
Covetousness often starves other vices.
Craft maun hae claes (clothes), but truth gaes naked.
Credit keeps the crown o’ the causey—i.e., is not afraid to show its face.
Creep before you gang (walk).
Cripples are aye better schemers than walkers.
Dawted dochters mak’ dawly wives—i.e., petted daughters make slovenly wives.
Deil stick pride, for my dog deed o’d.
Ding (knock) down the nests, and the rooks will flee awa.Used to justify the demolition of the religious houses at the Reformation.
Dinna gut your fish till you get them.
Dinna lift me before I fa’.
Dinna scald your ain mou’ wi ither folk’s kail (broth).
Do as the lassies do; say “No” and tak’ it.
Do on the hill as ye do in the ha’.
Do weel and doubt nae man; do ill and doubt a’ men.
Dogs that bark at a distance ne’er bite at hand.
Drive a cow to the ha’, and she’ll run to the byre.
Dumbie winna lee.
Early birds catch the worms.
Early master soon knave (servant).
Ease and honour are seldom bed-fellows.
Eat in measure and defy the doctor.
Eat-weel’s drink-weel’s brither.
Eident (diligent) youth makes easy age.
Eild and poortith are ill to thole—i.e., age and poverty are hard to bear.
Eild should hae honour—i.e., old people should.
Eith (quickly) learned, soon forgotten.
Ell and tell is gude merchandise—i.e., ready money is.
Envy ne’er does a gude turn but when it means an ill ane.
Every craw thinks her ain bird whitest.
Every inch of joy has an ell of annoy.
Every man can guide an ill wife but him that has her.
Every man’s blind in his ain cause.
Every man’s man has a man, and that gar’d the Tarve (a Douglas Castle) fa’.
Every one bows to the bush that bields (protects) him, i.e., pays court to him that does so.
Every soo (sow) to its ain trough.
Fair fa’ guid drink, for it gars (makes) folk speak as they think.
Fair folk are aye fusionless (pithless).
Fair maidens wear nae purses—(the lads always paying their share).
False folk should hae mony witnesses.
False freends are waur than bitter enemies.
Fancy kills and fancy cures.
Fanned fires and forced love ne’er did weel.
Far ahint maun follow the faster.
Far frae court, far frae care.
Far-awa fowls hae aye fair feathers.
Fat hens are aye ill layers.
Favours unused are favours abused.
Fire maks an auld wife nimble.
First deserve and then desire.
Flee you ne’er so fast, your fortune will be at your tail.
Fleying (frightening) a bird is no the way to catch it.
Folk canna help a’ their kin (relatives).
Folk wi’ lang noses aye tak’ till themsels.
Fools and bairns shouldna see things half done.
Fools are aye fond o’ flittin’, and wise men o’ sittin’.
Fools are aye seeing ferlies (wonderful things).
Fools mak’ feasts, and wise men eat them. / Wise men mak’ jests, and fools repeat them.
Fools ravel and wise men redd (unravel).
For a tint (lost) thing carena.
For fault o’ wise men fools sit on binks (seats, benches).
Forbid a fool do a thing, and that he will do.
Forced prayers are no gude for the soul.
Forgotten pains, when follow gains.
Forsake not God till you find a better maister.
Fou (full) o’ courtesy, fou o’ craft.
Frae saving comes having.
Freends are like fiddle-strings; they maunna be screwed ower tight.
Freits (prognostications) follow those who look to them.
Friendship canna stand a’ on ae side.
Fules are aye fond o’ flittin’.
Gang to bed wi’ the lamb and rise wi’ the laverock (lark).
Gathering gear (wealth) is pleasant pain.
Gentility without ability is waur (worse) than plain begging.
Get what ye can and keep what ye bae.
Gie a bairn his will and a whelp his fill, an’ neither will do well.
Gie a beggar a bed, and he’ll pay you with a louse.
Gie him tow enough and he’ll hang himsel’—i.e., give him enough of his own way.
Gie the deil his due, an’ ye’ll gang till him.
Gie the greedy dog a muckle bane.
Gie your heart to God and your awms (alms) to the poor.
Gie your tongue mair holidays than your head.
Giff-gaff maks gude friends, i.e., mutual giving.
Gin (if) ye hadna been among the craws, ye wadna hae been shot.
Giving to the poor increaseth a man’s store.
Glasses and lasses are brittle ware.
God does not measure men by inches.
God help the poor, for the rich can help themselves.
God help the rich folk, for the poor can beg.
God is kind to fou (drunk) folk and bairns.
God send us some siller, for they’re little thought o’ that want it.
God send you mair sense and me mair siller.
God trusts every one with the care of his own soul.
Good ale needs no wisp (of hay for advertisement).
Good gear goes in sma’ book (bulk).
Gowd (gold) gets in at ilka (every) gate except heaven.
Gowd is gude only in the hand o’ virtue.
Great barkers are nae biters.
Greedy folk hae lang airms.
Grudge not another what you canna get yoursel’.
Gude advice is ne’er out o’ season.
Gude bairns are eith to lear—i.e., easy to teach.
Gude breeding and siller mak’ our sons gentlemen.
Gude claes (clothes) open a’ doors.
Gude folk are scarce, tak’ care o’ ane.
Gude foresight furthers the wark.
Gude wares mak’ a quick market.
Hae you gear (goods), or hae you nane, / Tine (lose) heart, and a’s gane.
Hang a thief when he’s young, and he’ll no steal when he’s auld.
Haste makes waste, and waste makes want, and want makes strife between the gudeman and the gudewife.
He behoves to have meat enou’ that sal stop ilka man’s mou’.
He can ill run that canna gang (walk).
He doesna aye flee when he claps his wings.
He has a bee in his bonnet—i.e., is hare-brained.
He has faut (need) o’ a wife wha marries mam’s pet.
He has wit at will that, when angry, can sit him still.
He kens muckle wha kens when to speak, but far mair wha kens when to haud (hold) his tongue.
He maun lout (stoop) that has a laigh (low) door.
He ne’er made a gude darg (day’s work) wha gaed (went) grumbling about it.
He never lees (lies) but when the holland’s (holly’s) green—i.e., always.
He paidles a guid deal in the water, but he tak’s care no to wet his feet.
He sleeps as dogs do when wives bake—i.e., is wide awake, though pretending not to see.
He that comes unca’d (uninvited) sits unsair’d (unserved).
He that gets gear (wealth) before he gets wit, is but a short time master o’ it.
He that has a wife has a master.
He that has ae sheep in a flock will like a’ the lave (rest) better for ’t.
He that has an ill wife likes to eat butter (but her, i.e., without her).
He that has muckle would aye hae mair.
He that has siller in his purse canna want (do without) a head on his shoulders.
He that invented the Maiden, first hanselled it, i.e., first put it to the proof. (The Maiden was a kind of guillotine).
He that keeks (pries) through a keyhole may see what will vex him.
He that marries before he is wise will die before he thrive.
He that pities another minds himsel’.
He that spends his gear (property) before he gets it will hae little gude o’t.
He that steals a preen (pin) will steal a better thing.
He that tholes (bears up) o’ercomes.
He that will to Cupar, maun to Cupar—i.e., he that will to jail, must to jail.
He that winna be counselled canna be helped.
He that winna save a penny will ne’er hae ony.
He was scant o’ news that told that his father was hanged.
He wha eats but (only) ae dish seldom needs the doctor.
He who has a bonnie wife needs mair than twa een.
He’s a silly body that’s never missed.
He’s a wise man wha can take care o’ himsel’.
He’s idle that may be better employed.
He’s well worth (deserving of) sorrow that buys it with his ain siller.
He’s wise that’s wise in time.
Hearts may agree though heads differ.
His bark is waur nor (worse than) his bite.
Honest men marry soon, wise men never.
Honesty may be dear bought, but can ne’er be an ill pennyworth.
If a man’s gaun doun the brae, ilka ane gi’es him a jundie (push).
If ae sheep loup (jump) the dike, a the lave (rest) will follow.
If that God give, the deil daurna reave (bereave).
If the deil were dead, folk would do little for God’s sake.
If the doctor cures, the sun sees it; if he kills, the earth hides it.
If ye believe a’ ye hear, ye may eat a’ ye see.
If you dinna see the bottom, don’t wade—i.e., don’t venture, if you can’t see your way.
Ilka (every) blade o’ grass keps (catches) it ain drap o’ dew.
Ilka dog has his day.
Ill bairns are best heard at hame.
Ill hearing mak’s ill rehearsing.
It is better to be the head o’ the commonalty than the tail o’ the gentry.
It’s a gude heart that says nae ill, but a better that thinks nane.
It’s a sair field where a’s slain.
It’s an ill wind that blaws naebody gude.
It’s ill talking between a full man and a fasting.
It’s lang ere the devil dee by the dyke-side.
It’s no tint (lost) that a friend gets.
It’s sin, and no poverty, that maks a man miserable.
Jeddart justice: First hang a man, and syne (then) try him.
Joke at your leisure; ye kenna wha may jibe yoursel’.
Jouk and let the jaw (or jaup) gae by—i.e., duck and let the dash of dirty water pass over you.
Just enou’, and nae mair, like Janet Howie’s shearers’ meat.
Keep a thing seven years, and you find a use for it.
Keep oot o’ his company wha cracks o’ his cheatery—i.e., boasts of cunning.
Keep your ain fish guts for your ain seamaws—i.e., what you don’t need yourselves for your own friends.
Keep your breath to cool your own crowdie (cold stirabout)—i.e., till you can use it to some purpose.
Keep your gab steeket (mouth shut) when ye kenna (know not) your company.
Keep your mouth shut and your een open.
Ken when to spend, and when to spare, and when to buy, and you’ll ne’er be bare.
Ken yoursel’, and your neebours winna mistak’ you.
Kindness canna aye lie on ae side o’ the hoose.
Kindness comes o’ will; it canna be coft (bought).
Kindness overcomes a’ dislike.
Kindness will creep whaur it canna gang.
Kings and bears aft worry their keepers.
Kings hae long lugs (ears).
Kings’ caff (chaff) is better than ither folk’s corn—i.e., perquisites in his service are better than the wages others give.
Kings’ cheese gangs half awa’ in parings—i.e., in the expense of collecting it.
Kythe (appear) in your ain colours, that folk may ken ye.
Lang ill, soon weel.
Lasses and glasses are brittle wares.
Laugh at leisure; ye may greet (weep) ere nicht.
Law licks up a’.
Law’s costly; tak’ a pint and ’gree.
Leal heart leed never.
Learn you a bad habit, an’ ye’ll ca’d a custom.
Learn young, learn fair; / Learn auld, learn mair.
Leave Ben Lomond where it stands.
Leave the court ere the court leave you.
Let ae deil ding (beat) anither.
Let him tak’ his fling, and find oot his ain wecht (weight).
Let ilka ane soop (sweep) before his ain door.
Let May be oot (out) before you cast a cloot (a piece of clothing).
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Let the tow (rope) gang wi’ the bucket.
Leuk twice or ye loup ance—i.e., look twice before you leap once.
Life without a freend is death wi’ a witness.
Light suppers mak’ lang life.
Like blude, like gude, like age, mak’ the happy marriage.
Lippen to (trust) me, but look to yoursel’.
Listen at a hole, and ye’ll hear news o’ yoursel’.
Little gear, less care.
Little odds between a feast and a fu’ wame (stomach).
Love and light winna hide.
Love is as warm among cottars as courtiers.
Love ower het (hot) soon cools.
Love thinks nae ill, envy speaks nae gude.
Maidens’ bairns and bachelors’ wives are aye weel bred.
Mair by luck than gude guiding (management).
Marry for love and work for siller.
Meikle crack fills nae sack.
Mony an honest man needs that hasna the face to seek it.
Mony ane speirs the gate (inquires the way) they ken fu’ weel.
Mony kinsfolk, but few freends.
Nae butter ’ll stick to my bread, i.e., no good fortune ever comes my way.
Nae freen’ like the penny.
Nae fules like auld fules.
Nae man can be happy without a friend, nor be sure of him till he’s unhappy.
Nae man can live at peace unless his neighbours let him.
Nae man can mak’ his ain hap (destiny).
Nae man can thrive unless his wife will let him.
Nae man has a tack (lease) o’ his life.
Nae man is wise at a’ times, nor wise on a’ things.
Nae wonder ye’re auld like; ilka thing fashes (bothers) ye.
Naething is a man’s truly but what he cometh by duly.
Naething is got without pains but an ill name.
Naething is got without pains except dirt and long nails.
Naething is ill said if it’s no ill ta’en.
Nane are so weel but they hope to be better.
Ne’er let your gear owergang ye—i.e., never let your wealth get the better of you.
Ne’er put a sword in a wud man’s (a madman’s) hand.
Ne’er tak’ a wife till ye ken what to do wi’ her.
Ne’er trust muckle to an auld enemy or a new freend.
Nearer the kirk the farther frae grace.
Need mak’s an auld wife trot.
Needs must when the devil drives.
Never is a lang term.
Next to nae wife, a gude wife is the best.
Night is the mither (mother) of thoughts.
Now is now, and Yule’s in winter.
Nowadays truth is news.
Patience wi’ poverty is a man’s best remedy.
Perfect love canna be without equality.
Pith’s gude at a’ play but threadin’ o’ needles.
Plenty makes dainty.
Poets and painters ha’e leave to lee.
Poor folk hae neither ony kindred nor ony freends.
Poor folk seek meat for their stomachs, and rich folks stomachs for their meat.
Poor folks are glad of porridge.
Poortith (poverty) is better than pride.
Poverty is the mither (mother) o’ a’ arts.
Prayer and practice is good rhyme.
Pride and grace ne’er dwell in ae place.
Pride never leaves its master till he gets a fa’.
Put a stout heart to a stey (steep) brae.
Put not all your crocks on one shelf.
Quey (female) calfs are dear veal.
Quick at meat, quick at work—i.e., at that kind of work.
Quietness is best.
Raise nae mair deils than ye’re able to lay.
Reckless youth maks ruefu’ age.
Riches are got wi’ pain, kept wi’ care, and tint (lost) wi’ grief.
Riches have made mair men covetous than covetousness has made men rich.
Richt wrangs nae man.
Rule youth weel and age will rule itsel’.
Seein’s believin’, but feelin’s the naked truth.
Send a fool to France, and he’ll come a fool back.
Send your son to Ayr; if he did weel here, he’ll do weel there.
Set a stout heart to a stey (steep) brae.
Sins and debts are aye mair than we think them.
Sma’ fish are better than nane.
Speak o’ the deil and he’ll appear.
Take time in time, ere time be tint (lost).
The buke o’ May-bees is very braid.
The evening brings a’ hame.
The king may gang the cadger’s gate—i.e., may one day need his help.
There are nae fules like auld fules.
Thou wouldst do little for God if the devil were dead.
Want o’ wit is waur than want o’ siller.
Wealth makes wit waver.
Weel is that weel does.
Were it no for hope the heart wad break.
What may be dune at ony time will be dune at nae time.
What’s nane o’ my profit will be nane o’ my peril.
What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine’s my ain.
When bairns are young they gar their parents’ heads ache; when they are auld they make their hearts break.
When friends meet hearts warm.
When ilka ane gets his ain, the thief will get the widdie (gallows).
When love cools our fauts are seen.
When the man’s fire and the wife’s tow, in comes the deil and blaws it in a lowe (flame).
When the will’s ready the feet’s licht.
When you see a woman paint, your heart needna faint.
Where there’s muckle courtesy there’s little kindness.
Where vice is, vengeance follows.
Who never climbs will never fa’.
Words are but wind, but seein’s believin’.
Ye hae a stalk o’ carl-hemp in you.
Neither hew down the whole forest, nor come home without wood.
No one can bake cakes for the whole world.
No stronger castle than a poor man’s.
Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, but the hero’s heart.
A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando—Praying to God and smiling with the hammer.
A los bobos se les aperece la Madre de Dios—The mother of God appears to fools.
A mucho hablar, mucho errar—Talk much, err much.
A puñadas entran las buenas hadas—Good luck pushes its way (lit. gets on) by elbowing.
A quien tiene buena muger, ningun mal le puede venir, que no sea de sufrir—To him who has a good wife no evil can come which he cannot bear.
A tu hijo, buen nombre y oficio—To your son a good name and a trade.
Adó sacan y non pon, presto llegan al hondon—By ever taking out and never putting in, one soon reaches the bottom.
Al enemigo, si vuelve la espalda, la puente de plata—Make a bridge of silver for the flying enemy.
Al fin se canta la Gloria—Not till the end is the Gloria chanted.
Aquel pierde venta que no tiene que venda—He who has nothing to sell loses his market.
Arde verde por seco, y pagan justos por pecadores—Green burns for dry, and just men smart (lit. pay) for transgressors.
Ares, no ares, renta me pagues—Plough or not plough, you must pay rent all the same.
Associate with the good, and you will be esteemed one of them.
Bachelor, a peacock; betrothed, a lion; wedded, an ass.
Be silent, or say something better than silence.
Bien predica quien bien vive—He preaches well who lives well.
Bien sabe el asno en cuya cara rabozna—The ass knows well in whose face he brays.
Bien sabe el sabio que no sabe, el nescio piensa que sabe—The wise man knows well that he does not know; the ignorant man thinks he knows.
Bien sabe la vulpeja con quien trebeja—The fox knows well with whom he plays tricks.
Bien vengas, mal, si vienes solo—Welcome, misfortune, if thou comest alone.
Buen siglo haya quien dijó bolta—Blessings on him that said, Right about face!
Buey viejo sulco derecho—An old ox makes a straight furrow.
Burlaos con el loco en casa, burlará con vos en la plaza—Play with the fool in the house and he will play with you in the street.
Cada qual hablé en lo que sabe—Let every one talk of what he understands.
Cada uno es hijo de sus obras—Every one is the son of his own works; i.e., is responsible for his own acts.
Casa hospidada, comida y denostada—A house which is filled with guests is both eaten up and spoken ill of.
Ciencia es locura si buen senso no la cura—Knowledge is of little use if it is not under the direction of good sense.
Cobra buena fama, y échate á dormir—Get a good name, and go to sleep.
Cobre gana cobre que no huesos de hombre—Money (lit. copper) breeds money and not man’s bones.
Como cant a el abad, asi responde el monacillo—As the abbot sings, the sacristan answers.
Con agua pasada no muele molino—The mill grinds corn with water that has passed.
Con dineros no te conocerás, sin dineros no te conocerán—With money you would not know yourself; without it, no one would know you.
Con el Rey y con la Inquisicion, chitos—With the King and the Inquisition, hush!
Cosa mala nunca mucre—A bad thing never dies.
Costumbre hace ley—Custom becomes law.
Crea el cuervo, y sacarte ha los ojos—Breed up a crow and he will peck out your eyes.
Dádivas quebrantan peñas—Gifts dissolve rocks.
Da ventura a tu hijo, y echa lo en el mar—Give your son luck and then throw him into the sea.
Dame donde me asiente, que yo me haré donde me acueste—Give where I may sit down, and I will make where I may lie down.
De hambre a nadie vi morir, de mucho comer a cien mil—I never saw a man die of hunger, but thousands die of overfeeding.
Dead men open living men’s eyes.
Defienda me Dios de my—God defend me from myself.
Del agua mansa me libre Dios; que de la recia me guardaré yo—From smooth water God guard me; from rough, I can guard myself.
Desque nací lloré, y cada dia nace porqué—I wept as soon as I was born, and every day explains why.
Dios es el que sana, y el médico lleva la plata—Though God cures the patient, the doctor pockets the fee.
Dios me dé contienda con quien me entienda—God grant me to argue with such as understand me.
Do falta dicha, por demas es diligencia—Diligence is of no use where luck is wanting.
Do not talk Arabic in the house of a Moor.
El agujero llama al ladron—The hole tempts the thief.
El amor verdadero no sufre cosa encubierta—True love suffers no concealment.
El corazon manda les carnes—The heart bears up the body.
El corazon no es traidor—The heart is no traitor.
El dar es honor, y el pedir dolor—To give is honour; to lose, grief.
El dia que te casas, ó te matas ó te sanas—The day you marry, it is either kill or cure.
El diablo saba mucho, porque es viejo—The devil knows a great deal, for he is old.
El mal que de tu boca sale, en tu seno se cae—The evil which issues from thy mouth falls into thy bosom.
El mal que no tiene cura es locura—Folly is the one evil for which there is no remedy.
El malo siempre piensa engaño—The bad man always suspects some knavish intention.
El pan comido, la compañia deshecha—The bread eaten, the company dispersed.
El pie del dueño estierco para la heredad—The foot of the owner is manure for the farm.
