proverbs

Post Photo: Sandy Beach | © Pixabay

While cleaning out old websites, I recently came across a collection of proverbs that I had collected myself over the years and didn't want to send straight away to digital nirvana. So I saved parts of it in this post and now I'll see if there are fans of it.

1. Measure a thousand times and cut once. (Turkish)
2. Who begins too much accomplishes little. (English)
3. Actions speak louder than words. (English)
4. Never advise anyone to go to war or to marry. (Spanish)
5. Aim high in your career but stay humble in your heart. (Korean)
6. You can't have everything, like a fat woman and bed space. (Swabian)
7. The best answer comes from the man who isn't angry. (Arabic)
8. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. (Yiddish)
9. It is better to fake a good attitude rather than having a sincere bad one. (american)
10. The early bird catches the worm. (English) / Aurora musis amica. / Aurora has aurum in ore. (Latin)
11. A baby on its mother's back does not know the way is long. (African)
12. Bad habits are easier to abandon today than tomorrow. (Yiddish)
13. The spider and the fly can't make a bargain. (Jamaican)     
14. Don't bark if you can't bite. (french)
15. Beauty without virtue is like a rose without scent. (Swedish)
16. Beauty passes, virtue endures. (English)
17. Beauty passes, acres endure. (Swabian)
18. A beautiful thing is never perfect. (Egyptian)
19. Beer makes thirst nicer. (English)
20. Beggars can't be choosers. (English)
21. Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect. (Chinese)
22. Two wrongs don't make a right. (English)
23. If you believe everything you read, better not read. (Japanese)
24. Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far. (West African)
25. Kila ndege huruka kwa bawa lake. (Swahili) / Each bird flies with its own wings. (English)
26. Blood is thicker than water. (English)
27. The fallen blossom doesn't return to the branch. (Japanese)
28. You can't judge a book by its cover. (English)
29. A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. (Arabic)
30. With the mouth, one can ford the wildest river. (Ethiopian)
31. Don't cross your bridges until you come to them. (american)
32. No man can paddle two canoes at the same time. (Bantu)
33. The cask can only yield the wine it contains. (Italian)
34. There's more than one way to skin a cat. (English)
    [ALF: “You've been looking at my recipe book.”]
35. A large chair does not make a king. (Sudanese)
36. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. (English)
37. It takes a whole village to raise a child. (African)
38. A beloved child has many names. (Finnish)
39. Do not choose for anyone what you do not choose for yourself. (Persian)
40. A clear conscience is a soft pillow. (English)
41. A courtyard common to all will be swept by none. (Chinese)
42. The girl who can't dance says the band can't play. (Yiddish)
43. Every man knows that he must die, but no one believes it. (Yiddish)
44. Those whom the gods love the young. (greek)
45. No one tests the depth of a river with both feet. (African)
46. If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven't spent a night with a mosquito. (African)
47. All things are difficult before they are easy. (Chinese)
48. Much dignity, much burden. / No dignity without a burden. (English)
49. Dirt always floats to the top. (English)
    [Joachim Rachel: "Oh this dirt is floating on top!" (The Poet)]
50. The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. (Chinese)
51. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. (English)
52. In the evening the lazy one becomes busy. (English)
53. Duty knows no family. (Japanese)
54. The early bird gets the worm. (English)
55. The only easy day was yesterday. (US Navy SEALs)
56. Easy come, easy go. (English) / Easy to win, easy to lose. (English)
57. He who eats moderately will never need doctors. (Japanese)
58. All's well that ends well. (English)
59. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. (Arabic)
60. No enemies is a sign that fortune has forgotten you. (Turkish)
61. When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you. (African)
62. It is better to be envious than to have pity. (french)
    [Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary]
63. Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough, but not baked in the same oven. (Yiddish)
64. Examine what is said, not him who speaks. (Arabic)
65. Fall seven times and stand up eight. (Japanese)
66. Don't fall before you're pushed. (English)
67. Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still. (Chinese)
68. Fear eats soul. (English)
69. Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours. (Swedish)
70. The spruce stings, the fir does not. (English)
71. The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune. (Irish)
72. Flies never visit an egg that has no crack. (Chinese)
73. People of the same kind stick together. (English) / Birds of a feather flock together. (English)
74. A fool's dreams of wealth, a wise man, of happiness. (Kurdish)
75. Fooled once shame on you, fooled twice shame on me. (american)
76. There is no hour for the lucky ones. (English)
    ["O! He has already fallen from heaven who has to think about the changing hours, the clock strikes no lucky man.“ (Friedrich Schiller, Wallenstein’s Camp]
77. If you want a friend, be a friend. (English)
78. There is more friendship in a half pint of whiskey than in a churn of buttermilk. (Irish)
79. A friend to everyone is a friend to nobody. (Chinese)
80. A friend is known when needed. (Saudi)
81. Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box. (Italian)
82. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Proverbs Solomon, 11:25)
