Famous Proverbs

1] Neither praise nor dispraise thyself; thy actions serve the turn

2] Bad news travels fast

3] Dead dogs bark not

4] If you would be well served, serve yourself

5] Hunger is the teacher of many

6] United we stand, divided we fall

7] From word to deed is a great space

8] They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts

9] It is ill jesting with edged tools

10] Fear of death is worse than death itself

11] The morning hour has gold in its mouth

12] The company makes the feast

13] Hope springs eternal in the human heart

14] Who suffers much is silent

15] Fortune knocks once at everyone’s door (or gate)

16] Good luck beats early rising

17] Wisdom is neither inheritance nor legacy

18] He that once deceives, is ever suspected

19] If you wish to die young, make your physician your heir

20] God heals, and the physician takes the fee

21] No man better knows what good is than he who has endured evil

22] With patience and time, the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown

23] Sailors get their money like horses, and spend it like asses

24] An old ox makes a straight furrow

25] Cheats never prosper

26] God defend me from my friends; from enemies, I can defend myself.

27] The end makes all equal

28] A sleepy master makes his servant a lout

29] A gift much expected is paid, not given

30] Old vessels must leak

31] Send a donkey to Paris, he’ll return no wiser than he went

32] He that will not go over the stile, must be thrust through the gate

33] A cotton dress wants to be alongside a silk one

34] If it were not for hope, the heart would break

35] Black will take no other hue

36] When bitterness reaches its extreme, sweetness will follow

37] You cannot make bricks without straw

38] In a clam sea, every man is a pilot

39] Cloudy mornings turn to clear afternoons

40] Good advice (or counsel) is beyond price

41] One hour today is worth two tomorrow

42] We must not look for a golden life in an iron age

43] There’s no such thing as free as a free lunch

44] Loyalty is worth more than money

45] Every medal has its reverse

46] Variety is the spice of life

47] Better to be safe than sorry.

48] Little things are great to little men

49] Like master, like man

50] Every advantage has its disadvantage

51] A ragged colt may make a good horse.

52] Circumstances alter cases

53] Dying men speak true

54] One may change the place but not the mind.

55] To take revenge is often to sacrifice oneself

56] None so deaf as those that will not hear

57] Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard

58] Fear the Greeks (or Beware of Greeks) bearing gifts

59] Fish begins to stink at the head

60] Kick a tone in anger, and you will hurt your own feet

61] Honesty is the best policy

62] A single filament of silk does not make a thread; a single tree does not make a forest

63] Diligence is the mother of good fortune

64] A good name is sooner lost than won

65] Kind hearts are soonest wronged

66] No man limps because another is hurt

67] One swallow does not make a summer

68] It is misery enough to have once been happy

69] Woes unite foes

70] Know thyself

71] The more cost, the more honour

72] Good counsel has no price. Nothing is given so freely as advice.

73] Be still and have thy will

74] Talk of the devil, and he is bound to appear

75] Nature abhors a vacuum

76] Needs must when the evil drives

77] Adversity is the touchstone of friendship

78] If wishes were butter cakes, beggars might bite

79] One must howl with the wolves

80] He knows which side his bread is buttered

81] He that the devil drives, feels no lead at his heels

82] Dreams are lies

83] Soon hot, soon cold

84] A good name keeps its luster in the dark

85] Much learning makes men mad

86] Death devours lambs as well as sheep

87] An old cart well used may outlast a new one abused

88] The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

89] A black hen lays a white egg

90] Children speak only words they have heard.

91] Cease to hope and you will cease to fear.

92] New lords, new laws

93] Poison is poison though it comes in a golden cup.

94] No pains, no gains

95] Love conquers all

96] Little pitchers have big (or long) ears

97] So many countries, so many customs

98] Don’t tell tales out of school

99] It costs more to do ill than to do well

100] Desire beautifies what is ugly