El que trabaja, y madra, hila oro—He that labours and perseveres spins gold.
El rey va hasta do poede, y no hasta do quiere—The king goes as far as he may, not as far as he would.
El rio pasado, el santo olvidádo—The river (danger) past, the saint (delivery) forgotten.
El sabio muda consejo, el necio no—The wise man changes his mind, the fool never.
El tiempo cura el enfermo, que ne el ungnento—It is time and not medicine that cures the disease.
El villano en su tierra, y el hidalgo donde quiera—The clown in his own country, the gentleman where he pleases.
En boca cerrada no entra mosca—Flies don’t enter a shut mouth.
En cada tierra su uso—Every country has its own custom.
En el rio do no hay pezes por demas es echar redes—It is in vain to cast nets in a river where there are no fish.
En salvo está el que repica—He is in safe quarters who sounds the alarm.
Enjoy your little while the fool is seeking for more.
Entienda primero, y habla postrero—Hear first and speak afterwards.
Erase que se era—What has been has been.
Escuchas al agujero; oirás de tû mal y del ageno—Listen at the keyhole; you will hear evil of yourself as well as your neighbour.
Fiar de Dios sobre buena prenda—Trust in God upon good security.
Folly is the most incurable of maladies.
Fortune turns round like a mill-wheel, and he that was yesterday at the top lies to-day at the bottom.
Fraile que pide por Dios pide por dos—The friar who begs for God begs for two.
Gato maullador nunca buen cazador—A mewing cat is never a good mouser.
Giving alms never lessens the purse.
Gloria vana florece, y no grana—Glory which is not real may flower, but will never fructify.
God assists those who rise early in the morning.
God does not smite with both hands.
God grant you fortune, my son, for knowledge avails you little.
God made us, and we admire ourselves.
Goza tû de tu poco, mientras busca mas el loco—Enjoy your little while the fool is in search of more.
Gran victoria es la que sin sangre se alcanza—Great is the victory that is gained without bloodshed.
Hablar sin pensar es tirar sin encarar—Speaking without thinking is shooting without taking aim.
Hay buena cuenta, y no paresca blanca—The account is all right, but the money-bags are empty.
He is a fool who empties his purse, or store, to fill another’s.
He preaches well who lives well.
He that has no head needs no hat.
He who loses wealth loses much, who loses a friend loses more, who loses his spirits loses all.
He who would bring home the wealth of the Indies must carry the wealth of the Indies with him.
He whose work is on the highway will have many advisers.
Herradura que chacotea clavo le falta—A clattering hoof means a nail gone.
Hilo y aguja, media vestidura—Needle and thread are half clothing.
Hizonos Dios, y maravillámonos nos—God made us, and we admire ourselves.
Hombre pobre todo es trazas—A poor man is all schemes.
Hurtar el puerco, y dar los pies por Dios—To steal the pig, and give away the feet for God’s sake.
If folly were a pain, there would be crying in every house.
Il sabio muda conscio, il nescio no—A wise man changes his mind, a fool never.
Il villano en su tierra, y el hidalgo donde quiera—The clown in his own country, the gentleman where he pleases.
In frosty weather a nail is worth a horse.
Ir por lana, y volver trasquilado—To go for wool and come back shorn.
It is courage that conquers in war, and not good weapons.
Jest so that it may not become earnest.
Jurado ha el vano de lo negro no hacer bianco—The bath has sworn not to wash the black man white.
Justa razon engañar el engañador—It is fair to cheat the cheater.
Justicia, mas no por mi casa—Justice by all means, but not in my own house.
Kill, and thou shalt be killed, and they shall kill him who kills thee.
La buena vida padre y madre olvida—Prosperity forgets father and mother.
La verdad es hlia de Dios—Truth is the daughter of God.
La verdad es sempre verde—Truth is always green.
Las manos blancas no ofenden—White hands cannot harm one.
Late children are early orphans.
Let him who sleeps too much borrow the pillow of a debtor.
Let that which is lost be for God.
Listeners never hear good of themselves.
Lo ageno siempre pia por su dueño—What is another’s always chirps for its master.
Lo que hace el loco á la derreria, hace el sabio á la primeria—What the fool does at length the wise man does at the beginning.
Lo que no acaece en un año, acaece en un rato—A thing that may not happen in a year may happen in two minutes.
Love abounds in honey and poison.
Madruga y verás, trabaja y habrás—Rise betimes, and you will see; labour diligently, and you will have.
Marry and grow tame.
Mas vale buen amigo que pariente primo—A good friend is better than a near relation.
Mucho sabe la zorra, pero mas el que la toma—The fox is cunning, but he is more cunning who takes him.
Mudar costumbre a par de muerte—To change a custom is next to death.
Nace en la huerta lo que no siembra el hortelano—More grows in the garden than the gardener ever sowed there.
Necio es quien piensa que otros no piensan—He is a fool who thinks that others don’t think.
Neither sign a paper without reading it, nor drink water without seeing it.
No diga la lengua par do pague la cabeza—The tongue talks at the head’s cost.
No hay dulzura sin sudor—No sweetness without sweat.
No hay tal razon como la del baston—There is no argument like that of a stick.
No leaf moves but as God wills it.
No mata la carga sino la sobrecarga—Not the load, but the overload kills.
Obreros a no ver dineros a perder—Not to watch your workmen is to lose your money.
One “Take this” is better than two “I will give you.”
Palabra de boca, piedra he honda—A word from the mouth is as a stone from a sling.
Palabra y piedra suelta no tiene vuelta—A word and a stone once launched cannot be recalled.
Poco dâno espanta, y mucho amansa—A little loss alarms one, a great loss tames one down.
Por mucho madrugar, no amanéce mas aina—Early rising does not make the day dawn sooner.
Puridad de dos, puridad de Dios; puridad de tres, de todos es—A secret between two is God’s secret; but a secret between three is all men’s.
Quando Dios amanece, para todos amanece—When God’s light rises, it rises for all.
Quando el Español canta, ó rabia, ó no tiene blanca—If a Spaniard sing, he’s either mad or without money.
Quando vierás tu casa quemar llegate á escalentar—When thou seest thy house in flames, go warm thyself by it.
Quien da la suyo antes de morir aparajese a bien sufrir—Who parts with his own before he dies, let him prepare for death.
Quien larga vida vive mucho mal vide—To live long is to see much evil.
Quien mas sabe mas calla—Who knows most says least.
Quien no va á carava, no sabe nada—He who does not mix with the crowd knows nothing.
Quien se muda, Dios le ayuda—God assists him who reforms himself.
Quien tiene arte, va por toda parte—Who has a trade may go anywhere.
Quixadas sin barbas no merecen ser honradas—Chins without beards deserve no honour.
Riñen las comadres y dicense las verdades—Gossips quarrel and tell the truth.
Sanan llagas, y no malas palabras—Wounds heal, but not ill words.
Sirve a señor, y sabras que es dolor—Serve a great lord, and you will know what sorrow is.
The hare leaps out of the bush where we least look for her.
The king goes as far as he may, not as far as he would.
The wife that expects to have a good name / Is always at home as if she were lame; / And the mind that is honest, her chiefest delight, / Is still to be doing from morning till night.
The wise man knows that he does not know; the ignoramus thinks he knows.
“This comes of walking on the earth.” The Spanish swell, as he picked himself up from the ground.
Uno levanto la caza, y otro la mata—One starts the game, and another carries it off.
What is much desired is not believed when it comes.
When God gives light he gives it for all.
When the ass is given thee, run and take him by the halter; and when good luck knocks at the door, let him in, and keep him there.
Where there is no hook, to be sure there will hang no bacon.
Where wilt thou go that thou wilt not have to plough?
Where you see your friend, trust to yourself.
While a man gets he never can lose.
Death is a black camel that kneels at every man’s door.
Do good and throw it into the sea; if the fish know it not, the Lord will.
Good advice can be given, a good name cannot be given.
Good advice may be communicated, but not good manners.
Guter Rath lässt sich geben, aber gute Sitte nicht—Good advice may be given, but manners not.
He who tells the failings of others to you will be ready to tell your failings to others.
If the time don’t suit you, suit yourself to the time.
It is not with saying, “Honey, honey,” that sweetness comes into the mouth.
It matters less to a man where he is born than where he can live.
Man, forget not death, for death certainly forgets not thee.
No road is long with good company.
Patience is the key of Paradise.
^^^^^
Note: All quotations above from
Dictionary of Quotations, comp. by Rev. James Wood. London, New York: Frederick Warne & Co., 1899; Bartleby.com, 2012.
Youth is a crown of roses; old age a crown of willows (Shab. 152a; D. 323).
Every pumpkin is known by its stem (Ber. 48a; D. 146).
While [the thorn] is still young it produces prickles (Gen. R. ch. ii. § 1; D. 549).
He who has issued from thee teacheth thee reason (Jeb. 63a; D. 206).
In old men there is no taste, in young no insight (Shab. 89b; D. 413).
When we were young [we were esteemed] as men; now that we are old as school-children (B. K. 92b; D. 331).
Two are better than Three; woe to the One which goes but never returns (Shab. 152a; D. 303).
For something I have not lost am I searching (Shab. 152a).
The old man walks with bent figure, as though looking for something he had dropped.Many old camels carry the hides of young ones (Sanh. 52a; D. 534).
“Many colts die and their skins are turned into covers for their mothers” (Lev. R. ch. xx. § 10; D. 262). Many old men survive the young. Cf. “Old camels carry young camels’ skins to the market.”An old man in the house is a snare in the house; an old woman in the house is a treasure in the house (Erach. 19a; D. 537, p. 217).
An old man is more peevish and helpless than an old woman. Cf. “An old man is a bed full of bones.” True as this proverb may be in fact, the Rabbinic literature has many passages which show how much importance was attached to the Biblical law “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man” (Lev. xix. 32). Thus the young are exhorted to reverence the aged who are broken in mind through physical weakness, even as the fragments of the broken tables of the law were considered worthy of being preserved in the Ark (Ber. 8b).Shake the salt off and throw the meat to the dog (Nid. 31a; D. 571).
When the soul leaves the body what remains is worthless. The soul is the preservative of the body in the same way as all salt is a preservative for meat.Poverty follows the poor (B. K. 92a; Ḥul. 105b; D. 181).
The numerous disadvantages which result from his lack of means constantly remind the poor man of his poverty.The pauper hungers without noticing it (Meg 7b; D. 406).
On the principle “Familiarity breeds contempt.”When the barley is consumed from the pitcher, strife knocks and enters the house (B. M. 59a; D. 335).
Cf. the English proverb “When poverty comes in at the door love flies out through the window.”The dog in his hunger swallows dung (B. K. 92b; D. 394).
In the time of extreme necessity everything can be of use. Cf. “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb: but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet” (Prov. xxvii. 7).Sixty pains afflict the teeth of him who hears the sound of his neighbour [eating] but himself hath nothing to eat (B. K. 92b; D. 649).
When a man is in straitened circumstances, he recalls the comfort of his father’s house (Lam. R. to i. 7; D. 332).
When the bride is hungry, she recalls the seven days of her marriage feast (Lam. R. to i. 7; D. 338).
What is beneath thine head is thine (Gen. R. ch. lxix. § 4; D. 472).
While the fat one becomes lean, the lean one expires (Lam. R. to iii. 20; D. 553).
Two kabs of dates—one kab of stones and more (Jom. 79b; D. p. 15).
There is no such thing as unalloyed pleasure. Half of the sweet date at least consists of the stone, which is of no use and has to be thrown away. Cf. “No corn without chaff.” The kab is a dry measure.Poverty befits the Jew as a red leather trapping a white horse (Ḥag. 9b; D. 312).
Even privations can serve a useful purpose, in hardening a person against troubles. The Jew is a proof of this.A year of scarcity will change a weaver [for the better] if he be not proud (Ab. Zar. 26a; D. 200).
Others translate “If a weaver is not humble, his life is shortened by a year,” which is by no means to be preferred to the rendering of Jastrow I have adopted. The meaning is, Adversity has its uses if we are willing to grasp them. One is reminded of Shakespeare’s lines:
Sweet are the uses of adversity
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.
As You Like It, Act II. Sc. i.Even the wool-scraper is a prince in his own house (Meg. 12b; D. 599).
Cf. “Every dog is a lion at home”; “A man’s house is his castle.”On the dunghills of Māthā Mehasyā, and not in a palace at Pumbedīthā (Kerith. 6a; Hor. 12a; D. 116).
Two names of Babylonian cities famous for their Rabbinic academies. At one time Māthā Meḥasyā was more renowned than its rival, and this proverb may refer to its superiority. Others explain it as a reference to the fact that this city escaped the misfortunes which befel the Jews in Babylon during the fifth century AḌ., and the proverb therefore means, Better is poverty combined with security than riches combined with danger and anxiety.Better is it to eat putrid fish [in peace] than the luxurious dish of the imprisoned (Kerith 6a; Hor. 12a; D. 299).
(The wording is doubtful, but this seems to be the most probable meaning.) Cf. the preceding, and “Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith than a house full of feasting with strife” (Prov. xvii. 1), and “A bean in liberty is better than comfort in prison.”At the door of shops brothers and friends are numerous; at the door of misery there are no brothers and no friends (Shab. 32a; D. 1).
To a similar effect is “The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends” (Prov. xiv. 20). Cf. “The rich never want kindred”; “No one claims kindred with the poor”; “Poverty parteth fellowship.”Thy friend is dead! believe it; thy friend has become rich! believe it not (Git. 30b; D. 281).
Misfortunes are more frequent than good fortune, therefore bad tidings deserve more credence. There is a play on the words for “believe” (’ashar) and “become rich” (’ith‘ashshar) which cannot be reproduced in translation.From one who has inherited, not from one for whom men plunder, [accept gifts]. (Cant. R. to vii. 7; D. 503).
The “one for whom men plunder” is a king or governor. Ill-gotten wealth brings no happiness, whatever its source may be. Cf. “Better a penny with right than a thousand without.”He who eats the fat tail [’alyethā] will have to hide himself in the garret [‘ilīthā]; who eats cress [ḳāḳūlē] may rest quietly by the dunghills [ḳiḳlē] of the town (Pes. 114a; D. 203).
Palestinian proverb. The “fat tail” was a rare and expensive luxury, and one who indulges in it may have to conceal himself from his creditors. On the other hand, the man who lives parsimoniously and within his means can expose himself in the most conspicuous parts of the town. (Note the play of words.)He whose stomach is full increaseth deeds of evil (Ber. 32a; D. 499).
Wealth breeds insolence. Cf. the Hebrew saying “A lion growls not in a den full of straw but in a den full of meat” (ibid., D. 54); and “They were filled and their heart was exalted” (Hosea xiii. 6), “But Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked” (Deut. xxxii. 15).The stomach carries the feet (Gen. R. ch, lxx. § 8; D. 409).
Cheerful prospects stimulate a man’s energies. Similarly it is said “The heart carries the feet” (Jalkut to Gen. § 123; D. 311).One cannot compare him who sees an empty basket and is hungry to him who sees a full basket and is sated (Gen. R. ch. lxv. § 13; D. 414).
None is poorer than the dog and none richer than the pig (Shab. 155b; D. 439).
The latter eats anything and is easily contented.Let one use a precious goblet for one day and on the morrow let it be broken (Ber 28a; D. 462).
To be wealthy a short time is better than never.If thy sieve be stopped up, knock on it (Gen. R. ch. lxxxi. § 2; D. 482).
In prosperity one tends to become forgetful of promises and duties, and it requires strenuous means to bring them to one’s mind. Cf. no. 136 below.The goose bends its head while walking, but its eyes wander about (Meg. 14b; B. K. 92b); D. 639).
Pride is unbecoming in women (Meg. 14b; D. 418).
Cf. “Modesty is the beauty of women.”As she slumbers the basket falls (Sanh. 7a; D. 238).
Laziness on the part of a woman is disastrous to the welfare of the home. The figure is of a girl carrying a basket on her head. Cf. “By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh” (Eccles. x. 18).I do not want a shoe larger than my foot (Kid. 49a).
I do not want a husband from a rank higher than my own. Cf. “Marry above your match and you get a good master.”Haste in buying land; hesitate in taking a wife (Jeb. 63a).
“Marry in haste, repent at leisure.”It is better to dwell mated than in widowhood (Jeb. 118b and often; D. 302).
Jastrow renders: “It is better to dwell in grief than in widowhood,” i.e. a woman prefers an unhappy married life to single bliss. The ancient Jews held marriage in very high esteem, considering it in fact a religious obligation; and men were exhorted to marry at an early age. From the passage quoted in the comment on Proverb No. 1, it will be seen that the age at which a man should marry is fixed at eighteen, whereas the age for his earning a livelihood is two years later. The explanation is that the bridegroom used to live in the house of his bride’s father during the first years of his marriage. On the basis of the Biblical statement “It is not good that man should be alone” (Gen. ii. 18), the Rabbis said, “The unmarried man lives without prosperity, without a helpmate, without happiness or blessing” (Jeb. 62b; Gen. R. ch. xvii. § 2).If her husband be [as insignificant as] an ant, her seat is placed among the noble women (Jeb. 118b; Keth. 75a; D. 227).
Every woman feels elevated in social status by marriage. To be left unmarried was regarded at that time as the greatest calamity that could befall a woman.Though the husband be a flax-beater, [his wife] will call him to the threshold and sit with him (Jeb. 118b; Keth. 75a; D. 222).
A woman is proud to be seen possessed of a husband, however lowly his position may be.If the husband is a grower of vegetables, she asks for no lentils for the pot (Jeb. 118b; Keth. 75a; D. 226).
A woman will not hesitate to marry a man engaged in the meanest of occupations, in order to avoid the stigma of being unmarried.If thy wife is short, bend down and whisper to her (B. M. 59a; D. 137).
Never do anything without first consulting her. Even if you deem yourself her superior in intellect, do not stand on your dignity, but ask her advice. It is also said: “Honour your wives, for thus you enrich yourselves” (ibid.). The respect which was felt for the wife may be seen from such sayings as “A man whose first wife dies is as though the Temple had been destroyed in his days” (Sanh. 22a), “Whose wife dies in his lifetime,
the world becomes dark for him” (ibid.), “He who loves his wife as himself and honours her more than himself…of him Scripture (Job v. 24) saith, “Thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace” (Jeb. 62b).When our love was strong we slept on the breadth of a sword; but now that our love is not strong, a bed measuring sixty cubits is not sufficient for us (Sanh. 7a; D. 351).
There is an Arabic saying, “The world is too narrow for them who hate each other,” which is similar to Ibn Gabirol’s “The space of a needle’s eye suffices for two friends, whilst the universe itself can scarcely contain two enemies” (Choice of Pearls, ed. Asher, no. 281).For seven years there was a quarrel between the male and female gnat; for said he to her, Thou didst once see a man from Māhūzā bathing and then wrap himself in towels, and thou didst alight upon him and sting him, but didst not inform me (Hul. 58b; D. p. 11).
Trivial matters are often sufficient to cause serious matrimonial troubles. Māhūzā is the name of a famous town in Babylonia. “Seven,” like “sixty,” is used for a round number; so also in the Bible, cf. Psalm lxxix. 12; Prov. vi. 31; Matt. xviii. 22.With her rival and not with a rod (Jeb. 63b; D. 149).
One can control a wife more readily by working on her feeling of jealousy than by using violence. Cf. “A woman is only envious of her companion’s thigh” (Meg. 13a; D. 55).Immorality in the house is like a worm on vegetables (Sot. 3b; D. 273).
He among the full-grown pumpkins and his wife among the young ones (Meg. 12a, b Sot. 10a; D. 41).
Unfaithfulness on the part of the husband leads to his wife’s unchastity. The Talmud quotes Job xxxi. 9 f. as a Biblical parallel. Cf. “If the wife sins, the husband is not innocent.”Violence in a house is like a worn on vegetables (Sot. 3b; D. 654).
The talk of the child in the street is that of his father or his mother (Suc. 56b; D. 629).
The child merely repeats what it has heard at home. Be careful what you say before children. Cf. “The child says nothing but what it heard by the fire.”The Passover is celebrated within the house and the chanting is carried outside (Cant. R. to ii. 14; D. 575).
The happiness within a house penetrates
into the outside world. Cf. “The luck of the house has come, the luck of the world has come” (Gen. R. ch. lxxi. § 9).A father’s love is for his children, and the children’s love for their children (Sot. 49a; D. 616).
I want a stick for the hand and a hoe for burial (Jeb. 65b; Keth. 64a; Ds. 40).