83. What does a German oak tree care if the sow scratches it. (English)
84. What does a monkey know about the taste of ginger? (Hindi)
85. When you have given nothing, ask for nothing. (Albanians)
86. If God does not grant you glory, be content with fame. (Brazilian)
87. One God and so many enemies. (Yiddish)
88. Do good and throw it into the sea. (Arabic)
89. No good deed goes unpunished. (american)
90. Remember even when you lose all, keep your good name; for if you lose that you are worthless. (Irish)
91. Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you. (Spanish)
92. The believer is happy; The doubter is wise. (Hungarian)
93. What was hard to bear is sweet to remember. (indian)
94. Your health comes first; you can always hang yourself later. (Yiddish)
95. Health is better than wealth. (Irish)
96. Always be happy and cheerful like the frog on his ladder. (English)
97. L'enfer est plein de bonnes voluntés ou desires. (French) / Facilis descensus Averno. (Latin) / The road to hell is paved with good intentions. (English)
98. Hope is the last thing ever lost. (Italian)
99. Noli equi dentes inspicere donati. (Latin) / You don't look a gift horse in the mouth. (English)
100. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. (English)
101. If you sit in a hot bath, you think the whole town is warm. (Yiddish)
102. He who would go a hundred miles should consider ninety-nine as halfway. (Japanese)
103. Hunger is the best cook. (English)
104. A good husband is healthy and absent. (Japanese)
105. Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi. (Latin)
106. One joy scatters a hundred griefs. (Chinese)
107. O Great spirit, keep me from ever judging and criticizing a man until I have walked in his moccasins for two weeks. (Sioux)
108. Everyone loves justice in the affairs of one another. (Italian)
109. When the cat is out, the mice dance on the roof. (English)
110. He who eats last is king. (African)
111. If you think you're small, you'll get kicked on the head. (Jewish)
112. What one knows it is sometimes useful to forget. (Latin)
113. The more you know, the less you need. (Aboriginal)
114. A wise man never knows everything, only fools know everything. (African)
115. It is better to conceal one's knowledge than to reveal one's ignorance. (Spanish)
116. Hawks will not pick out hawks' eyes. (English)
117. The pitcher goes to the well until it breaks. (English)
118. Our last garment is made without pockets. (Italian)
119. When the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby. (Nigeria)
120. Laughter is an instant vacation. (american)
121. Who laughs last, laughs best. (English)
122. With lies you may get ahead in the world - but you can never go back. (Russian)
123. Lies have short legs. (English)
124. Life is a big headache on a noisy street. (Yiddish)
125. You face life with a smile or not at all. (Chinese)
126. With every day of life comes a piece of wisdom. (Vietnamese)
127. memento mori. (Latin)
128. He who does not wish for little things does not deserve big things. (Belgian) / He who does not honor the penny is not worth the thaler. (English)
129. The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without mesure. (Tibetan)
130. To get lost is to learn the way. (African)
131. Akipenda, chongo huita kengeza. (Swahili) / Love is blind. (English)
132. Love disregards all inequalities and differences in social status. (Japanese)
133. One who marries for love alone will have bad days but good nights. (Egypt)
134. good luck comes in tricks; ill luck comes in torrents. (Irish)
135. There's no such thing as a free lunch. (English)
136. If you want to be criticized, marry. (Irish)
137. Send a wise man and don't advise him. (Arabic)
138. The rich have money, the poor have children. (Swedish)
139. The morning hour has gold in its mouth. (English)
140. God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. (Hebrew)
141. A nail that sticks out must be hammered in. (Japanese)
142. Nanos gigantum humeris insidentes (Latin) / I say with Didacus Stella, a dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than a giant himself. [Robert Burton, 1621] / If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. (Isaac Newton)
143. A narrow place can contain a thousand friends. (Syrian)
144. Good neighbors are a real protection. (Hungarian)
145. If you have good neighbors, you get a good morning. (English)
146. Choose the neighbor before the house. (Syrian)
147. No news is good news. (English)
148. The night rinses what the day has soaped up. (Swiss)
149. There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self. (Hindu)
150. Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water. (Swedish)
151. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. (English)
152. A palm tree will not grow faster if you pull it. (Egypt)
153. Patience can conquer destiny. (Irish)
154. Nobody ever bought peace but the man who hadn't got it. (Irish)
155. The cemeteries are filled with people who thought the world couldn't get along without them. (american)
156. The better is an enemy of the good. (English) / Il meglio è nemico del bene. (Italian) / Le mieux est l`ennemi du bien. (french)
     [Voltaire, La Bégueule – Conte Mora]
157. A beer can still fit between the liver and spleen. (English)
158. He who pays the piper calls the tune. (Irish) / Whose bread I eat, whose song I sing. (English)
159. The Mentsh trakht un Got lakht. (Yiddish)
160. If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. (Chinese)
161. What belongs to everybody belongs to nobody. (Spanish)
162. The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man. (french)
163. Practice is the best master. (Latin)
164. There is only one pretty child in the world and every mother has it. (Chinese)