Applied to sons whose duty it is to support their parents in old age and provide for their honourable burial. The relationship between parent and child is beautifully summarised in the Talmudical saying: “There are three partners in the production of the human being, viz. the Holy One, blessed be He, the father and the mother. When men pay honour to their parents, God says, I ascribe it to them, as though I were in their midst and they honoured Me” (Kid. 30b). It is the duty of every man to honour his parent by supplying him with food and drink, clothing him, and leading him about (ibid. 31b). A son can be compelled to support his father in his old age, even if he is so poor as to require to go and beg for the money (j. Peah i. 1).Parents who have no equals [for goodness] rear children unlike themselves (Cant. R. ch. i. § 6 to i. 1; D. 483).
Good father with bad children. The Biblical parallel is quoted: “In place of wheat there cometh forth thistles, in the place of barley noisome weeds” (Job xxxi. 40; this translation is the one demanded by the Rabbinical context, and differs from the R.V.). Cf. “Many a good cow hath a bad calf.” The bad son of a good father is also described as “Vinegar, the son of wine” (B. M. 83b; D. 284).A branch bringing forth a fig (Cant. R. ch. i. § 6 to i. 1; D. 544).
Good son of a good father. Cf. “He is a lion the son of a lion” (B. M. 84b; D. 131). (The meaning of the first word translated “branch” is doubtful.)From the thorn-bush comes the rose (Cant. R. ch. i. § 6 to i. 1; D. 504).
Good children of a bad father. Cf. “Thou art a lion the son of a fox” (B. M. 84b; D. 131).What does the beetle (or, scorpion) beget? Insects worse than itself (Cant. R. ch. i. § 6 to i. 1; D. 480).
Bad father with worse children. Based on the still older proverb mentioned in the Bible: “From the wicked issueth forth wickedness” (1 Sam. xxiv. 13; Heb. 14); and cf. “And behold ye have arisen in the place of your fathers, a company of wicked men” (Num. xxxii. 14).Foxes, sons of foxes (Ḥag. 14a; D. 661).
Wicked sons of wicked fathers.Rear not a gentle cub from a vicious dog, much less a vicious cub from a vicious dog (Lev. R. ch. xix. § 6; D. 192).
Much is not to be expected from a child of evil parents even when it shows some good qualities. What, then, can be looked for from a child of evil parents who in youth follows their example?Cursed be the breast that suckled such a man! (j. Kil. i. 7).
Rear me! Rear me! the son of thy daughter am I (Sot. 49a; D. 606).
If the dog bark at thee, go in; if the bitch bark at thee, go out (Erub. 86a; D. 522).
You can endure a quarrelsome son-in-law but not a quarrelsome daughter-in-law.Truth stands, falsehood does not stand (Shab. 104a; D. 592).
Elsewhere it is said, “Truth is the seal of God” (Shab. 55a; Jom. 69b; Sanh. 64b; D. 287). “By three things is the [moral] world preserved: by truth, by judgment, and by peace, as it is said (Zech. viii. 16), “Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates” (Aboth i. 18). “A lie is a foul blot in a man, yet it is continually in the mouth of the untaught” (Ecclus. xx. 24).Happy is he who hears and ignores; a hundred evils pass him by (Sanh. 7a; D. 305).
Do not get vexed at every trifle and at once resent it. Ibn Gabirol says: “Who cannot bear one word will hear many” (Choice of Pearls, no. 95); “Who hears something unpleasant and preserves silence wards off what would prove still more objectionable” (ibid. no. 99); “By endurance one avoids still greater trouble” (no. 104).When two quarrel, he who keeps silence first is more praiseworthy (Kid. 71b; D. 349).
Palestinian saying. Worthy of quotation is: “There are four kinds of tempers: he whom it is easy to provoke and easy to pacify—his loss disappears in his gain; he whom it is hard to provoke and hard to pacify—his gain disappears in his loss; he whom it is hard to provoke and easy to pacify is a saint; he whom it is easy to provoke and hard to pacify is a wicked man” (Aboth v. 14). Cf. the English proverb “Be not the first to quarrel, nor the last to make it up.”A word for a Sela, silence for two (Meg. 18a; D. 491).
Palestinian proverb. There is a mediæval Jewish saying, found also with most other peoples: “Speech is silvern, silence golden.” A Sela was worth one sacred or two common Shekels = about 2s. 4d.Silence is a healing for all [ailments] (Meg. 18a; D. 541).
Cf. “Silence is good for the wise; how much more so for the foolish” (Pes. 99a; D. 324); “All my days I have grown up amongst the wise, and I have found nought of better service than silence” (Aboth i. 17); “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; when he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent” (Prov. xvii. 28); “My words may occasion regret, but my silence will avoid it” (Ibn Gabirol, no. 337); and in English, “No one ever repented of holding his tongue.”Boldness is royal power without a crown (Sanh. 105a; D. 286).
“Nothing venture, nothing have.”Boldness avails even with Heaven (Sanh. 105a; D. 285).
Cf. our saying “Heaven helps them who help themselves.”From the woods themselves it goes into the axe (Sanh. 39b; D. 493).
The sense is clear, but the reading is doubtful. Another possible rendering is: “The axe goes into the wood from which [it originally came].” Dukes appositely quotes the following from the Midrash [see Introd. § 3]: “When iron was created, the trees began to tremble. The iron thereupon said to them, Wherefore do ye tremble? Let none of your wood enter into me, and not one of you shall be hurt.” The handle which enables one to use the axe for felling trees is obtained from the trees themselves.Sixty runners may run, but will not overtake the man who has breakfasted early (B. K. 92b; B. M. 107b; D. 648).
It is also recommended: “Rise early and eat, in the summer because of the heat, in winter on account of the cold” (ibid.). Cf. “Early start makes early stages,” “The early bird catches the worm.” On “sixty” see no. 16.The door which is not opened for charitable purposes will be opened to the physician (Cant. R. to vi. 11; D. 665).
There was a Hebrew proverb current in Jerusalem: “The salt of money is diminution” (Keth. 66b; D. 498), to the last word of which [.hasser] there is a variant “benevolence” [.hesed]; i.e. by spending money in the relief of distress, we earn the Divine protection and blessing. To the same effect is the English proverb, “Giving to the poor increaseth a man’s store.” Hospitality and benevolence are the supreme virtues of Orientals, and the Rabbinical sayings on the subject are extremely numerous. “Let thy house be open wide, and let the poor be the members of thy household” (Aboth i. 5); “When a beggar stands at thy door, the Holy One stands at his right hand” (Lev. R. ch. xxxiv. § 9); “Even the beggar is not free from the duty of giving alms” (Git. 7b); “Greater is the alms-giver than the bringer of sacrifices” (Suc. 49b; j. Ber. ii. 1). The duty of supporting and comforting the poor applies to gentiles as well as to fellow-Israelites (Git. 61a). Although the Rabbis continually emphasise that the money spent to help the needy will be repaid by increased prosperity, they do not fail to urge that true charity should be done for its own sake. The principle “Be not like servants who minister to their master upon the condition of receiving a reward” (Aboth i. 3) is applied also to moral duties. Thus they draw a sharp line of demarcation between benevolence and mere almsgiving, and distinguish them in the following manner: “In three respects is benevolence greater than almsgiving. The latter can only be performed with money, the former personally as well as with money; the latter can be given to the poor alone, the former to rich and poor alike; the latter only to the living, the former also to the dead” (Suc. 49b).With two dogs they killed the lion (Sanh. 95a; D. 183).
“Union is strength.” Cf. “Many straws may bind an elephant.”The weasel and the cat held a feast on the fat of the unfortunate (Sanh. 105a; D. 408).
“Union is strength.” When men combine forces they can overcome their common enemy. The proverb is quoted to point the moral of the following fable: Two dogs were once quarrelling, and suddenly one of them was attacked by a wolf. Then said the other to himself, If I do not help him now, the wolf will kill him and then turn his attention to me. So they both assailed the wolf and slew him.A myrtle standing among reeds still retains the name of myrtle (Sanh. 44a; D. 108).
The good man remains good and is recognisable as such, even when he is in bad company. A later Jewish moralist, quoted by Dukes, declares: “The wise man is honoured even if his family is despised.”Should the castle totter, its name is still castle; should the dunghill be raised, its name is still dunghill (Jalkut to Jer. § 264; D. 337).
A nobleman remains noble even in the days of distress, and the common man common even in the days of prosperity.In whom it is, in him is everything; in whom it is not, what hath he? He who hath acquired it, what lacketh he? In whom it is not, what hath he acquired? (Ned. 41a; D. 211),
Refers to Wisdom. A Palestinian saying. There is a similar proverb in Hebrew: “Lackest thou wisdom, what hast thou acquired? Hast acquired wisdom, what lackest thou? ” (Lev. R. ch. i. § 6; D. 224). Ibn Gabirol says: “A body without knowledge is like a house without a foundation” (Choice of Pearls, no. 17); “Wisdom constitutes the noblest pedigree” (no. 24); “A man’s worth is estimated according to his knowledge” (no. 33); “The wise of the earth resemble the luminaries of Heaven” (no. 35). It would be no exaggeration to say that among the ancient and mediæval Jews there was an aristocracy of learning, not wealth.He ate the date and threw away the stone (Ḥag, 15b; D. 88).
Palestinian saying. Refers to a man who can distinguish between the true and the false, the useful and the useless.The cloak is precious to its wearer (Shab. 10b; D. 492).
An article always has some value for its possessor, if for nobody else. Similarly the opinions held by a person are considered worth holding by him. Cf. “Every man praises his own wares.”Better is the smith than the son of the smith (Sanh. 96a).
The experience acquired during many years is of extreme value.Who has eaten of the pot knows the taste of the broth (Jalkut to Deut. § 829; D. 467).
Experience is the best teacher.He whom a serpent hath bitten is terrified at a rope (Cant. R. to i. 2; D. 221).
A piece of rope lying on the ground resembles a snake. Cf. “Once bitten twice shy,” “A burnt child dreads the fire.”Falsehood is common, truth uncommon (Shab. 104a; D. 641).
Cf. no. 78. The Rabbis say, “The punishment of a liar is that he is not believed even when he tells the truth” (Sanh. 89b).He who gives vent to his wrath destroys his house (Sanh. 102b; D. 225).
Other sayings in Hebrew are: “The wrathful man is left with his wrath only, but the good man is permitted to taste of the fruit of his deeds” (Kid. 40b f; D. 608); “The wrathful man is subject to all kinds of tortures” (Ned. 22a); “The bad-tempered man is regardless even of the Divine Presence” (ibid. 22b); “There are three classes of people whose life is scarcely life—viz. the (too sensitively) compassionate, the irritable, and the melancholic” (Pes. 113b); “When a man gives vent to his wrath, if he is wise his wisdom leaves him, and if a prophet his prophetic gift departs” (ibid. 66b); “By three things is a man recognisable: by his pocket [kīs], his cup [kōs], and his temper [ka‘as]” (Erub. 65b). Cf. also the English proverb “A hasty man never wanteth woe.”Strife is like the aperture of a leakage; as [the aperture] widens so [the stream of water] increases (Sanh. 7a; D. 241).
Cf. “He who sows discord will reap regret” (Ibn Gabirol, no. 616); “Beware of enmity, however insignificant; for the smallest insect has often caused the death of the greatest man” (no. 618).[Strife] is like the plank in a bridge; the longer it exists the firmer it becomes (Sanh. 7a).
Same as preceding.When the kettle boils over, it overflows its own sides (Eccles. R. to vii. 9; D. 242).
The wrathful man only harms himself.Whoever expectorates upwards, it falls on his face (Eccles. R. to vii. 9; D. 366).
Parallel to the preceding.The camel went to seek horns, and the ears which it possessed were cut off (Sanh. 106a; D. 198).
Through wanting too much one often loses what he has. Cf. the saying of a Rabbi: “He, who sets longing eyes on what is not his, fails to obtain it, and is also deprived of what he has got” (Sot. 9a; D. 382). Parallel to English “To go for wool and return shorn.”Bad servants ask for advice after the deed is done (B. B. 4a; D. 547).
Similarly “After death the doctor.”Stripped naked but wearing shoes (Sot. 8b; Keth. 65b; D. 632).
It is as absurd for any one to be shabbily dressed and at the same time bedecked with ornaments as it would be to wear shoes and nothing else. The moral application is: An outward show of virtue when the character is obviously vicious is worse than being a thoroughly corrupt person. The Talmud exhorts a man to make his interior harmonise with his exterior (Ber. 28a).Let the land become impoverished but not its owner (B. M. 104b; D. 347).
Hang the heart of a palm-tree around a sow, and it will act as usual (Ber. 43b; D. 657).
The heart of a palm-tree was considered a rare dainty, but the pig, not appreciating its value, will trample it in filth. Cf. “The sow loves bran better than roses.” The general meaning is: It is difficult to wean a person from long-acquired habits. A Rabbi beautifully declares: “Sinful habits are first as fine as a spider’s web, but become finally as tough as cart-ropes” (Suc. 52a).Should the peasant become king, the scrip does not leave his neck (Meg. 7b; D. 44).
Similar to preceding. Cf. “Apes are apes though clothed in scarlet,” and no. 91 above.Throw a stick into the air and it will fall on its end (Gen. R. ch. liii. § 15; D. 275).
Old habits cling fast and are not easily broken.Thou hast beaten with a stick; and as thou hast beaten shalt thou be beaten (Num. R. ch. xviii. § 18; Ds. 23).
“Measure for measure.” In Hebrew we find likewise: “In the measure in which a man measures is he measured” (Sot. 8b: D. 162) and “In the pot in which they cooked shall they be cooked” (ibid. 11a; D. 169). Cf. also: “Hillel once saw a skull floating on the surface of the water. He said to it, “Because thou drownedst others, they have drowned thee, and at the last they that drowned thee shall themselves be drowned” (Aboth ii. 7).The heart and the eye are the two agents of sin (j. Ber. i. 5; D. 430).
Also found in Hebrew, Num. R. ch. xvii. § 6.If he gains, he gains a piece of coal; if he loses, he loses a pearl (j. Terum. viii. 5; Da. appendix no. 1).
When the ox falls, they sharpen their knives (Shab. 32a; Lam. R. to i. 7).
Cf. “When the tree is fallen, all go with their hatchets.”When the ox falls, its slayers are many (Lam. R. to i. 7; D. 532).
Palestinian proverb. Cf. “He that’s down, down with him!”The ass came and kicked away the lamp (Shah. 116b; D. 134).
The judge of a certain lawsuit was presented with a golden lamp by the one litigant and with a Libyan ass (which was very highly prized) by the other. The verdict went in favour of the latter, and thus the proverb is a warning against bribery because there is always the danger of being outbid. It is also said of bribery: “A judge who accepts a gift, even if he be otherwise perfectly righteous, will not terminate his existence before he has become demented” (Keth. 105b); “A judge who does not decide according to the truth causeth the Divine Presence to depart from Israel” (Sanh. 7a); “A judge should always imagine that a sword is placed across his thighs and Gehenna yawns beneath him ” (ibid.).From peddlers news, from rags vermin (Ber. 51b; D. 502).
Before even the dying person has expired, his executor bestirs himself (B. B. 91a; D. 551).
From one house to another a shirt; from one land to another a life (Gen. R. ch. xxxix. § 11; D. 474).
He who removes from one house to another in the same town does so at a personal loss even if it be only the worth of a shirt; but to remove to another land involves sufficient worry and trouble to kill a person. Cf. “Three removals are as bad as a fire,” i.e. the household goods are completely ruined.The third tongue slays three: the speaker, the spoken to, and the spoken of (Erach. 15b; D. 461).
Palestinian proverb. By “the third tongue” is meant slander, a phrase used often in the Targum, the Aramaic Version of the Bible, and also in Syriac. Slander is a vice most fiercely denounced in the Rabbinic literature. Some of the things said about the slanderer are: “He magnifies his iniquity as far as Heaven,” “He is worthy of stoning,” “The Holy One says, I and he cannot dwell together in the earth” (ibid.); “The retailer of slander and also the receiver of it deserve to be cast to the dogs” (Pes. 118a).Should not the whole enter, a half enters (Gen. R. ch. lvi. 4; D. 333).
Referring to slander, which always leaves some lasting impress on the mind of the hearer. Even if he professes to disbelieve it, he thinks to himself “There is no smoke without fire.”It is not enough for him that he squanders his own, but [he also squanders the wealth] of others (Eccles. R. to iv. 6; D. 422).
Said of a borrower. Cf. the following.He who borrows on interest destroys his own and others’ property (Lev. R. ch. iii. § 1; D. 214).
Cf. “Money borrowed is soon sorrowed.”Between the midwife and the travailing woman, the child of the poor perishes (Gen. R. ch. lx. § 3; D. 156).
Cf. “Between the shepherd and the wolf the lamb is torn asunder” (Tanḥuma, Waēra; D. 154). One often contributes as much to the disaster he is trying to avoid as does his opponent who is scheming to overwhelm him.She prostitutes herself for apples and distributes them among the sick (Lev. R. ch. iii. § 1; Eccles. R. to iv. 6; D. 193).
Doing evil for a good purpose, on the principle that the end justifies the means. Cf. “Steals the goose and gives the giblets in alms.”He who rents one garden will eat birds; who rents gardens, the birds will eat him (Lev. R. ch. iii. § 1; Eccles. R. to iv. 6; D. 202).
To attempt too much is often to lose all. Cf. also no. 173.A pot belonging to partners is neither hot nor cold (Erub. 3a; B. B. 24b; D. 588).
Each leaves it to the other to see to a matter, with the result that neither does. “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”The shepherd is lame and the sheep in flight; at the door of the fold there are [harsh] words but in the stalls there is the reckoning (Shab. 32a; D. 619).
Retribution comes eventually with full force, even when it seems at first to be only mild.When the shepherd is angry with his flock, he appoints a blind [sheep] as leader (B. K. 52a; D. 336).
A saying current in Galilee. The proverb seems to correspond to our “Cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face.”Seven pits for the good man and one for the evil-doer (Sanh. 7a; D. 621).
It is necessary to amplify the proverb thus: “There are seven pits open for the good man, but he escapes them all, whereas if there be only one for the evil-doer he falls into it.” The Biblical parallel is quoted: “For a righteous man falleth seven times and riseth up again: but the wicked are overthrown by calamity” (Prov. xxiv. 16). On the proverbial use of “Seven” see no. 57.Steal after the thief and thou too hast a taste (Ber. 5b; D. 179).
“The receiver is as bad as the thief.”In the hour of distress—a vow; in the hour of release—forgetfulness (Gen. R. ch. lxxxi. § 2; D. 175).
Cf. “Vows made in storms are forgotten in calms,” and no. 38 below.A slain lion hast thou slain; ground flour hast thou ground; a burnt house hast thou burnt (Cant. R. to iii. 4; cf. Sanh. 96b; D. 120).
There is nothing of which to boast in what you have done.Art thou a hero? Behold a she-bear before thee; rise and overpower her (Gen. R. ch. lxxxvii. § 3; D. 36).
The braggart may be called upon to give proof of his prowess.When the endives are bitter the wine is sour (Lam. R. to iii. 42; D. 58).
Palestinian proverb (see Buber in loc., and not as in the editions). The meaning is well expressed in another Rabbinic maxim: “One transgression draws another in its train” (Aboth iv. 2).If actions are wicked, they are bad for them who perform them (Lam. R. to iii. 42; D. 57).
Wickedness recoils on to the head of the perpetrator.If our predecessors were angels we are human; if they were human, we are asses (Shek. v. 1; D. 107).
“The good old times.” Cf. “Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these?” (Eccles. vii. 10). The same proverb is to be found in Hebrew in Shab. 112b. It is similarly said: “The nail of the former generations is better than the stomach of the later generations” (Jom. 9b; D. 307), and “As the difference between gold and dust so is the difference between our generation and that of our fathers” (j. Git. vi. 7; D. 410).All flatter a king (Num. R. ch. x. § 4; D. 340).
He who hangs up his provision-basket hangs up his sustenance (Pes. 111b; D. 656).
An obscure proverb. Dukes quotes from the ‘Aruch (Talmudical Lexicon) that there existed a superstition in ancient times that it was unlucky to hang up the basket which was used for storing provisions. In his Zur rabbinischen Spruchkunde, no. 173, he offers another explanation: viz., one who asks too much of Providence endangers himself. By hanging up your provision-basket and waiting for something to turn up you run the risk of starvation. Cf. “One must not rely on miracles” (Pes. 64b).I am thy cook and thou permittest me not to partake of thy dishes (Lev. R. ch. xxviii. § 3; D. 477).
False witnesses are despicable to their hirers (Sanh. 29a; D. 538).
Elsewhere it is said “A false witness is worthy of being cast to the dogs” (Pes. 118a).A proud man is unacceptable even to his own household (B. B. 98a; D. 237).
Cf. no. 46. Other sayings are: “The proud man is possessed of a blemish” (Meg. 29a; D. 236); “The son of David (the Messiah) will not come till the arrogant are consumed from Israel” (Sanh. 98a). It was a favourite maxim of the great Hillel, “My lowliness is my exaltation and my exaltation is my lowliness” (Lev. R. ch. i. § 5). Another Rabbi exhorts us, “Be exceedingly humble of spirit, since the hope of man is but worms” (Aboth. iv. 4). And Ibn Gabirol says, “What is pride? It is a folly which they who possess it cannot throw off” (op. cit. no. 626).When priests rob, who would swear by their gods or sacrifice to them? (Gen. R. ch. xxvi. § 5; D. 343).
The wrong done by eminent men lowers the cause which they represent.A stater in a flask cries Clink, clink (B. M. 85b; D. 112).
The single coin in the flask is more audible than a large number of coins. Cf. “Empty vessels make the most noise.”The ass feels cold even at the solstice of Tammuz (Shab. 53a; D. 291).
I.e. in midsummer, Tammuz being the equivalent of the month of July. The proverb is applied to a blockhead, into whom it is impossible to drive any sense. To the same effect is: “To the wise man a nod [is sufficient], but the fool needs a fist” (D. p. 78). Cf. “A fool cannot be impressed, and the flesh of a corpse does not feel the knife” (Shab. 13b; D. 77).That man has not eaten bread made from wheat all his days (Gen. R. ch. xv. § 7; D. 412).
Applied to an exceptionally ignorant man. He has never tasted the luxury of knowledge, in the same way as an extremely poor man never tastes such a dainty as bread made from wheat.He ran with ladder and rope but could not learn (Ned. 89b; D. 610).
The figure is of a man who energetically provides himself with a ladder and rope wherewith to pull down the branches of a tree and pick the fruit. Similarly there are men who do all in their power to acquire knowledge, but are unsuccessful. Cf. “Thou hast dived into the mighty waters [for pearls] and hast brought up a potsherd in thy hand” (B. K. 91a; D. 581). Contrast the Rabbinic saying: “If a man says, “I have sought (wisdom) and found it not,” do not believe him” (Meg. 6b).One man weeps without knowing why, another laughs without knowing why; woe to him who knows not to distinguish between the good and the bad! (Sanh. 103a; D. 161).
Play the flute to noblemen [and they find it pleasant; play it] to weavers and they will not accept it (Jom. 20b; D. 2).
Fools criticise where sages admire. On the “weaver” see no. 23.The sorcerer mutters but knows not what he mutters (Sot. 22a; D. 617).
Applicable to people who repeat high-sounding phrases without knowing their meaning.Hast thou called to thy neighbour and he answered thee not, take a huge wall and throw it at him (B. K. 92b; D. 602).
One has to use strong measures with a fool.Who hath not worked shall not eat (Gen. R. ch. xiv. § 10; Ds. 97).
The identical words are to be found in 2 Thess. iii. 10. The Rabbis were fond of quoting “When thou eatest the labour of thine hands, happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee” (Ps. cxxviii. 2), with the comment that the man who eats the fruit of his labour stands higher than the God-fearing man (Ber. 8a). That work is a blessing is finely taught in the Talmudical legend which relates how Adam burst into tears when he was told that as a consequence of his disobedience the earth would henceforth produce thorns and thistles. “Shall I and the ass eat out of the same manger?” he cried. When, however, he was informed that by the sweat of his brow he could grow corn and eat bread, he was comforted (Pes. 118a).Hadst got up early, thou needest not have stayed up late (Lev. R. ch. xxv. § 5; Da. 6).
If you had worked while young, there would be no necessity for you to work in your old age (Jastrow). Cf. “Leisure is the reward of labour.” Dukes renders the proverb quite differently: “Hast seen the dawn, thou hast not yet seen the dusk.” Man is ignorant of what the next step he has to take will bring him. Cf. “Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Prov. xxvii. 1), and “Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off” (1 Kings xx. 11).Flay a carcass in the street and earn a living, and say not, I am a great man and the work is below my dignity (Pes. 113a; B. B. 110a; D. 579).
Other similar sayings are: “Great is work, for it honours the workman” (Ned. 49b; D. 188), and “Make thy Sabbath [-table like that of] a weekday, but be not dependent upon others” (Shab. 118a; D. 568). The Rabbis certainly practised what they preached, for there were no professional scholars in their day. We hear of great Rabbis being at the same time shoemakers, carpenters, smiths, builders, bakers, etc. The eminent Rabban Gamliel had as his favourite maxim: “An excellent thing is the study of the Law combined with some worldly occupation, for the labour demanded by them both makes sin to be forgotten. All study of the Law without work must in the end be futile and become the cause of sin” (Aboth. ii. 2).Seven years lasted the famine, but it came not to the artisan’s door (Sanh. 29a; D. 622).
Cf. also “It is a father’s duty to teach his son a trade” (Kid. 29a), and “He who does not teach his son a trade teaches him to steal” (ibid.). A man without a regular occupation was not permitted to act as judge or even give testimony (Sanh. 24b).If a swordsman he is no book-worm; if a book-worm he is no swordsman (Ab. Zar. 17b; D. 46).
The occupations of the student and warrior clash with each other. Another reading of the proverb is: “If the sword the Book is not, if the Book the sword is not.”The Book is the Bible, and its teachings make for peace and good-will.A physician afar off is a blind eye (B. K. 85a; D. 111).
I.e. he is of no use. Jastrow translates, “If the surgeon is far off, the eye will be blind” (before he arrives).There is no faith in slaves (B. M. 86b; D. 437).
Palestinian proverb. Elsewhere it is said: “Of the ten measures of sleep that came down into the world, slaves received nine and the rest of the world only one” (Kid. 49b); “Slaves have no sense of shame” (Sanh. 86a); “Their testimony is not accepted” (Mish. R. H. i. 8); “It is forbidden to teach a slave the Law” (Keth. 28a). Harsh though these dicta sound, they were no doubt justified by experience. On the other hand, there cannot be any doubt that servants [there is only one word in Hebrew and Aramaic for “slave” and “servant”] were well looked after and protected by law. It is thus recommended, “Do not eat fine bread and give coarse bread to your servant, do not drink old wine and give him new wine, do not sleep on soft cushions and allow him only straw; hence people say, Whoever acquires a Hebrew slave, acquires a master over himself” (Kid. 20a).
Does a man buy and sell just to be called a merchant? (B. M. 40b; B. B. 90a).
The chief aim in trade is to make a profit. Cf. “A merchant that gains not, loseth.”Hast bought, thou hast gained; sell, and thou wilt lose (B. M. 51a).
The art of trading consists in skilful purchasing. Cf. “Buying and selling is but winning and losing.”Loosen thy purse-strings, [then] open thy sack (Pes. 113a; D. 643).
Receive payment before parting with your goods. Cf. a Scotch proverb “Ell and tell [ = ready money] is good merchandise.”Behold the sack, the money, and the corn; arise and measure (j. Sanh. x. 1; D. 230).
Deal for cash only.Vines purchase date-palms, date-palms do not purchase vines (B. K. 92a).
The fruit of the vine is more valuable than that of the palm. Therefore devote your energies to the former, for it will prove more profitable.A Kab from the ground and not a Kor from the roof (Pes. 113a; D. 586).
Better is a small profit derived from the place where you dwell than a larger profit from afar off. You are saved worry, and there is no need to mount the roof of your house to look out anxiously for the arrival of your agents. Cf. “Buy at market but sell at home.” On the Kab see no. 21. The Kor was a larger dry measure.
*169. If on opening the door [in the morning] there is rain, set down thy sack, O ass-driver, and lie on it (Ber. 59a; Taan 6b; D. 163).
Morning rain is the sign of a fruitful season. Provisions will be cheap, so do not carry thy produce to market, for the profits will be small. On the other hand, the Talmud bitterly denounces the men who inflate the price of food-stuff by withholding it from the market in the time of scarcity (B. B. 90b).
The beam sells for a Zuz in the town and for a Zuz in the forest (B. K. 11a; D. p. 15).
The cost of transporting the timber does not materially affect the price.Ten parasangs for one Zuz, eleven parasangs for two (Ḥag. 9b).
Cry of ass-drivers.Four [Zuz] for a large skin and four for a small skin (B. B. 5a; D. 117).
The cost of tanning a skin, whether large or small, is practically the same. Make use of this fact to get the most possible for your money. In the context, the application is that the cost of guarding two contiguous fields is the same as that for one field. (This seems the most probable of the various translations and explanations of the proverb.)A hundred Zuz [invested] in business, and every day meat and wine; a hundred Zuz [invested] in land, and salt and vegetables (Jeb. 63a; D. 463).
The Jews seem at one time to have had a disinclination to acquire much land, possibly on account of the uncertainty of tenure in the time of persecution. Cf. the wording of proverb no. 130. The opinions on the question of landed property differ very widely. Ben Sira says: “Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry, which the Most High hath ordained” (Ecclus. vii. 15). The fact that “husbandry” is specially mentioned is in keeping with Ben Sira’s general view, shared by the Greeks, that occupation with the soil led to boorishness. A Rabbi of the second century AḌ. gives it as his opinion that there could be no worse occupation than agriculture, and on seeing a field ploughed across its breadth he exclaimed sarcastically, “Plough it also long-wise, and still you will find that to engage in commerce is more profitable” (Jeb. 63a). Rab, who lived in the third century, noticed the ears of corn being fanned by the breeze, and declared “However much you may fan, it is better to devote oneself to commerce” (ibid.). On the other hand, it is also said, “A man who does not possess a piece of land is not fit to be called a man” (ibid.); and another Rabbi adopts a middle course by advising “Let every man divide his money into three parts, and invest a third in land, a third in business, and a third let him keep by him in reserve” (B. M. 42a).A hundred bleedings for a Zuz, a hundred heads (hair-cuttings) for a Zuz, a hundred lips (moustache-trimmings) for nothing (Shab. 129b; D. 464).
There are some occupations which are absolutely barren of profit. Although, as we have seen, work was considered a blessing, a distinction was naturally drawn between the different trades. “No trade,” says a Rabbi, “will ever pass away from the world; but happy is he who sees his parents engaged in a superior trade, and woe to him who sees his parents engaged in an ungainly occupation. The world cannot exist without a perfumer and a tanner; but happy is he whose occupation is that of a perfumer, and woe to him who is a tanner” (Kid. 82b). Here the emphasis is laid on clean and pleasant work; but another Rabbinic passage regards the matter from a different point of view. “Let not a man teach his son to be an ass-driver, nor a camel-driver, nor a barber, nor a sailor, nor a shepherd, nor a shop-keeper, for their trades are those of thieves. Ass-drivers are mostly wicked, camel-drivers mostly honest, sailors mostly pious, the best of physicians is destined for Gehenna, and the most honourable of butchers is a partner of Amalek” (Mish. Kid. iv. 14). Also the professions which brought men into frequent contact with women were discouraged, such as the goldsmith, wool-carder, maker of hand-mills, perfumer, weaver, hairdresser, fuller, cupper, and bath-heater. None engaged in these trades could be elected to the office of king or high priest (Kid. 82a).Fifty [Zuz] which produce [increase] are better than a hundred which do not (j. Peah viii. 8; D. 296).
A little which is used is of greater value than double which is lying unused.Be the cursed and not the curser (Sanh. 49a; D. 652).
A similar exhortation is, “A man should always be of the pursued and not of the pursuers” (B. K. 93a), and cf. “They who are oppressed and oppress not, who listen to insults without retorting, who act lovingly and are happy under trials—of them it is said (Judg. v. 31), “Let them who love Him be as the sun when it goeth forth in its might” (Shab. 88b).What is hateful to thyself, do not to thy fellow-man (Shab. 31a; D. 223).
This negative form of the Golden Rule (cf. Matt. vii. 12) is ascribed in the Talmud to Hillel, who gave it to the would-be proselyte who wished to be taught the whole of the Law while he stood on one foot. It soon became famous and passed into proverbial use. It was earlier than Hillel, and is found in Tobit iv. 14 and in Philo.Physician, heal thy lameness (Gen. R. ch. xxiii. § 4; D. 109).
Similar to Luke iv, 23. Cf. “Take the splinter from thine eyes! [And he answers] Take the beam from thine eyes!” (B. B. 15b; Erach. 16b; D. 309), which is identical with Matt. vii. 4, and “Improve thyself and then improve others” (B. B. 60b and often; D. 604). That physicians were unpopular may be seen from the wording of this proverb and from the passage quoted on proverb no. 174. Ben Sira finds it necessary to write a special exhortation for men to “honour a physician” (Ecclus. xxxviii. 1 f.), and a Rabbi advises, “Do not dwell in a town where the chief man in it is a physician” (Pes. 113a).Hast gone into the city, conform to its laws (Gen. R. ch. xlviii. § 14; D. 31).
Cf. “Man should never depart from established custom” (B. M. 86b), “A man should never exclude himself from the general body” (Ber. 49b),”The law of the State is law,” i.e. is binding on the Jewish inhabitant (Git. 10b and often), “When in Rome do as Rome does.”Go out and see how the people act (Ber. 45a and often; D. 573).
Follow the majority. Cf. “Custom rules the law.”Hast spoiled thy work, take a needle and sew (Gen. R. ch. xix. § 6; Ds. 149).
Do your best to right the mischief done by you.Whatever thou hast to thy discredit, be the first to tell it (B. K. 92b; D. 500).
It will be worse for you if others tell it.Be not choleric and thou shalt not sin (Ber. 29b; D. 429).
A mediæval Jewish work declares: “Anger rusts the intellect so that it cannot discern the good to do it and the bad to avoid it.” Cf. nos. 101 ff.Become not intoxicated and thou shalt not sin (Ber. 29b; D. 428).
Other Rabbinic sayings on this subject are: “Wine leads both man and woman to adultery” (Num. R. ch. x. § 4); “One cup of wine is good for a woman, two are degrading, three make her act like an immoral person, and four cause her to lose all self-respect and sense of shame” (Keth. 65a); “Enter wine, exit the secret” (Erub. 65a; Sanh. 38a); “Wine ends in blood” (Sanh. 70a); “Wine brings lamentation into the world” (Jom. 76b); “Who has drunk a quarter of a measure of wine may not expound the Law” (Keth. 10b); “Nor should he recite his prayers, for the prayer of a drunkard is an abomination” (Erub. 64a); “Priests should never drink wine” (Taan. 17a bot.). Abba Shaūl]. said: “It was once my occupation to bury the dead, and I made it a practice to observe their bones. I have thus perceived that he who indulged in strong drink, his bones appeared to be burnt; if to excess, they were without marrow; but if in due measure, they were full of marrow” (Nid. 24b). Dukes (Zur r. S., no. 24) quotes “Where Satan cannot penetrate, he sends wine as his ambassador.” It is not to be inferred from these sayings, that total abstinence was commended. Quite the contrary. Why, ask the Rabbis, is the Nazirite [see no. 188] commanded to bring a sin-offering (Num. vi. 14)? Because he imposed upon himself the oath to abstain from wine, which is one of God’s gifts to man (Taan. 11a). Wine was largely used, but in moderation. It of course figured in the religious ceremonies, but it was enacted, “No blessing is to be pronounced over the cup of wine, unless it has first been mixed with water. Such is the opinion of R. Eliezer. The wise men, however, do pronounce the blessing over undiluted wine” (Mish. Ber. vii. 5).Cast no mud into the well from which thou hast drunk (B. K. 92b; D. 148).
Against ingratitude. Cf. “It is a dirty bird that fouls its own nest.”Mix fodder for one ox, mix for many oxen (B. M. 69a).
Cf. “In for a penny, in for a pound,” “As well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.”Be deliberate! Be deliberate! ’Tis worth four hundred Zuz (Ber. 20a; D. 521).
The proverb originated under the following circumstances: R. Ida, the son of Ahaba, once pulled a kind of head-covering only worn by non-Jewish women from the head of a woman, under the supposition that she was a Jewess. He was mistaken, and was fined four hundred Zuz. On asking the woman her name, she replied that it was Methūn, which also means “Be deliberate! Be not hasty!” There is a further play on the word, for it closely resembles another with the meaning “Two hundred.” Note that the word is repeated, bringing the total to “Four hundred,” the amount paid as a fine. Ibn Gabirol likewise says: “Reflection insures safety, but rashness is followed by regrets” (no. 114).Go away! Go away! O Nazirite, they say; do not approach even the neighbourhood of a vineyard (Shab. 13a and often; quoted as a proverb in Num. R. ch. x. § 8; D. 441).
A Nazirite was one who had taken a vow to abstain from the produce of the vine (see Num. vi. 2 ff.) The meaning of the proverb is: Avoid even the circumstances which might possibly lead to wrong. The same idea is taught in the ancient Jewish doctrine “Make a fence round the Law” (Aboth, i. 1). Cf. also “Keep far from what is foul and from what is like unto it” (Ḥul. 44b).Circumvent the wicked man lest he circumvent thee (Gen. R. ch. lxxv. § 1; D. 589).
If thy comrade call thee “Ass,” put the saddle upon thy back (B. K. 92b; D. 282).
Reliance can be placed on the frank criticism of a friend.If one person tell thee thou hast ass’s ears, take no notice; should two tell thee so, procure a saddle for thyself (Gen. R. ch. xlv. § 7; D. 96).
Where opinions agree there is more credence. Cf. “What everyone says must be true.”Before wine-drinkers [set] wine; before a ploughman a measure of roots (Sot. 10a; D. 595).
Everything in its proper place. Cf. no. 112 above.If thou goest up to the roof, take thy provisions with thee (Pes. 113a; D. 540).
However short be the journey see that you are well provided with the requirement of your needs. Cf. “Though the sun shines, leave not your cloak at home.”To the tenth generation speak not contemptuously of a gentile in the presence of a proselyte (Sanh. 94a; D. 194).
Have regard for his feelings.Should there be a case of hanging in one’s family record, say not to him, “Hang up this fish ” (B. M. 59b; D. 213).
So in English, “Name not a rope in his house that hanged himself.”Leave the drunkard alone; he will fall by himself (Shab. 32a; D. 624).
Retribution comes in its own time. Do not try to hasten it.Man ought to pray for mercy even to the last clod of earth [thrown upon his grave] (Ber. 8a; D. 433).
Cf. “Even when a sharp sword is laid on his neck, a man should not withhold himself from [the hope of] mercy” (Ber. 10a; D. 113). “Never say die.”In a field where there are mounds, talk no secrets (Gen. R. ch. lxxiv. § 2; D. 151).
Similarly: “The way has ears, the wall has ears” (Lev. R. ch. xxxii. § 2; D. 32), and the English proverb “Fields have eyes and woods have ears.”Whether innocent or guilty, enter into no oath (j. Shebu. vi. 5; D. 155).
Cf. “Accustom not thy mouth to swearing, neither use thyself to the naming of the Holy One” (Ecclus. xxiii. 9).What is expensive for thy back, what is reasonable for thy stomach (B. M. 52a; D. 569).
Spend much on your clothes, even if you have to stint yourself in food. Orientals attach great importance to their external appearance. Other sayings are: “R. Joḥanan called his garment, That which honoureth me” (B. K. 91b; Shab. 113b), “A scholar on whose clothes vermin are found is worthy of death” (Shab. 114a), “To honour the Sabbath, let not thy Sabbath apparel be the same as thy weekday apparel” (Shah. 113a), “The glory of men is their raiment” (Derech Erets Zuta, ch. x). Cf. proverb no. 265.Spend according to thy means on eating, less on clothing, and more on dwelling (Gen. R. ch. xx. § 12; D. 458).
Diminish from thy food and drink and add to thy dwelling (Pes. 114a; D. 574).
Let thy grandson sell wax, and do not let thyself be troubled (Sanh. 95a; cited as a proverb in Jalkut to Samuel, § 155; D. 168).
Do not concern yourself too much with the future. Do not stint yourself now, because it might affect the second or third generation. The same idea occurs in the following: “Sufficient is the trouble in its own time” (Ber. 9b), with which is to be compared “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. vi. 34).If [thy wife] hath borne thee sixty in thy lifetime [but they have all died], of what use were sixty to thee? Bestir thyself and beget one who will be stronger than the sixty (B. B. 91a; D. 150).
Do not lose courage even in the face of overwhelming disappointments, but persevere until you finally succeed. On “sixty” see no. 16.One should take grave notice of his master’s curses even when they are undeserved (Jalkut to Samuel § 142).