165. Property obliges. Its use should at the same time serve the common good. (Article 153 (3) of German Constitution in 1919)
166. Property obliges. Its use should also serve the public good. (Basic Law, Article 14 (2) 1949)
167. Public money is like holy water; people help themselves. (Italian)
168. Rain makes the grass grow, wine makes the conversation. (Swedish)
169. Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. (Sicilian)
170. No arms, no cookies. (English)
171. When eating fruit, remember who planted the tree; when drinking clear water, remember who dug the well. (Vietnamese)
172. Once the reputation is ruined, life is unabashed. (English)
173. Rest breeds rust. (English)
174. It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall. (Irish)
175. When in Rome, do as the Romans. (English) / Follow the villagers when you are in the new village. (Japanese)
176. All chemin de à Rome. (french)
     [Jean de La Fontaine]
177. Sad are only those who understand. (Arabic)
178. A scholar's ink lasts longer than a martyr's blood. (Irish)
179. Its fruit, peace, hangs on the tree of silence. (Arabic)
180. You can't steal second base with your foot on first. (american)
181. Sex is marvelous, but Christmas is more often. (Catholic)
182. More than three shakes is a wank. (Australian)
183. Don't break your shin on a stool that is not in your way. (Irish)
184. The smarter you get the less you speak. (Arabic)
185. Where there is smoke there is fire. (English)
186. No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. (Chinese)
187. Do it like the sundial, just count the bright hours. (English)
188. If it were ever to rain soup, the poor would only have forks. (Brazilian)
189. There is room in the smallest cottage for a happy loving couple. (English)
     [Friedrich Schiller, The Parasite, or the Art of Making One's Luck]
190. Capta avis est melior, quam mille in gramine ruris. (Latin) / A sparrow in the hand is better than a dove on the roof. (English) / A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. (English)
191. Speech is silver, silence is golden. (English)
192. When you have spoken the word, it reigns over you. When it is unspoken you reign over it. (Arabic)
193. Four things come not back. The spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity. (Arabic)
194. Starting is half the task. (Korean)
195. Don't stay long when the husband is not at home. (Japanese)
196. If you buy what you don't need, you steal from yourself. (Swedish)
197. Saxum volutum non obducitur musco. (Latin) / A rolling stone gathers no moss. (English)
198. You do not stumble over a mountain, but you do over a stone. (indian)
199. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. (Ugandan)
200. As a dog goes back to its vomit, so a fool repeats his stupidity. (Proverbs Solomon, 26:11)
201. Never give a child a sword. (Latin)
202. God grant me a good sword and no use for it. (polish)
203. Even a fool has one talent. (Japanese)
204. Dead men tell no tales. (English)
205. Tears are like pearls. You never know if they're real. (Indonesian)
206. Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. (Chinese)
207. The big thieves hang the little ones. (czech)
208. Dig your well before you're thirsty. (Hindu)
209. Save time, so you have in need. (English)
210. One man's trash is another man's treasure. (English)
211. A day of traveling will bring a basketful of learning. (Vietnamese)
212. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. (African)
213. The ugly wife is a treasure at home. (Chinese)
214. When an elephant is in trouble even a frog will kick him. (Hindu)
215. Trust is good, control is better! (English) / Trust, but verify. (Russian)
216. Speak the truth, but leave immediately after. (Slovenian) / Whoever tells the truth needs a fast horse. (Chinese)
217. Truth is the safest lie. (Jewish)
218. Having two ears and one tongue, we should listen twice as much as we speak. (Turkish)
219. Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. (Japanese)
220. War is sweet to those who haven't experienced it. (Latin)
221. Still waters run deep. (English)
222. The true taste of water is found in the desert. (Israeli)
223. Water for oxen, wine for kings. (Spanish)
224. A learned man always has wealth in himself. (Latin)
225. Those who know when they have enough are rich. (Chinese)
226. Five are loaded, ten have come. Pour water with the soup, welcome everyone. (English)
227. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. (English)
228. Many a white collar covers a dirty neck. (Irish)
229. A chi vuole, non mancano modi. (Italian) / Where there's a will, there's a way. (English)
230. If the wind will not serve, take to the oars. (Latin)
231. A fool says what he knows, and a wise man knows what he says. (Yiddish)
232. Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it. (akan)
233. A wise man fills his brain before emptying his mouth. (African)
234. Three things tell the wise man: keep silent when fools speak, think when others believe, and act when the lazy dream. (Chinese)
235. What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth. (Jewish)
236. Wood may remain in the water for ten years, but it will never become a crocodile. (Congolese)
237. Words should be weighed, not counted. (Yiddish)
238. Work won't kill, but worry will. (English)
239. What you see in yourself is what you see in the world. (Afghan)
240. Worries go down better with soup than without. (Jewish)
241. It is not the river that flows, but the water. not the time goes, but we. (Chinese)
242. If you're already looking for a first name, it's too late to put on a condom. (french)
243. A place for everything and everything in its place. (English)