Teachers were held in extraordinary esteem by Jews, and were sometimes credited with the power of harming people by cursing them. Cf. “The curse of a wise man is fulfilled even when undeserved” (Sanh. 90b).Hast given [the poor] to eat and to drink, accompany them on their way (Gen. R. ch. xlviii. § 20).
Show respect to the poor, even when assisting them. The proverb is based upon Abraham’s treatment of his guests (cf. Gen. xviii.).In the time of rejoicing, rejoicing; in the time of mourning, mourning (Gen. R. ch. xxvii. § 4; D. 174).
“To everything there is a season” (Eccles. iii. 1).While on thy way, to thine enemy make thyself heard (Sanh. 95b; D. 3).
Seize the opportunity to retaliate on him, whenever and wherever it may present itself to you. The words can also bear the meaning “While on thy way, submit to thine enemy,” which offers a parallel to Matt. v. 25.From thy debtor accept even bran in payment (B. K. 46b; B. M. 118a; BḄ. 92b; D. 501).
On the principle “Half a loaf is better than none.”According to the Zuzim dance (Midrash to Psalm xiv. 12; Ds. 94).
In accordance with the payment so regulate the work. Truer to Jewish teaching is the maxim: “Be not like servants who minister to their master upon the condition of receiving a reward” (Aboth. i. 3).If a man of Naresh has kissed thee, count thy teeth (Hul. 127a; D. 535).
The town of Naresh in Babylonia had a bad reputation. The general meaning of the proverb is: Beware of a deceitful man, especially when he greets you effusively. One is reminded of Virgil’s line “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.”Let the reader of the letter be the one to break the news (B. M. 83b and often; D. 601).
Having involved yourself in an affair, carry it out to a conclusion, however unpleasant it may be.If the wheat of the city be rye-grass, sow of it (Gen. R. ch. lix. § 8; D. 289).
Prefer what is home-grown, even if it be inferior to foreign produce.First learn, then form opinions (Shah. 63a; D. 434).
This fine maxim occurs also in Hebrew form in Ber. 63b; Ab. Zar. 19a (D. 454).When the horn is sounded in [the market of] Rome, son of a fig-dealer, sell thy father’s figs (Ber. 62b; D. 603).
Another possible rendering is: “The horn is sounded in Rome: “Son of a fig-dealer, etc.” If thy father is away, act in his absence. Do not let the opportunity pass.While thou art hungry eat; while thou art thirsty drink; while the cauldron is still hot pour out (Ber. 62b; D. 550).
Do not procrastinate.While thy fire is burning, go cut up thy pumpkin and cook (Sanh. 33b; D. 12).
Seize the opportunity as it occurs to you.While the sandal is on thy foot, tread down the thorns (Gen. R. ch. xliv. § 12; D. 552).
Parallel to the preceding.If thou hast dates in the fold of thy garment, run to the brewery (Pes. 113a; D. 658).
Having gathered the dates in the fold of thy cloak, run at once and have them brewed. Do not waste time. In the East, beer (called by the Arabs Nabidh) was brewed from dates.While yet the sand is on thy feet dispose of thy wares (Pes. 113a; D. 11).
Cf. in English ” Expedition is the soul of business,” and generally the meaning is the same as the preceding.He who has a lawsuit should go to a judge (Sanh. 3b; D. 466).
Do not waste time, but have your wrongs attended to by the properly constituted authorities without delay.He who is in pain should go to the doctor (B. K. 46b; D. 216).
Same as preceding.This world is like pump-wheels whereby the full become empty that the empty shall become full (Lev. R. ch. xxxiv. § 9; D. 246).
Cf. “It is a wheel that revolves in the world” (Shab. 151b; D. 196), “The wheel has revolved” (Jalkut to Ruth § 601), and “The world is a staircase; some are going up and some are coming down.”In the place where the master of the house once hung up his weapons, there the shepherd hangs up his scrip (B. M. 84b; Sanh. 103a; D. 141).
Palestinian proverb. The wheel of fortune revolves constantly, and inferiors usurp the place of their betters.The sow pastures with ten [young ones] and the lamb not even with one (Gen. R. ch. xliv. § 23; D. 288).
Fortune does not always smile on those who deserve it most.They eat and we say Grace (Ber. 44a; D. 81).
We have the work and they the enjoyment. Cf. “One beats the bush and another catches the bird.”If thou wilt lift the load I will lift it too; but if thou wilt not lift it, I will not (B. K. 92b; D. 40).
One usually desires another to share the risk of an undertaking rather than bear all the responsibility alone. Co-operation and mutual assistance are essential factors in social life. Cf. the case of Deborah and Barak: “If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go” (Judg. iv. 8).
Thy friend hath a friend and thy friend’s friend hath a friend (BḄ. 28b, and often; D. 280).
Men are so interrelated that no secret, if communicated to a second person, can be kept for long. For the same reason news spreads quickly. Similarly Ibn Gabirol teaches: “Disclose not that to thy friend which thou wouldst conceal from thine enemy” (no. 315); “The sage was asked,
How keepest thou a secret? He replied, I make my heart its tomb” (no. 318).If the body is taken away, of what use is the head? (Gen. R. ch. c., § 9; D. 70).
The welfare of the upper classes is bound up closely with that of the lower.Let the grape-clusters offer supplications on behalf of the leaves, since, but for the leaves, the grape-clusters could not exist (Ḥul. 92a; D. 315.)
Even the greatest of men cannot dispense with the services of the lower classes, but are to a large extent dependent upon them. It is consequently their duty to consider the condition of the poor, since it affects them also.Smite the gods, and the priests will be terrified (Ex. R. ch. ix. § 9; D. 487).
The mob relies upon the leaders; if they fall, the rest are soon scattered.If the house has fallen, woe to the windows (Ex. R. ch. xxvi. § 2; D. 529).
When disaster overtakes a community, its individual members suffer inasmuch as they form an integral part of the whole.When one band is broken, two are broken (Lev. R. ch. xiv. § 3; D. 130).
The world is a complex unit, so that one part affects another. The ruin of one man, for instance, usually involves many others besides himself.In the city my name, out of the city my dress (Shab. 145b; D. 165).
“The coat makes the man.” In the place where I dwell my name is sufficient to command respect and recognition for me, but where I am unknown I am judged only by my outward appearance. Cf. “For man looketh on the outward appearance” (1 Sam. xvi. 7), and the Rabbinic exhortation “Look not at the flask but at what it contains” (Aboth. iv. 27).It is not as thou sayest, but as we say in the learned circles (Jalkut to Psalms § 755; D. 421).
A similar maxim is to be found in Hebrew: “It is not as thou sayest but as thy colleagues say” (Sanh. 19a). The individual opinion is worthless as against the generally accepted opinion of experts.Unhappy the province whose physician suffers from gout and whose chancellor of the exchequer is one-eyed (Lev. R. ch. v. § 6; D. 561).
The welfare of a community depends upon the fitness and efficiency of the governors.What is in thine heart concerning thy friend is in his heart concerning thee (Sifrē to Deut. i, 27; ed. Friedmann p. 70a; D. 478).
Either friendship or death (Taan. 23a; D. 16).
The saying occurs in connection with the well-known story of the Talmudic Rip van Winkle—Ḥoni Ha-mëaggel (“the circle-drawer”), who fell asleep for seventy years. On waking up he went to his former home, and thence to the house of study where he had once been so famous. But nobody believed him when he disclosed his identity, and he thereupon prayed for death. Ibn Gabirol expresses the same idea thus: “A friendless man is like a left hand without a right hand” (no. 255). Cf. the English proverb, “Who finds himself without friends is like a body without a soul.”Either friends like Job’s friends or death (B. B. 16b; D. 43).
Job’s friends proved their loyalty by visiting him in the time of his trouble. That is the kind of friendship to seek and cultivate, not the kind described in proverb no. 27. Cf. “He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction: but there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Prov. xviii. 24).Approach the perfumer and thou wilt be perfumed (Shebu. 47b; D. 600).
There is a Hebrew proverb to the same effect: “Attach thyself to honourable people and men will bow to thee” (Gen. R. ch. xvi. § 3; D. 243). Cf. “Keep good men company and you shall be of the number.”The governor took us [by the hand] and the scent came into the hand (Zeb. 96b; Ds. 15).
On account of the teacher the pupil has eaten (Jom. 75b).
The honour merited by one person is reflected on others who associate with him.Carry wood behind the owners of property (B. K. 93a; D. 180).
In the company of wealthy men there is an opportunity of making money. Similar to the English saying, “Live with a singer, if you would learn to sing.”The servant of a king is like a king (Gen. R. ch. xvi. § 3; D. 545).
Parallel to the preceding proverbs. This saying also occurs in Hebrew form in Shebu. 47b.The degenerate palm goes among the unfruitful reeds (B. K. 92b; D. 488).
“Birds of a feather flock together.” The context quotes as Biblical parallels: “Esau went to Ishmael” (Gen. xxviii. 9), “There were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah” (Judg. xi. 3), and also ” Every beast loveth his like and every man loveth his neighbour” (Ecclus. xiii. 15; xxvii. 9). Cf. also “The crow associates with the raven only because they belong to the same species” (Ḥul. 65a; D. 415), “We carry mud to mud, and the fine to what is fine” (j. Kid. iii. 13; D. 484). A later moralist has: “Wouldst know all about a man? Ask who his companion is.”Should there be two dry logs and a fresh one together, the dry logs set the fresh one on fire (Sanh. 93a; D. 664).
Bad company spreads infection. Wicked companions demoralise the good. Cf. “Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbour” (Suc. 56b).The pencil splits the stone; a rogue knows his companion (Ab. Zar. 22b; D. 497).
Each rogue fears the other because of bitter experience in the past, in the same way as the stone fears the pencil which marks the place where the chisel is to cut.[A dog] attaches itself to one because of the piece of meat which is thrown to it (B. M. 71a; Ab. Zar. 22b; D. 235).
Friendship merely for self-interest is to be avoided. Ibn Gabirol declares: “There are three kinds of friends—the friend who will help thee by personal acts and with money, he is faithful; the friend who gets from thee what he needs and would sacrifice thee for the slightest self-interest, he is faithless; and the friend who only makes an outward show of loving thee and whose desire from thee is greater than thy desire from him—trust not in his love” (no. 263).The man in whom I trusted lifted up his staff (or, fist) and stood against me (Sanh. 7a; D. 185).
The Talmud quotes the Biblical parallel: “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. xli. 9).Do not a favour to a bad man, and no harm will come to thee (Gen. R. ch. xxii. § 8).
Have no dealings at all with the wicked. Cf. “Avoid evil and it will avoid thee.”If thy friend’s son die, bear [part of his grief]; if thy friend die, break away [from grief] (Gen. R. ch. xcvi. § 5; D. 495).
Share your friend’s sorrows, because he will sympathise with you when you are in distress. But when he is dead, what is the use of grieving? He can no longer be of any service to you. It need scarcely be pointed out that the egoistic spirit of this proverb does not accord with Rabbinic ethics. Contrast the saying “Greater is benevolence than monetary charity since it can be performed towards the dead as well as the living” (Suc. 49b; D. 562).The large and small measures roll down and reach Sheol; from Sheol they proceed to Tadmor (Palmyra), from Tadmor to Meshan (Mesene), and from Meshan to Harpanya (Hipparenum) (Jeb. 17a; D. 587).
“The large and small measures” indicate instruments of fraud, and thus symbolise the dregs of society. All the lowest and vilest types of humanity flock to the above-mentioned places in Babylon.
Cut off his head and shall he not die? (Shab. 75a and often; D. 576).
Used of an act which is followed by unavoidable consequences. A man cannot protest that he did not intend such results as must inevitably follow from his acts. There is a Hebrew saying to the same effect: “Break the cask but preserve the wine!” (B. B. 16a).How can a barren ass pay me back? (B. B. 91a; D. 339).
Used of a man from whom nothing can be expected.They make an elephant pass through the eye of a needle (B. M. 38b; D. 509).
Applied to subtle dialecticians. The figure is also used in the New Testament: “It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye,” etc. (Matt. xix. 24).Man is never shown a golden date-palm or an elephant passing through the eye of a needle (Ber. 55b).
Proverbial for things which are impossible.Thy guarantee needs a guarantee (Suc. 26a; Git. 28b; D. 566).
Applied to an unreliable authority. Maimonides quotes this saying as being “well known among the Arameans,” for which there is a variant “Arabs” (Guide for the Perplexed, Part I. ch. lxxiv.).A basket full of books (Meg. 28b; D. 582).
Said of a man possessed of much learning, but ill-arranged and devoid of method. There is a mediæval expression, “An ass carrying books” (Ds. 44), which is applied to an ignorant man who has a library.This is an arrow in Satan’s eye (Suc. 38a; Kid. 30a, 81a; D. 215).
Descriptive of a good act or an act which is a preventive against wrong-doing.Smell at his flask (Shab. 108a; B. B. 22a; D. 653).
Others translate: “Strike on his flask,” to hear how it rings. In either case the meaning is the same: Test his intelligence.White pitchers full of ashes (Ber. 28a).
Applied in the first instance to bad pupils. But generally it refers to dignified posts unworthily filled.White geese who strip men of their cloaks (Git. 73a).
Men in responsible positions—vested with the white mantles of honour—who abuse their office for their selfish ends.Of what use is a torch at midday? (Ḥul. 60b; cf. Shab. 63a; D. 642).
Proverbial of something superfluous. Cf. Young’s “Hold a farthing candle to the sun.”The sun sets of itself (Naz. 64b; Pes. 90b; D. 638).
Said of things which occur on their own account and need no human assistance.The pitchers [go] to the stream; where [go] the potsherds? (Ber. 58a; D. 298).
Said of one who aims at something of which he can make no use. The proverb is well illustrated by the following: “A hen and a night-owl were once awaiting the dawn. Said the hen to the night-owl, “The light is for me; of what use is it to you?” (Sanh. 98b).May thy strength be firm! (Ds. 20).
This expression is found very frequently in Hebrew and Aramaic. and is still used by Jews as the equivalent of “Thank you!”Am I then fastened to you by a Kab of wax? (Sanh. 29a; Ds. 5).
An assertion of independence. On Kab see no. 21.Like [a fish] from the sea into the frying-pan (Kid. 44a; D. 401).
Proverbial of extraordinary promptness in performing a matter.He was involved in a lawsuit, but he had not the standing of a foot (Jalkut to Gen. § 6).
Exactly like the English saying, “He hadn’t a leg to stand on.”Go and teach it outside (Erub. 9a; Jom. 43b).
We cannot accept your version. Cf. the common saying, “Tell it to the marines.”Carry vegetables to the town of vegetables! (Menaḥ. 85a; D. 447).
Used sarcastically. Similar to the English proverb, “Carry coals to Newcastle.” It is also said, “Thou art carrying straw to Ephraïm” (ibid.), “They carry brine to Apamæa and fish to Acco” (Ex. R. ch. ix. § 6). This proverb is put into the mouth of Pharaoh’s magicians when Moses threatened to work his wonders in Egypt, the land of wonders.Thou hast added water, add flour also (Gen. R. ch. lxx. § 7; D. 29).
Used of a person who is constantly asking questions, but rarely ventures to add anything more substantial to the conversation or discussion.He made him ride upon two horses (B. B. 152a; Keth. 55b; D. 121).
“He made assurance doubly sure.”A raven flew by! (Bets. 21a; Ḥul. 124b; Ds. 127).
A colloquialism used when asked a perplexing question which you wish to evade.A raven that brings fire to its nest (Gen. R. ch. lxv. § 19; D. 554).
Based on the fable of the raven that brought fire to its nest to warm its young, but the fire burnt them all. The proverb is thus used of a man who injures others with the best of intentions.A mouse lying on denars (Sanh. 29b; D. 556).
Descriptive of a miser. The “denar” (= denarius) is both a silver and a gold coin.He threw a hatchet at it (R. H. 13a; D. 628).
He shattered his arguments.You all expectorate with the same spittle (Shab. 99b; Nid. 42a; D. 342).
You have all obtained your opinions from the same source.Like a log for an image (Keth. 86a; B. K. 98b; D. 348).
Proverbial for something that is exactly suitable for the purpose in view.Like taking a hair out of milk (Ber. 8a; Moed K. 28a; D. 402).
Descriptive of something extremely easy to perform.Like a blind man at a window (B. B. 12b; Nid. 20b; D. 403).
Used of a man who just hits on the right thing by chance.Like warm water on a bald head (Keth. 39b).
Proverbial of something pleasant.Dust into the mouth of Job! (B. B. 16a).
An exclamatory remark, meaning “Hold your tongue!”I see here a Yod [enlarged into] a city (Kid. 16b).
The Yod is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and is thus used proverbially for something diminutive, as in the phrase “One jot or tittle” (Matt. v. 18). With the proverb may be compared “They make a mountain out of a molehill.”I kindled a fire before thee (Erach. 31b).
My claim is prior to thine, inasmuch as I have previously done something to establish it.I ate vegetables before thou didst (Erach. 31b).
I am older than thou.The native on the ground and the stranger in the highest heavens! (Erub. 9a; Jom. 47a; B. K. 42a; D. 153).
More deference is usually paid to a stranger than to a fellow-townsman, Of, “A prophet is never honoured in his own country” (Matt. xiii. 57). A similar thought is contained in: “Woe! Woe! The sojourner drives out the master of the house” (Lam. R. Proem. 22).How little does he whom the Lord aideth need to grieve or worry! (Jom. 22b; D. 400.)
Similar to the English proverb, “The grace of God is gear enough.All that God does is done for the best (Ber. 60b; D. 452).
This saying is illustrated by the following incident. R. Akiba was once on a journey, and met with a series of what appeared to be misfortunes. His request for a night’s lodging was refused by the inhabitants of the town, and he was compelled to sleep in the fields. He had with him a cock, an ass, and a lamp. A gust of wind came and extinguished the light; a wolf devoured the cock; and a lion carried off his ass. The next morning he discovered that the town had been plundered by robbers and all the inhabitants killed. He then perceived that there was a good purpose in all his misfortunes; for the light of the lamp, the crowing of the cock, or the braying of the ass might have revealed his presence to the brigands. The Talmud also relates that there lived once a man named Nahum, “the man of Gamzu,” whose favourite motto was “Also this [Gam zu] for good” (Sanh. 108a; D. 197). Some think that his name is to be attributed to his motto; but others are of the opinion that he belonged to a town called Gimzo, S.E. of Lydda (2 Chron. xxviii. 18).The thief on the point of breaking into[a house] calls on God [for help] (Ber. 63a; D. 191).
(This proverb is not to be found in the editions. The ‘En Ja‘akob and MSS. have it; cf. Rabbinowitz, Dikduke Sophrim, ad loc. ).Grind with the teeth and thou wilt feel it in thy heels (Shab. 152a; D. 212).
Good nourishment strengthens the body.The steps of the ass [depend upon] barley (Shab. 51b; D. 523).
Good nourishment is necessary for good labour.Loosen thy sack and put in bread (Shab. 152a; D. 645).
Open thy mouth and eat well, for nourishment is essential to the well-being of the body.A fence is fenced in, and a breach is broken (j. Peah. i. 1 end; j. Kid. i. 9; j. Shebu. i. 6; D. 539).
The good are helped by God to remain good, and the bad are allowed to continue in their evil ways. The same idea is taught elsewhere in the Talmud: “The man who comes to defile himself has opportunities given him, and the man who comes to purify himself is helped [to gain that end]” (Shab. 104a, and often; D. 139), “In the way in which one wishes to go, he is led” (Mac. 10b; D. 142)It is good for the year that Tebeth should be a widow (Taan. 6b; D. 489).
This saying is dependent for its explanation upon another: “Rain is the consort of the earth” (ibid.). A rainless Tebeth (January) points to a good harvest. It is also stated that “A rainfall after the expiration of the month of Nisan (April, i.e. the time when the corn begins to ripen) and during the feast of Tabernacles (October, the feast of ingathering) is a curse” (Taan. 2b).The physician who accepts no fee is worth no fee (B. K. 85a; D. 110).
Cf. “What costs nothing is worth nothing.”If you have not seen the lion you have seen his lair (Targum Sheni to Esth. i. 2; ed. Munk p. 10; Ds. 13)
From the magnificence of his lair you can form an idea of what the occupant is like.Whatever song he may sing, it will not enter the ear of the dancer (Lam. R. Proem. 12; Ds. 60)
A reference to Prov. xxv. 20. It is useless to try to impress anybody who is not in the mood to consider your words seriously.A dog away from its accustomed place barks not for seven years (Erub. 61a; D. 395).
In strange surroundings one loses self-confidence.According to the camel is the load (Keth. 67a; Sot. 13b; D. 455).
The greater the man the greater his responsibility.If the lawsuit has been adjourned overnight, the case is at an end (Sanh. 95a; D. 176).
After the first heat of the quarrel has subsided, reconciliation is not so difficult.In proportion to the ingenuity is the error (B. M. 96b; D. 457).
Cf. “The higher the mountain, the deeper the valley,” and “The higher up, the greater fall.”The Shittim wood has no other use than to be cut down (Ex. R. ch. vi. § 5; D. 505).
This (acacia) wood is excellent as timber, but the tree is not fruit-bearing. Everything has its use and should be utilised for that purpose.
*341. According to the garden is the gardener (Gen. R. ch. lxxx. § 1; D. 456).
“Cut the coat according to the cloth.”
According to the ox is the slaughterer (Gen. R. ch. lxv. § 11; D. 459).
Same as preceding proverb.Hast shaven the gentile and he is pleased, set fire to his beard also, and thou wilt never be finished laughing at him (Sanh. 96a; D. 201).
He who submits to indignities will have to suffer worse insults in future.One says, “I will buy that poor man a garment,” but does not buy it, or “I will buy him a mantle,” but does not buy it (B. M. 78b).
Said of a man who promises much but does not keep his word. So also it is stated: “Better is it that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldst vow and not pay” (Eccles. v. 5); “The righteous promise little and perform much, whereas the wicked promise much and do not perform even a little” (B. M. 87a); “Promise little and do much” (Aboth. i. 15).Thy goodness is taken and thrown over the thorny hedge (Shab. 63b and often; D. 640).
Acts of kindness or good advice which come too late are valueless.Fever is more severe in winter than in summer (Jom. 29a).
In Shab. 66b we are given a long and elaborate account of remedies for the cure of fever.As the day raises itself so the sick man raises himself (B. B. 16b; D. 39).
An invalid feels easier during the day than during the night. The proverb is quoted in connection with the legend that the patriarch Abraham wore a precious stone suspended from his neck, and everybody suffering from an illness obtained relief by looking at it. When Abraham died, God placed this virtue in the course of the sun.A dream which has not been interpreted is like a letter unread (Ber. 55b).
Other sayings on this subject are: “Dreams are a sixtieth part of prophecy” (ibid. 57b); “Three kinds of dreams are fulfilled: one experienced in the morning; one dreamt by a friend concerning him; and a dream interpreted in the midst of a dream” (ibid. 55b). There is a good deal in the Talmud about the omens which are to be drawn from dreams: e.g. “Whoever sees a serpent in a dream is assured of his sustenance; if bitten by it, it is doubled; if killed, it is lost” (ibid. 57a), “All sorts of liquids seen in a dream are a good omen, with the exception of wine” (ibid.). An attempt seems to have been made to break the people from their belief in dreams, as may be seen from such statements as: “A man should not despair of mercy, even when the master of dreams tells him that he will die on the morrow; for it is said (Eccles. v. 7), “In the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words [fear not], but fear thou God!” (Ber. 10b), “Neither a good dream nor a bad dream is wholly fulfilled” (ibid. 55a), “The interpretation of the dream, not the dream itself, is fulfilled” (ibid. 55b), “Dreams cause neither prosperity nor ill-fortune” (Git. 52a).Sixty iron weapons they hung on the sting of the gnat (Ḥul. 58b; D. 647).
Insignificant objects can cause great harm.Every man carries his worth in his basket (j. Peah. i. 1, about the middle; D. 364).
Introduced with the words “Well do the millers say.” Each man has his own way of displaying his merit.
Laissez faire et laissez passer, le monde va de lui même! = Let do and let pass, the world goes on by itself!
de omnibus rebus et de quibusdam aliis = of all things and some others
A small problem gets larger if you ignore it.
Beware of the curse. If you look down on this curse, may you have an angry Jupiter for an enemy.
O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed that you have not already collapsed in ruin.
May everything turn out okay so that you can leave this place.
Lovers are like bees in that they live a honeyed life.
Whoever wants to serve themselves can go on an drink from the sea.
Laughter abounds in the mouths of fools.
Adversity that weakens weak hearts engulfs strong souls.
Accipitus in patria nemo propheta. = No one is accepted as a prophet in their own country.
Abusus non tollit usum = Abuse does not nullify proper use.
Abyssus abyssum invocat = Hell calls upon Hell.
Age quod agisea = Do what you’re doing.
A verbis ad verbera = From words to blows.
Bene legere saecla vincere = One who reads well masters the ages.
Bellum se ipsum alet = War feeds itself
Cacoethes carpendi = The habit of finding fault
Caeca invidia est = Envy is blind
Castigat ridendo mores = One corrects customs by laughing at them
Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui = Beware of what you say, when, and to whom
Cessante causa cessat effectus = Once the cause is removed, the effect will disappear.
Cras amet qui nunquam amavit; quique amavit, cras amet = May he love tomorrow who has never loved before; And may he who has loved, love tomorrow as well
Crescat scientia, vita excolatur = Let knowledge increase, let life be perfected.
Cui bono? = Who benefits?
Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim = Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.
Pulchrum est paucorum hominum = Beauty is for the few.
Parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus = When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things.
Omnia Romae cum pretio = Everything in Rome comes with a price.
Oratores fuint, poetae nascintur = Orators are made, poets are born.
Optimum medicantuium quies est = The best medicine is rest.
Otium dat vitium = Idleness breeds vice.
Necesse est aut imiteris aut oderis = You must either imitate or loathe the world
Historia est magistra vitae = History is life’s teacher
Hodie mihi, cras tibi = Today me, tomorrow you
Hominem non morbum cura = Treat the man, not the disease
Humanitas occiditas superbiam = Humility overcomes pride.
Ignavum fortuna repugnat = Fortune disdains the lazy.
Malum quidem nullum esse sine aliquo bono = There is no evil without some good.
Mundus vult decipi = The world wants to be deceived
Melius est nomen bonum quam divitae multae = A good name is better than vast riches
Labor ipse voluptas = The pleasure is in the work itself
Labor omnia vincit = Work overcomes all.
Lux aeterna = Eternal light
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.
Verum esse ipsum factum = truth is itself something made
verbatim et spellatim = literally and figuratively
A man should not take a merchant for his friend.
Whoso laboureth earnestly to prove an opinion to another, himself distrusts it.
Rem ipsam dic, mitte male loqui = speak out the whole truth boldly, but use no bad language.
Consensus Sapientium = Agreement of the wise
sine scientia abaci mercatores et artifices utiliter et bene se exercere non possunt, = Without knowledge of the abacus, merchants and craftsmen cannot exercise themselves usefully and effectively.
Utinam tibi tam aurum argentumque polliceri possem, quam iocundum contubernium amoenumque convictum. = I wish I could promise you as much gold and silver as delightful and pleasant companionship.
Contra verbosos noli contendere verbis: Sermo datur cunctis, animi sapientia paucis. = Try not with words the talker to outdo; On all is speech bestowed: good sense on few.
A book is a garden carried in the pocket. – Arabic Proverbs
A book that remains shut, is but a block. – Arabic Proverbs
A borrowed cloak does not keep one warm. – Arabic Proverbs
A chameleon does not leave one tree until he is sure of another. – Arabic Proverbs
A change is as good as a rest. – Arabic Proverbs
A day lasts until it’s chased away but love lasts until the grave. – Arabic Proverbs
A fable is a bridge that leads to truth. – Arabic Proverbs
A fat woman is a blanket for the winter. – Arabic Proverbs
A foolish man may be known by six things: Anger without cause, speech without profit, change without progress, inquiry without object, putting trust in a stranger, and mistaking foes for friends. – Arabic Proverbs
A friend advises in his interest, not yours. – Arabic Proverbs
A friend is known when needed. – Arabic Proverbs
A good deed dies when it is spoken about. – Arabic Proverbs
A good man is one who rejoices in the well-being of others. – Arabic Proverbs
A good orator makes us see with our ears. – Arabic Proverbs
A grateful dog has more worth than an ungrateful man. – Arabic Proverbs
A hand that has been chopped off cannot steal any more. – Arabic Proverbs
A heart free from care is better than a full purse. – Arabic Proverbs
A horse of good breed is not dishonored by his saddle. – Arabic Proverbs
A horse that will not carry a saddle must have no oats. – Arabic Proverbs
A house divided cannot stand. – Arabic Proverbs
A kind speech and forgiveness is better than alms followed by injury. – Arabic Proverbs
A kind word can attract even the snake from his nest. – Arabic Proverbs
A known mistake is better than an unknown truth. – Arabic Proverbs
A lazy man will be an astrologer. – Arabic Proverbs
A learned man without work is a cloud without rain. – Arabic Proverbs
A little and a little, collected together, becomes a great deal; the heap in the barn consists of single grains, and drop and rop makes an inundation. – Arabic Proverbs
A little bird wants but a little nest. – Arabic Proverbs
A little body doth often harbour a great soul. – Arabic Proverbs
A little debt makes a debtor, a great one an enemy. – Arabic Proverbs
A little spark can kindle a great fire. – Syria Proverbs
A man cannot be a good physician if he has never been sick himself. – Arabic Proverbs
A man profits more by the sight of an idiot than by the orations of the learned. – Arabic Proverbs
A man who was always complaining was quite rightly sent to hell. A man who was always complaining was quite rightly sent to hell. “Why are you burning damp wood?” was his first comment. – Arabic Proverbs
A man’s worth depends on his two smallest organs: his heart and his tongue. – Arabic Proverbs
A mouth that praises and a hand that kills. – Arabic Proverbs
A mule can go to Mecca, but it will not come back as a pilgrim. – Arabic Proverbs
A poor man would like to have some fun, but he cannot find the right place. – Arabic Proverbs
A promise is a cloud; fulfillment is the rain. – Arabic Proverbs
A scholar’s ink is worth as much as the blood of the martyr. – Arabic Proverbs
A secret is like a dove: when it leaves my hand it takes wing. – Arabic Proverbs
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to our steps as we walk the tightrope of life. – Arabic Proverbs
A small house is enough room for a thousand friends. – Syria Proverbs
A small tumbledown house is better than a communal palace. – Arabic Proverbs
A sponge to wipe away the past; a rose to sweeten the present; a kiss to greet the future. – Arabic Proverbs
A thousand curses never tore a shirt. – Arabic Proverbs
A tree that affords thee shade, do not order it to be cut down. – Arabic Proverb
A wise man associating with the vicious becomes an idiot; a dog traveling with good men becomes a rational being. – Arabic Proverbs
A wise man’s day is worth a fool’s life. – Arabic Proverbs
A woman’s belly is a garden with many kinds of fruit. – Arabic Proverbs
A woman’s mosque is her home. – Arabic Proverbs
Act like you are an idiot and everyone will respect you. – Arabic Proverbs
Advice given in the midst of a crowd is loathsome. – Arabic Proverbs
After dinner, rest; after supper walk a mile. – Arabic Proverbs
After lunch, rest; after dinner take a walk. – Arabic Proverbs
All authors should prepare to encounter criticism. – Iraqi Proverbs
All earthly goods we have only on loan. – Arabic Proverbs
All kinds of fame belong partly to others. – Arabic Proverbs
All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immoveable, those that are moveable, and those that move. – Arabic Proverbs
All sunshine makes the desert. – Arabic Proverbs
Allah does not love the aggressors. – Arabic Proverbs
An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep. – Arabic Proverbs
An eloquent cock crows as soon as it comes out of the egg. – Arabic Proverbs
An imbecile can manage his own affairs better than a wise man the affairs of other people. – Arabic Proverbs
An insult is but a short garment: it reveals the one who wears it. – Arabic Proverbs
An old lion will be mocked by the dogs. – Arabic Proverbs
An unjust king is like a river without water. – Arabic Proverbs
Another man’s bread will not fill your belly. – Arabic Proverbs
Any water in the desert will do. – Arabic Proverbs
Arrogance diminishes wisdom. – Arabic Proverbs
Arrogance is a weed that grows mostly on a dunghill. – Arabic Proverbs
Ask advice of an ignorant man and he will think you are his enemy. – Arabic Proverbs
Ask for your wife’s advice and then do the opposite. – Arabic Proverbs
Ask me what are my virtues, not about the color of my skin. – Arabic Proverbs
Ask the experienced rather than the learned. – Arabic Proverbs
Ask thy purse what thou should’st buy. – Arabic Proverbs
Ask your purse what you should buy. – Arabic Proverbs
At the narrow passage there is no brother and no friend. – Arabic Proverbs
Attend funerals avoid weddings. – Arabic Proverbs
Avoid that which requires an apology. – Arabic Proverbs
Avoid the company of a liar. And if you can’t avoid him, don’t believe him. – Arabic Proverbs
Avoiding mistakes is better than apologizing after. – Arabic Proverbs
Be sure to have a controversial opinion, and men will talk about you. – Arabic Proverbs
Beauty doesn’t exist, men only dream it. – Arabic Proverbs
Beauty is power. – Arabic Proverbs
Beauty never travels in a group. – Arabic Proverbs
Believe what you see and lay aside what you hear. – Arabic Proverbs
Benefits make a man a slave. – Arabic Proverb
Better a handful of dry dates and content therewith than to own the Gate of Peacocks and be kicked in the eye by a broody camel. – Arabic Proverbs
Better a thousand enemies outside the tent than one within. – Arabic Proverbs
Better make profit out of manure than losses with musk. – Arabic Proverbs
Better to be a free dog than a caged lion. – Arabic Proverbs
Better to have bread and an onion with peace than stuffed fowl with strife. – Arabic Proverbs
Beware of one who flatters unduly; he will also censure unjustly. – Arabic Proverbs
Beware the man who lavishes too much praise on you, he will later run you down. – Arabic Proverbs
Beware: some liars tell the truth. – Arabic Proverbs
Birds align with grain, but not with the stick. – Oman Proverbs
Blind eyes see better than blind hearts. – Arabic Proverbs
Blindness of the eye is better than blindness of the heart. – Arabic Proverbs
Both the fast and the slow will meet each other on the ferry boat. – Arabic Proverbs
Bravery without intelligence is not bravery. – Arabic Proverbs
Build with silver and cover with gold. – Oman Proverbs
By his own mouth does the liar expose himself. – Arabic Proverbs
Call someone your lord and he’ll sell you in the slave market. – Arabic Proverbs
Children are buttonholes that hold their parents together. – Arabic Proverbs
Choose the neighbor before the house. – Syria Proverbs
Choose your neighbor before your house and your companion before the road. – Arabic Proverbs
Compete, don’t envy. – Arabic Proverbs
Conversation is like making love; the man is the question, the woman the answer, and the union of both will bear fruit. – Arabic Proverbs
Curses are like young chickens, And still come home to roost. – Arabic Proverbs
Dawn does not come twice to awaken a man. – Arabic Proverbs
Death is a black camel that lies down at every door. Sooner or later you must ride the camel. – Arabic Proverbs
Death is a black camel which kneels at every man’s gate. – Arabic Proverbs
Death rides a fast camel. – Arabic Proverbs
Death was afraid of him because he had the heart of a lion. – Arabic Proverbs
Diligence is a great teacher. – Arabic Proverbs
Diligence is the mother of good luck. – Arabic Proverbs
Discord between the powerful is a fortune for the poor. – Arabic Proverbs
Do not buy either the moon or the news, for in the end they will both come out. – Arabic Proverbs
Do not cut down the tree that gives you shade. – Arabic Proverbs
Do not drink poison to quench a thirst. – Palestine Proverbs
Do not ridicule the thin-bearded when you yourself have no beard. – Arabic Proverbs
Do not stand in a dangerous place trusting in miracles. – Arabic Proverbs
Do not tell a friend anything you would conceal from an enemy. – Arabic Proverbs
Do not tell secrets in front of servants. – Arabic Proverbs
Don’t celebrate someone’s departing unless you know who will succeed him. – Arabic Proverbs
Don’t pour away your water on the strength of a mirage. – Arabic Proverbs
Don’t think you are eloquent just because a fool applauds you. – Arabic Proverbs
Doubt is the key to all knowledge. – Arabic Proverbs
Dwell among people for forty days. You will either become one of them or flee them. – Arabic Proverbs
Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire. – Arabic Proverbs
Eat whatever you like, but dress as others do. – Arabic Proverbs
Even the one-eyed man winks to women. – Arabic Proverbs
Every age has its book. – Arabic Proverbs
Every ambitious man is a captive and every covetous one a pauper. – Arabic Proverbs
Every day of your life is a page of your history. – Arabic Proverbs
Every dog is a great barker at the door of his own house. – Arabic Proverbs
Every future is not far away. – Arabic Proverbs
Every head has its own kind of headache. – Arabic Proverbs
Every sun has to set. – Arabic Proverbs
Every village has certain drawbacks to it. – Oman Proverbs
Everything forbidden is desirable. – Arabic Proverbs
Everything is small at the beginning and then grows; except trouble, which is big at the beginning and still grows. – Arabic Proverbs
Evil people know one another. – Arabic Proverbs
Examine what is said, not him who speaks. – Arabic Proverbs
Example is better than precept. – Arabic Proverbs
Excuses are always mixed with lies. – Arabic Proverbs
Experiences are the spectacles of intellect. – Arabic Proverbs
Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. – Arabic Proverbs
Fate loves a rebel. – Arabic Proverbs
Fear not the man who fears God. – Arabic Proverbs
Fear the person who fears you. – Arabic Proverbs
Fire will burn itself out if it did not find anything to burn. – Arabic Proverbs
Follow the advice of the one who makes you cry, not from the one who makes you laugh. – Arabic Proverbs
Forgiveness is more satisfying than revenge. – Arabic Proverbs
Four things come not back – the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity. – Arabic Proverbs
Give a man some cloth and he’ll ask for some lining. – Arabic Proverbs
Give me wool and tomorrow you will have a sheep. – Arabic Proverbs
Go and wake up your cook. – Arabic Proverbs
God bless him who pays visits – short visits. – Arabic Proverbs
God gave the giraffe a long neck so that He would not have to bend the palm tree. – Arabic Proverbs
God grant us no neighbor with two eyes. – Arabic Proverbs
God has spared the naked man from washing his clothes with soap. – Arabic Proverbs
God sells knowledge for labor – honor for risk. – Arabic Proverbs
Good deeds banish bad ones. – Arabic Proverbs
Good qualities never cancel out the bad, just as sugar is no antidote for poison. – Arabic Proverbs
Great care is no defense against Fate. – Arabic Proverbs
Habit is the sixth sense that dominates the other five. – Arabic Proverbs
Haste is the invention of the devil. – Arabic Proverbs
Have faith in a stone and you will be healed by it. – Lebanese Proverbs
He fasted for a whole year and then broke his fast with an onion. – Arabic Proverbs
He fled from the rain and sat down under the waterspout. – Arabic Proverbs
He gets his passage for nothing and then winks at the captain’s wife. – Arabic Proverbs
He hit me, started to cry, and went straight to the judge to sue me – Arabic Proverbs
He left us and we rejoiced; then an even more unbearable person came. – Arabic Proverbs
He makes a dome out of a grain. – Arabic Proverbs
He promised me earrings, but then only pierced my ears. – Arabic Proverbs
He that counts his friend’s mistakes will be abandoned by him. – Arabic Proverbs
He that has long legs will go far. – Arabic Proverbs
He that has no money has no friends. – Arabic Proverbs
He that plants thorns must never expect to gather roses. – Arabic Proverbs
He who does not shield himself from vilification receives it. – Arabic Proverb
He who eats alone chokes alone. – Arabic Proverbs
He who foretells the future lies, even if he tells the truth. – Arabic Proverbs
He who has approved of wrongdoing is as guilty as he who has committed it. – Arabic Proverbs
He who has been bitten by a snake is scared of a rope on the ground. – Arabic Proverbs
He who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything. – Arabic Proverbs
He who is a slave of truth is a free man. – Arabic Proverbs
He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool. Shun him. He who knows not and knows that he knows not is a child. Teach him. He who knows and knows not that he knows is asleep. Wake him. He who knows and knows that he knows is a wise man. Follow him. – Arabic Proverbs
He who lies for you will lie about you. – Arabic Proverbs
He who lives in a glass house should not throw stones. – Arabic Proverbs
He who looks up too much gets a pain in the neck. – Arabic Proverbs
He who loves thinks that the others are blind; the others think that he is crazy. – Arabic Proverbs
He who only thinks about what is in his belly is worth less than what comes out of it. – Arabic Proverbs
He who peeps at the neighbor’s window may chance to lose his eyes. – Arabic Proverbs
He who plants thorns must never expect to gather roses. – Arabic Proverbs
He who predicts the future lies, even if he tells the truth. – Arabic Proverbs
He who sees the calamity of other people finds his own calamity light. – Arabic Proverbs
He who starts a lawsuit makes a hole in the dike. – Arabic Proverbs
He who steals an egg will steal a camel. – Arabic Proverbs
He who uses bad incense must be careful not to burn his sleeves. – Arabic Proverbs
He who walks alone shall surely arrive first. – Arabic Proverbs
He who walks through a field of onions, will smell like an onion. – Arabic Proverbs
He who wants to sell his honor will always find a buyer. – Arabic Proverbs
He who would visit a vice, never has far to travel. – Arabic Proverbs
Heaven on earth is to be found on horseback, reading books and between a woman’s breasts. – Arabic Proverbs
Hit the iron while it’s still hot. – Palestine Proverbs
How can the person who is eating dates prohibit the eating of dates?– Arabic Proverb
I am a prince and you are a prince; who will lead the donkeys?. – Arabic Proverbs
I came to the place of my birth and cried, I came to the place of my birth and cried, “The friends of my youth, where are they?” And echo answered, “Where are they?” – Arabic Proverbs
If a dog offers to help you across the river, don’t ask if he is suffering from the mange. – Arabic Proverbs
If a man believes in a stone, that stone will serve him well. – Arabic Proverbs
If a man’s mouth were silent, then another part would speak. – Arabic Proverbs
If a poor man ate it, they would say it was because of his stupidity. – Arabic Proverbs
If a rich man ate a snake, they would say it was because of his wisdom; if a poor man ate it, they would say it was because of his stupidity. – Arabic Proverbs
If a rich man eats a snake, people call it wisdom; if a poor man does the same thing, people call it derangement. – Lebanese Proverbs
If a wife is unfaithful then the husband is partly to blame. – Arabic Proverbs
If anyone is not willing to accept your point of view, try to see his point of view. – Lebanese Proverbs
If begging should unfortunately be your lot, knock at the large gates only. – Arabic Proverbs
If I had two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy hyacinths, for they would feed my soul. – Arabic Proverbs
If man be a river, then woman will be a bridge. – Arabic Proverbs
If man’s mouth was silent, then another part would speak. – Arabic Proverbs
If power is for sale, sell your mother to buy it. You can always buy her back again. – Arabic Proverbs
If someone says “There is a wedding ceremony in the clouds,” then the women would soon arrive with their ladders. – Arabic Proverbs
If the camel once gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow. – Arabic Proverbs
If the king says that it is night in the middle of the day, look up at the stars. – Arabic Proverbs
If the wind blows, ride it. – Arabic Proverbs
If there were no tears, our ribs would burn. – Arabic Proverbs
If we are both masters, then who shall lead the mules? – Arabic Proverbs
If you are a friend of the captain, you can wipe your hands on the sail. – Arabic Proverbs
If you are offered a bull, do not ask how much milk he will give. – Arabic Proverbs
If you buy cheap meat, you’ll smell what you have saved when it boils. – Arabic Proverbs
If you cannot take things by the head, then take them by the tail. – Arabic Proverbs
If you conduct yourself properly, then fear no one. – Iraqi Proverbs
If you count your friend’s mistakes, he will desert you. – Arabic Proverbs
If you do charity, your house will be always rich. – Arabic Proverbs
If you don’t know where you are going, look back to where you’ve come from. – Arabic Proverbs
If you give in to a fool, he will say, “This is because they are afraid of me.” – Arabic Proverbs
If you have an opinion, you better be determined. – Arabic Proverbs
If you have given away much of your wealth, then you have given a little of your heart. – Arabic Proverbs
If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart. – Arabic Proverbs
If you have never seen evil, look closely at yourself some time. – Arabic Proverbs
If you hear that a mountain has moved, believe; but if you hear that a man has changed his character, believe it not. – Arabic Proverbs
If you stop every time a dog barks, your road will never end. – Arabic Proverbs
If you want to hit your mother-in-law, be sure to split her head. – Arabic Proverbs
If you want to kill a snake, chop off its head. – Arabic Proverbs
If you want to take revenge on a man, send him a really beautiful woman. – Arabic Proverbs
If you’re a liar, you better have a good memory. – Arabic Proverbs
If your motive is good, a farting donkey won’t harm you. – Oman Proverbs
If your neighbor visits Mecca once, watch out for him. If he makes a second visit, you had better avoid him. After the third visit you had better move to another street. – Arabic Proverbs
In every village, there is a path that leads to the mill. – Syria Proverbs
In order to really love someone you must love him as though he was going to die tomorrow. – Arabic Proverbs
In the desert of life the wise travel by caravan, while the fool prefers to travel alone. – Arabic Proverbs
In the presence of Fate, the physician becomes a fool. – Arabic Proverbs
In the small lanes there are no brothers or friends. – Arabic Proverbs
Insults must be written in sand and compliments carved in stone. – Arabic Proverbs
Insults should be written in the sand, and praises carved in stone. – Arabic Proverb
It is a sign of weakness just to let things happen. – Arabic Proverbs
It is better to cut off the head that has no pride. – Arabic Proverbs
It is better to die in revenge than to live on in shame. – Arabic Proverbs
It is easier not to commit a sin than to repent it. – Arabic Proverbs
It is good to know the truth, but it is better to speak of palm trees. – Arabic Proverbs
It is not the bullet that kills you, it is fate. – Arabic Proverbs
It makes no sense to try to forge the iron whilst it is still cold. – Arabic Proverbs
It may be a fire today – tomorrow it will be ashes. – Arabic Proverbs
It’s all fate and chance. – Arabic Proverbs
It’s better to be a free dog than a caged lion. – Arabic Proverbs
It’s better to have a thousand enemies outside of the tent than one inside the tent. – Arabic Proverbs
Judge a man by the reputation of his enemies. – Arabic Proverbs
Judge not of a ship as she lies on the stocks. – Arabic Proverbs
Keep away from trouble and sing to it. – Syria Proverbs
Keeping a secret is a commitment. – Arabic Proverbs
Kiss the hand of your enemy if you cannot chop it off: Envy has no rest. – Arabic Proverbs
Know each other as if your were brothers; negotiate deals as if you were strangers to each other. – Arabic Proverbs
Knowledge acquired as a child is more lasting than an engraving on stone. – Arabic Proverbs
Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it. – Arabic Proverbs
Lack of intelligence is the greatest poverty. – Arabic Proverbs
Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone. – Arabic Proverbs
Leading by example is better than commandments. – Arabic Proverbs
Lending nourishes bad feeling. – Arabic Proverbs
Let the sword decide only after the plan has failed. – Arabic Proverbs
Lies are accepted once, not twice. – Arabic Proverbs
Lies are the plague of speech. – Arabic Proverbs
Life, like a fire, begins in smoke and ends in ashes. – Arabic Proverbs
Light your lamp first at home and afterwards at the mosque. – Arabic Proverbs
Live near water, and ask not about sustenance. – Oman Proverbs
Live together like brothers and do business like strangers. – Arabic Proverbs
Look and keep silent, and if you are eating meat, tell the world it’s fish. – Arabic Proverbs
Love lasts as long as does the reproach. – Arabic Proverbs
Love makes a man both blind and deaf. – Arabic Proverbs
Love overlooks defects; hatred magnifies them. – Lebanese Proverbs
Love sees clearly, hate even more so, but jealousy sees the most clear, because it is equal to love plus hate. – Arabic Proverbs
Lower your voice and strengthen your argument. – Lebanese Proverbs
Lying and stealing are next door neighbors. – Arabic Proverbs
Lying is a disease, and truth is a cure. – Arabic Proverbs
Make do with bread and butter until God can bring you jam. – Arabic Proverbs
Make your bargain before beginning to plow. – Arabic Proverbs
Man is like a palm on the beach; moving with the wind of life. – Arabic Proverbs
Man was created in a hurry. – Arabic Proverbs
Mankind is made out of forgetfulness. – Arabic Proverbs
Many are the roads that do not lead to the heart. – Arabic Proverbs
Many wars have been caused by a single word. – Arabic Proverbs
Marriage is like a besieged castle; those who are on the outside wish to get in; and those who are on the inside wish to get out. – Arabic Proverbs
Meaningless laughter is a sign of ill-breeding. – Arabic Proverbs
Measure your guilt, then stretch your legs. – Arabic Proverbs
Meat and mass never hindered man. – Arabic Proverbs
Meeting death is better than escaping from it. – Arabic Proverbs
Men fear, but time fears the pyramids. – Arabic Proverbs
Men laugh with their heart, women only with their mouth. – Arabic Proverbs
Men learn little from success, but much from failure. – Arabic Proverbs
Men must sew up tears with gentleness. – Arabic Proverbs
Misfortune is easier to bear if you share it with many others. – Arabic Proverbs
Mistrust before you trust. – Arabic Proverbs
Money can build roads in the sea. – Arabic Proverbs
More than one war has been caused by a single word. – Arabic Proverbs
Most people forget everything except being ungrateful. – Arabic Proverbs
Mustaches hide the imperfections of the mouth. – Arabic Proverbs
My debtor is a worse payer even than I am. – Arabic Proverbs
My family is my strength and my weakness. – Arabic Proverbs
Never celebrate someone’s leaving, until you know who will succeed him. – Arabic Proverbs
Never give advice in a crowd. – Arabic Proverbs
Never sit in the place of a man who can say to you, Never sit in the place of a man who can say to you, “Rise.”. – Arabic Proverbs
Never speak ill of the dead. – Arabic Proverbs
Never tell your friends what your enemy may not hear. – Arabic Proverbs
Never trust a fool with a sword. – Arabic Proverbs
No crowd ever waited at the gates of patience. – Arabic Proverbs
No cure, no pay. – Arabic Proverbs
No good can come of one who has never kept a friendship. – Arabic Proverbs
No man is a good physician who has never been sick. – Arabic Proverbs
Nobody is perfect. – Palestine Proverbs
None but a mule denies his family. – Arabic Proverbs
Not to use trickery is also trickery. – Arabic Proverbs
Nothing but a handful of dust will fill the eyes of man. – Arabic Proverbs
Obedience to a woman leads to hell. – Arabic Proverbs
Older than you by a day, wiser than you by a year. – Arabic Proverbs
On the day of victory no one is tired. – Arabic Proverbs
On the first of March, the crows begin to search. – Arabic Proverbs
Once you have decided to hit someone, then hit them hard because the retribution will be the same whether you hit hard or not. – Arabic Proverbs
Once you have found your rhythm, you will then know your God. – Arabic Proverbs
One coin in the money box makes more noise than when it is full. – Arabic Proverbs
One day in perfect health is a lot. – Arabic Proverbs
One hand cannot applaud. – Arabic Proverbs
One hand for oneself and one for the ship. – Arabic Proverbs
One is not born a warrior, you become one. – Arabic Proverbs
Only a mother can understand the suffering of a son. – Arabic Proverbs
Only death itself can end our hope. – Arabic Proverbs
Only he who understands is really sad. – Arabic Proverbs
Only the tent pitched by your own hands will stand. – Arabic Proverbs
Only three things in life are certain birth, death and change. – Arabic Proverbs
Oppose your affection to find rationality. – Arabic Proverbs
Pardon is the choicest flower of victory. – Arabic Proverbs
Patience is beautiful. – Arabic Proverbs
Peace is only possible after war. – Arabic Proverbs
Play alone and you’re bound to win. – Arabic Proverbs
Proverbs are the lamp of speech. – Arabic Proverbs
Put things into their places, and they will put you into your place. – Arabic Proverbs
Rather a slip of the foot than a slip of the pen. – Arabic Proverbs
Rather the cruelty of the Turks than the justice of the Bedouins. – Arabic Proverbs
Reproaches are the soap of the heart. – Arabic Proverbs
Righteousness is half of religion. – Arabic Proverbs
Salt will never be worm-eaten. – Arabic Proverbs
Search knowledge though it be in China. – Arabic Proverbs
Seek counsel of him who makes you weep, and not of him who makes you laugh. – Arabic Proverbs
Setting the conditions before you make an agreement is better than having an argument in the middle of the work. – Yemen Proverbs
Seven days king, seven days minister, slave for the rest of your life. – Arabic Proverbs
Seven trades but no luck. – Arabic Proverbs
Shall the gosling teach the goose to swim?. – Arabic Proverbs
Shallow waters mak’ maist din. – Arabic Proverbs
Show no fear to the man who picks up a big stone. – Arabic Proverbs
Silence is a brother of delight. – Arabic Proverbs
Silence is a cure for grief. – Arabic Proverbs
Silence is the best answer to the stupid. – Arabic Proverbs
Silence is the interpreter of happiness. – Arabic Proverbs
Silence is the sign of approval. – Arabic Proverbs
Sinning is the best part of repentance. – Arabic Proverbs
Sins of omission are seldom fun. – Arabic Proverbs
So long as I can keep a secret it is my prisoner. If I let it slip then I am its prisoner. – Arabic Proverbs
So long as the pot is boiling, friendship will stay warm. – Arabic Proverbs
Some men build a wine cellar after only finding one grape. – Lebanese Proverbs
Sometimes even the intestine and the stomach disagree. – Arabic Proverbs
Sometimes you need to sacrifice your beard in order to save your head. – Iraqi Proverbs
Spirit is the sword and experience the sharpening stone. – Arabic Proverbs
Spurs that are too sharp make even the mule rear. – Arabic Proverbs
Start seeking knowledge from the cradle up to the grave. – Arabic Proverbs
Sunshine all the time makes a desert. – Arabic Proverbs
Take wisdom from the wise – not everyone who rides a horse is a jockey. – Arabic Proverb
Talent without skill is like a desert without an oasis. – Arabic Proverbs
The angry hammer works off his fury on the steel. – Arabic Proverbs
The ass went seeking for horns and lost his ears. – Arabic Proverbs
The awakening of a giant shakes the world. – Arabic Proverbs
The barber learns to shave on the orphan’s face. – Arabic Proverbs
The benefits you get become the debts you owe to others. – Arabic Proverbs
The best act of generosity is that which is quickly done. – Arabic Proverbs
The best gift comes from the heart. – Arabic Proverbs
The best part of repentance is a little sinning. – Arabic Proverbs
The chameleon does not leave one tree until he is sure of another. – Arabic Proverbs
The corn will bend but it still ends up in the mill. – Arabic Proverbs
The cure for bad times is patience. – Arabic Proverbs
The dawn does not come twice to awaken a man. – Arabic Proverbs
The devil tempts all men, but idle men tempt the devil. – Arabic Proverbs
The different sorts of madness are innumerable. – Arabic Proverbs
The difficult is done at once, the impossible takes a little longer. – Arabic Proverbs
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on. – Arabic Proverbs
The doorstep weeps for forty days whenever a girl is born. – Arabic Proverbs
The dreams of a cat are full of mice. – Arabic Proverbs
The dry reed does not seek the company of fire. – Arabic Proverbs
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. – Arabic Proverbs
The English are a nation of shopkeepers. – Arabic Proverbs
The envious person is the least happy. – Arabic Proverbs
The excess of one is the shortage of another. – Arabic Proverbs
The eyes are of little use if the mind be blind. – Arabic Proverbs
The fire is winter’s fruit. – Arabic Proverbs
The first will get the credit, even if the second is better. – Arabic Proverbs
The fool has his answer on the tip of his tongue. – Arabic Proverbs
The fruit of silence is tranquility. – Arabic Proverbs
The fruit of timidity is neither gain nor loss. – Arabic Proverbs
The frying-pan says to the kettle, “Avaunt, black brows!” – Arabic Proverbs
The garlic complained to the onion, “You stink!” – Arabic Proverbs
The grave is our mother. – Arabic Proverbs
The greatest tranquility is when we desire nothing. – Arabic Proverbs
The hand of God is with the group. – Arabic Proverbs
The hasty and the tardy meet at the ferry. – Arabic Proverbs
The hasty angler loses the fish. – Arabic Proverbs
The hasty hand catches frogs for fish. – Arabic Proverbs
The house of danger is built upon the borders of safety. – Arabic Proverbs
The ideal phrase is that which is short and to the point. – Arabic Proverbs
The ink of a scholar is worth as much as the martyr’s blood. – Arabic Proverbs
The key to everything is determination. – Arabic Proverbs
The knife of the family does not cut. – Arabic Proverbs
The liar’s mother is a virgin. – Arabic Proverbs
The lion said: I am the best one to take care of my business. – Arabic Proverbs
The man with no patience waits for daylight, and when it comes he’ll be blind. – Arabic Proverbs
The men are the wool of the tribe, but the women are the ones who weave the pattern. – Arabic Proverbs
The mind is for seeing, the heart is for hearing. – Arabic Proverbs
The monkey looks into the mirror and sees a gazelle. – Arabic Proverbs
The most useful holy war is the one fought against your own passions. – Arabic Proverbs
The mother of someone who is killed can sleep; the mother of the murderer cannot. – Arabic Proverbs
The mouth of a canon is less dangerous than that of a scandalmonger. – Arabic Proverbs
The nail supports the hoof, the hoof the horse, the horse the man, the man the world. – Arabic Proverbs
The one who should be forgiven, is the one who’s able to punish. – Arabic Proverbs
The one-eyed person is a beauty in the country of the blind. – Arabic Proverbs
The person who deals in camels should make the doors high. – Syria Proverbs
The person who knew you when you were young will seldom respect you as an adult. – Lebanese Proverbs
The person who predicts the future is lying, even when he is right. – Arabic Proverbs
The poor always smell. – Arabic Proverbs
The rope of a lie is short. – Arabic Proverbs
The sinning is the best part of repentance. – Arabic Proverbs
The slave must be content with the joys of his master. – Arabic Proverbs
The soul of a fool is always dancing on the tip of his tongue. – Arabic Proverbs
The soul will only be at rest when it stops hoping. – Arabic Proverbs
The strength of the heart comes from the soundness of the faith. – Arabic Proverbs
The tongue of experience utters the most truth. – Arabic Proverbs
The tree of silence bears the fruits of peace. – Arabic Proverbs
The whisper of a pretty girl can be heard further off than the roar of a lion. – Arabic Proverbs
The word of the king is the king of words. – Arabic Proverbs
The words of the elderly are as sweet as honey, but if you do not listen they become as sour as bile. – Arabic Proverbs
The words of tongue should have three gate keepers. – Arabic Proverbs
The world is like carrion; those who love and eat from it are dogs. – Arabic Proverbs
The worst things in life are: To be in bed and sleep not, To want for one who comes not, To try to please and please not. – Arabic Proverbs
The wound of words is worse than the wound of swords. – Arabic Proverbs
The wound that bleedeth inwardly is the most dangerous. – Arabic Proverbs
The wrath of brothers is fierce and devilish. – Arabic Proverbs
The young goose is a good swimmer. – Arabic Proverbs
There are five ways in which to become wise: be silent, listen, remember, grow older and study. – Arabic Proverbs
There are four things Allah cannot do: lie, deny himself, die or look favorably on sin. – Arabic Proverbs
There are some words that look like salted jam. – Arabic Proverbs
There are two kinds of men: those who could be happy and are not, and those who search for happiness and find it not. – Arabic Proverbs
There has to be a first time for everything – even our most natural habits. – Arabic Proverbs
There is no fire without smoke. – Arabic Proverbs
There is no greater misfortune than your own. – Arabic Proverbs
They have sowed the seed of the word They have sowed the seed of the word “tomorrow” and it has not germinated. – Arabic Proverbs
They planted so we ate, and we plant so they would eat. – Arabic Proverbs
Think of the going out before you enter. – Arabic Proverbs
Those who argue with each other on the highway will often make up in the lane. – Arabic Proverbs
Those who foretell the future lies, even if he tells the truth. – Arabic Proverbs
Throw a lucky man into the sea, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth. – Arabic Proverb
Throw a resourceful person into a river, and he will probably come out with a fish in his hand. – Arabic Proverbs
Throw dirt enough, and some will stick. – Arabic Proverbs
Throw him into the river and he will come up with a fish in his mouth. – Arabic Proverbs
Time is like a sword. If you do not cut it, it will cut you. – Arabic Proverbs
Time is made of gold. – Arabic Proverbs
Time is the master of him who has no master. – Arabic Proverbs
To the pure, all things are pure. – Arabic Proverb
To threaten the brave with death is like promising water to a duck. – Arabic Proverbs
To you your religion and to me my religion. – Arabic Proverbs
Trees often transplanted never prosper. – Arabic Proverbs
Trust God, but tie up your camel. – Arabic Proverbs
Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel. – Arabic Proverbs
Trust makes way for treachery. – Arabic Proverbs
Two scorpions living in the same hole will get along better than two sisters in the same house. – Arabic Proverbs
Two weaklings conquered the fort. – Arabic Proverbs
Unfortunate is the man who has no fingernails to scratch his head with. – Arabic Proverbs
Unity is power. – Arabic Proverbs
Unwrapping a gift wraps up enmity. – Arabic Proverbs
Visit infrequently, and you will get closer. – Arabic Proverbs
Visit rarely, and you will be more loved. – Arabic Proverbs
Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. – Arabic Proverbs
Walls are the notebooks of fools. – Arabic Proverbs
War is a disaster for winner and loser alike. – Arabic Proverbs
What is learned in youth is carved in stone. – Arabic Proverbs
What is learnt in the cradle lasts to the grave. – Arabic Proverbs
What the wolf mourns is food for the fox. – Arabic Proverbs
What wise men suppose is worth more than the certainties of fools. – Arabic Proverbs
When a door opens not to your knock, consider your reputation. – Arabic Proverbs
When a rich man wants children, he gets dollars, when a poor man wants dollars, he gets children. – Arabic Proverbs
When danger approaches, sing to it. – Arabic Proverbs
When God shuts one door, He opens another. – Arabic Proverbs
When God wishes a man well, He gives him insight into his faults. – Arabic Proverbs
When the judge’s mule dies, everyone goes to the funeral; when the judge himself dies, no one does. – Arabic Proverbs
When what you want doesn’t happen, learn to want what does. – Arabic Proverbs
When you die, your sister’s tears will dry as time goes on, your widow’s tears will end in another’s arms, but your mother will mourn you until the day she dies. – Arabic Proverbs
When you have spoken the word, it reigns over you. When it is unspoken you reign over it. – Arabic Proverbs
When you love someone, you love the person as they are, and not as you’d like them to be. – Arabic Proverbs
When you return from a trip, bring back something for your family—even if it is only a stone. – Lebanese Proverbs
When you shoot an arrow of truth, dip its point in honey. – Arabic Proverbs
When your enemies attack, bathe in their blood. – Arabic Proverbs
Where there are poor, there are rich. But where there is justice, they are all brothers. – Arabic Proverbs
Where there is a will there is a way. Where there is no will there is an excuse. – Arabic Proverbs
Who does not choose dies of hunger. – Arabic Proverbs
Who does not go with you, go with him. – Arabic Proverbs
Whoever knew you when you were small will not respect you when you’re big. – Arabic Proverbs
Whoever lives within himself is burning with love. – Arabic Proverbs
Wisdom consists of ten parts – nine parts of silence and one part with few words. – Arabic Proverbs
Wishing does not make a poor man rich. – Arabic Proverbs
Wit is folly unless a wise man hath the keeping of it. – Arabic Proverbs
Without the companionship even paradise would be boring. – Arabic Proverbs
Words from the heart reach the heart, words from the mouth reach the ear. – Arabic Proverbs
Words of wisdom comes out of simple people mouths. – Arabic Proverbs
Wrath begins in madness and ends in repentance. – Arabic Proverbs
Write the bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble. – Arabic Proverbs
You are like a tree, giving your shade to the outside. – Arabic Proverbs
You can always find good elements in the misfortune that strikes you. – Arabic Proverbs
You can’t clap with one hand. – Arabic Proverbs
You cannot carry two watermelons in one hand. – Arabic Proverbs
You know a man by the sweat of his brow and the strength of his word. – Arabic Proverbs
You may forget with whom you laughed, but you will never forget with whom you wept. – Arabic Proverbs
You only own that which you have earned. – Arabic Proverbs
You will discover your true friends in moments of crisis. – Iraqi Proverbs
You will get no nourishment from the flesh of a woman. – Arabic Proverbs
You won’t gain knowledge by drinking ink. – Arabic Proverbs
Your friend will swallow your mistakes, your enemy will present them on a plate. – Arabic Proverbs
Your tongue is like a horse – if you take care of it, it takes care of you; if you treat it badly, it treats you badly. – Arabic Proverbs
Youths are like waves of the sea, the elderly have strength instead of tide. – Arabic Proverbs
أباد الله خضراءهم ابذل لصديقك دمك ومالك
“Give your friends your money and your blood, but don’t justify yourself. Your enemies won’t believe it and your friends won’t need it.” This saying is about altruism, and how you should never explain why you’re doing good to anyone, because the explanation is not needed.
2. اتَّكَلْنا منه على خُصٍّ الاتحاد قوة
“Unity is power.”
اتق شر الحليم اذا غضب
“Beware the levelheaded person if they’re angry.” Levelheaded people are usually calm and collected, and don’t anger easily. This saying refers to the fact that if something set off a levelheaded person, you should be more worried!اجتنب مصاحبة الكذاب فإن اضطررت إليه فلا تُصَدِّقْهُ
“Avoid the company of liars, but if you can’t, don’t believe them.” This one is pretty straightforward, isn’t it?احذر عدوك مرة وصديقك ألف مرة فإن انقلب الصديق فهو أعلم بالمضرة
“Be wary around your enemy once, and your friend a thousand times. A double crossing friend knows more about what harms you.”أحضر الناس جوابا من لم يغضب
“The best answer will come from the person who is not angry.”اختر أهون الشرين
“Go with the lesser of two evils.”إذا تم العقل نقص الكلام
“The smarter you are, the less you speak.”إذا قصرت يدك عن المكافأة فليصل لسانك بالشكر
“If you’re unable to reward, then make sure to thank.”أرسل حكيما ولا توصه
“Send a wise man; don’t advise him.”أرى كل إنسان يرى عيب غيره ويعمى عن العيب الذي هو فيه
“Everyone is critical of the flaws of others, but blind to their own.”أشد الفاقة عدم العقل
“Lack of intelligence is the greatest poverty.”إصلاح الموجود خير من انتظار المفقود
“It’s better to fix what you have than wait to get what you don’t have.”اصبر تنل
“Be patient and you’ll get what you want.”الأفعال أبلغ من الأقوال
“Actions speak louder than words.”أقل الناس سروراً الحسود
“An envious person is the unhappiest.”الصحة تاج على رؤوس الأصحاء لا يراه إلا المرضى
“Good health is a crown worn by the healthy than only the ill can see.”إن مع اليوم غدا يا مسعدة
“There’s always tomorrow.”أول الشجرة بذرة
“A tree begins with a seed.”أول الغضب جنون وآخره ندم
“Anger begins with madness, but ends in regret.”
الرأي قبل شجاعة الشجعان
“Opinion comes before the bravery of the braves.”
ربما أراد الأحمق نفعك فضرك
“The stupid might want to help you, but they just ended up hurting you.”
جزاء سنمار جزاء مُجيرِ أُمِّ عامِرٍ الجزاء من جنس العمل
“You reap what you sow.”
جنت على نفسها براقش الجهل شر الأصحاب
“Ignorance is the most terrible acquaintance.”
البياض نصف الحسن بيت الظالم خراب
“The house of a tyrant is a ruin.”
بيت المحسن عمار
“If you are charitable, you are rich.”
البعد جفاء
“Distance equals disaffection.”
باب النجار مخَلَّع
“The carpenter’s door is loose.” This might refer to the idea that people who make a profession or a habit of one thing might not have the time to even use that skill in their own life. They take care of everyone except for themselves.
بالأرض ولدتك أمك بالتأني تُدْرَكُ الفُرَصُ
“With care do you realize your opportunities.”
البخيل عظيم الرواق صغير الأخلاق
“The stingy have large porches and little morality.”
الباب الذي يأتيك بالريح سده واسترح
“Close the door that brings in the wind and relax.” This means that sometimes, rather than taking a beating, you should just shut off the source of the noise, distraction, problem – that is, if you can – and take a break.
التجربة العلم الكبير
“Experimentation is the greatest science.”-
أول الشجرة بذرة
“A tree begins with a seed.”
أكرم نفسك عن كل دنيء
“Make distance between you and every dirtiness.”
إن غدا لناظره قريب
“Tomorrow is close if you have patience,” or, “Tomorrow is another day.”
أقلل طعامك تجد منامك
“Eat less to sleep more.”
أقسى من الحجر
“Tougher than a stone.”
آفة العِلْم النسيان
“Forgetting is the plague of knowledge.”
اعف عما أغضبك لما أرضاك أَعقَلُ الناس أَعْذَرُهُمْ للناس
“The wisest is the one who can forgive.”
أصنع من دود القز
“More skillful than a silk worm.”
إن مفاتيح الأمور العزائم
“Determination is the key to everything.”
إنك تضرب في حديد بارد
“You are striking cold iron.” This means you’re trying to change something that you can’t.
في العجلة الندامة و في التاني السلامة
“In haste there is regret, but in patience and care there is peace and safety.” This means you shouldn’t rush things, because if you rush something you’ll end up doing a poor job and regretting the results. If you take your time, you’re ensuring a good end result and can feel peace in knowing that.
الأيام دول
“Days are like countries.” This means that a country might be great today, but not tomorrow. This applies to people as well.
إياك وصاحب السوء فإنه يحسن منظره ويقبح أثره إياك وما يعتذر منه
“Avoid things that will require an apology.” This means if you want to do something that you know you’ll have to apologize for, you should probably just not do it!
كأن الحاسد إنما خلق ليغتاظ
“The envious were created just to be infuriated.” This means that there’s no end result to envy other than fury. If you’re feeling envious, you’re only leading yourself down a path to anger.
لا تأكل خبزك على مائدة غيرك
“Do not eat your bread on somebody else’s table.” This means that you shouldn’t benefit off of someone else’s expense; as in, you shouldn’t dirty someone else’s table if you’re just going to be eating your bread.
لا بد دون الشهد من إبر النحل لا بد للمصدور من أن ينفث لا تؤجل عمل اليوم إلى الغد
“Do not delay today’s work for tomorrow.” Don’t procrastinate!
الضامن غارم الضحك بلا سبب من قلة الأدب
“Laughing without a reason is rude.”
سماعك بالْمُعَيْدِيِّ خير من أن تراه سمك في ماء
“Like a fish in water.” Another way to say that someone is a natural.
الثروة تأتي كالسلحفاة وتذهب كالغزال
“Wealth comes like a turtle, and runs away like a gazelle.” This means it can take ages for you to find wealth, but spending it all is far too easy – it can disappear before you know it!
تجوع الحرة ولا تأكل بثدييها التخطيط نصف المعيشة
“Planning is half of living.”
التدبير يثمر اليسير والتبذير يبدد الكثير ترك الذنب أيسر من الاعتذار
“It’s better to avoid mistakes altogether than do something that you should apologize for after.”
تجري الرياح بما لا تشتهي السفن
“Winds blow counter to what the ship wants.” You don’t always get everything your way.
التجارب ليست لها نهاية والمرء منها في زيادة
“There is always something to learn from experimentation.”
تعاشروا كالإخوان وتعاملوا كالأغراب
“Get together like brothers, but work together like strangers.”
حبل الكذب قصير
“The rope of lies is short.” There is only so much leeway you have when you lie. Once that very short rope runs out, you’ll have to face the consequences.
جولة الباطل ساعة وجولة الحق إلى قيام الساعة
“Falseness lasts an hour, the truth lasts until the end of time.”
التكرار يعلّم الحمار
“Repetition teaches the donkey.” Practice makes perfect.
القرد في عين أمه غزال
“The monkey is as beautiful as a gazelle in his mother’s eyes.” When you love someone, you will always see them perfect.
للي يتلسع من الشوربة ينفخ في الزبادي
“He who burns his tongue from soup will blow in yogurt.” If you had a bad experience once, you will be extra cautious next time.
لبس البوصة، تبقى عروسة
“Dressing up a stick turns it into a doll.” Anyone can look good with the right clothes.
ابن الوزّ عوّام
“The son of a goose is a swimmer.” Like father, like son.
نقول طور يقولو احلبوه
“We say it’s a bull, they say milk it.” When you talk to someone who can’t understand you and can’t see your logic.
دخول الحمّام مش زي خروجه
“Entering a bathroom isn’t like leaving it.” It’s not easy getting out of tricky situations.
حاجة تحرق الدم
” Something that burns the blood.” Used to express something that is really frustrating or someone who is being very difficult.
اذا كان حبيبك عسل، ماتلحسوش كله
“If your lover is honey, don’t lick it all.
Don’t take advantage of someone who loves you or someone who is being nice to you.
ديل الكلب عمره مايتعدل
“The dog’s tail will never be straight.” A leopard doesn’t change its spots.
العقل زينة
“The mind is decoration.” Your mind is what makes you beautiful.
الكذب ملوش رجلين
“Lying has no legs.” The truth always comes out.
يصوم يصوم و يفطر على بصلة
“He fasts and fasts and then feasts on an onion.” Used to express disappointment in something that was expected to be great.
تموت الراقصة ووسطها بيلعب
“The dancer dies and her waist is still moving.” Old habits never die or some people will never change
مافيش حلاوة من غير نار
“There is no sweetness without fire.” Nothing good comes easy.
الباب اليجيلك منو الريح سدو وستريح
“Close the door that brings the wind and relax.” Block whatever is causing you stress in your life and don’t deal with it.
وشك نحس
“Your face is jinx.” When someone brings bad fortune to you every time you see them.
التكرار يعلّم الحمار
“Repetition teaches the donkey.” Practice makes perfect.
القرد في عين أمه غزال
“The monkey is a gazelle in its mother’s eyes.” Mothers always see the best in their children. Mother knows best
دخول الحمام مش زي خروجه
“Going into the bathroom is not like leaving it.” Getting into tricky situations is easier than getting out of them.علمناهم الشحاته سبقونا على البواب
“We taught them how to beg, they beat us to the doors.” When the student becomes the master.
تیتي تیتي زي ما رحتي جیتي
“Ti ti ti ti, you came just as you left.” You wasted your time.
81. في الهوا سوا
“We are in the wind together.” We’re all in the same boat.
اللي استحوا ماتوا
“Those who are shy are dead.” No morals.في الوجه مراية وفي القفا صرماية
“Mirror in the face, a shoe in the back.” Double-faced.على قد بساطك مد رجليك
“You can only lay your feet within the length of your carpet.” Live within your capabilities.اعمل منيح وارميه فى البحر
“Do good and throw in the sea.” Do good without expecting anything in return.
الف دقدق ولا سلام عليك
“A thousand raps at the door, but no salute or invitation from within.”
This is said of a person’s fruitless endeavours to become intimate with another.
الف قفا ولا قفاي
“(Let them strike or slap) a thousand necks, but not mine.”
اذا كترت النواتية غرقت الركب
“If the sailors become too numerous, the ship sinks.” كترت instead ofكثرت. Theثis seldom pronounced in Egypt.
اذا حبتك حية اطوّق بها
“If a serpent love thee, wear him as a necklace.”
If dangerous people show affection towards thee, court their friendship by the most polite attention.
اذا انكسر الجمل حمّل حمل حمار
“If thy camel break down, put on an ass-load.”
Suit thy business to thy circumstances.
اذا بُليت بالشحاتة دق الابواب الكبار
“If mendacity [begging] should unfortunately be thy lot, knock at the large gates only.“
Ask assistance from those only who have the power of helping thee.
اذا كان البصل يُهلّل له فالسكر ايش نقول له
“If an onion causes his loud rejoicings, what then shall we say to sugar?”
Said of people who bestow admiration upon trifling objects.
خبّ قرشك الأبيض ليومك الأسود
“Hide your white money for your black day.”
Save the bulk of your money – silver coins – for hard days, like the English expression to save money for a rainy day.
اعمل منيح وارميه فى البحر
“Do good and throw in the sea.” Do good without expecting anything in return.
القرد في عين أمه غزال
“The monkey is a gazelle in the eyes of his mother.” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
أدعي على ولدي وأكره من يقول أمين
“I curse my own child but I hate whoever says ‘amen’.”
This proverb describes the feeling that I have the right to criticize someone close to me, but I will rush to that person’s defense if an outsider makes the same criticism.
آخرة المعروف الضرب بالكفوف
“The end result of a good deed is a slap with the palms.” No good deed goes unpunished.
اللي ايده في المية مش زي اللي ايده في النار
“The one whose hand is in fire is not like the one whose hand is in water.” Easier said than done.
لما اتفرّقت العقول كل واحد عجبه عقله، ولما اتفرّقت الأرزاق ماحدش عجبه رزقه
“Literal translation:When brains were passed out, everyone was pleased with his brains; but when fortunes were given out, no one was satisfied with his fortune.” People may be dissatisfied with their lot in life but nevertheless still believe that their way of thinking is the best.
اللي يتلسع من الشوربة ينفخ في الزبادي
“Whoever gets burned by soup, blows on yogurt.” Once bitten, twice shy.
إمشي في الجنازة، ولا تمشي في جوازة
“Walk in a funeral procession, not in a marriage.” Don’t play match-maker, i.e. don’t try to arrange a marriage because you will get blamed if it doesn’t work out.
الدنيا زي الغازية، ترقص لكل واحد شوية
“The world is like a belly-dancer: it dances a little while for everyone.” Every dog has its day.
اللي على راسه بطحة يحسّس عليها
“Whoever has a head-wound keeps feeling it.” A guilty person will give himself away. An (uncommon) ‘The tongue ever turns to the aching tooth’.
أقول له تور يقول إحلبه
“I say to him, ‘It’s a bull’ and he responds ‘Milk it’.” This saying refers to a situation where someone goes on repeating the same argument over and over again, even though he has been contradicted repeatedly.
لولا اختلاف النظر، لبارت السلع
“Were it not for differences of opinion, goods would go unsold.” Different perspectives is what gives things value. Variety is the spice of life.
إذا كان حبيبك عسل ما تلحسوش كله
“Even if friend is honey, don’t lick them all up.” Don’t abuse the kindness of a friend.
كلّه عند العرب صابون
“For the Bedouin, it’s all soap.” People without taste can’t discern the quality of different things.
اللي ما يعرفش، يقول عدس
“He who doesn’t know, says ‘lentils’.” Those who don’t know the true story will just say anything as an explanation.
بعد ما شاب ودّوه الكتّاب
“After his hair went gray, they took him to school.” You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
صاحب بالين كدّاب وصاحب تلاتة منافق
“A person of two minds is a liar, and a person of three minds is a hypocrite.” A person who tries to do two things at once is fooling himself, and a person who tries to do three things at once is even more self-deceived. The closest English equivalent would be “Jack of all trades, master of none.”
الجنة بدون ناس ما تنداس
“A paradise without people is not worth stepping foot in.”
الحكي مش متل الشوفة
“Speaking is not like seeing.” A picture is worth a thousand words.
اللي بدو يلعب مع القط بدو يلقى خراميشه
“Whoever plays with a cat will find his claws.” If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.
ابنك هو وزغير ربّيه وهو وكبير خاويه
“Discipline your son when he’s young, and be his friend when he grows up.”
احترنا يا قرعة من وين بدنا نبوسك
“Oh bald man, we’re confused about where to kiss you.” This proverb is applied to someone who’s hard to please, sort of like saying “There’s no pleasing you” in English. The strange assumption at the heart of this expression is that a bald person has more potentially kissable spots on his head, so there is no one obvious place to plant a kiss.
الإسكافي حافي والحايك عريان
“The shoemaker is barefoot and the weaver is naked.” People tend to neglect the things closest to them. Or alternatively, they fail to apply the advice and expertise they have for others to their own life. An English equivalent is “The shoemaker’s children always go barefoot.”
طب الجرة ع تمّا بتطلع البنت لإمّا
“Flip the jar on its mouth, and the daughter comes out like her mother.” Like mother, like daughter. The Egyptian version of this proverb goes: اقلب القدرة على فمها تطلع البنت لإمها
ما تقول فول ليصير بالمكيول
“Don’t says “beans” until they are on the measuring scale.” Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
التلم الأعوج من التور الكبير
“The crooked furrow is caused by the big bull.” A fish rots from the head down.
الدم ما بيصير مي
“Blood does not become water.” Blood is thicker than water.
اللي بياكل العصي مش متل اللي بيعدّها
“Receiving (blows from) a stick is not the same as counting them.” Easier said than done.
كل ديك ع مزبلته صيّاح
“Every rooster crows on its own dunghill.” Everyone feels confident on their home turf.
الحركة بركة
“Movement is a blessing.” Action is better than inaction. In order to get things done, you need to act.
الديك بيموت وعينو بالمزبلة
“The rooster dies with his eye still on the dunghill.” Similar to the English proverb “A leopard can’t change its spots,” this proverb conveys the idea that no one can change their fundamental nature. It’s used especially in reference to negative qualities and behaviors.
البحصة بتسند خابية
“A pebble can support a barrel.” Even a small effort can go a long way.
“I heard” is good; “I saw” is better
End