Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The World's Greatest Proverbs


The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.

Who won't be ruled by the rudder must be ruled by the rock.

You never miss the water till the well runs dry.

Full cup, steady hand.

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

Speech is silver, but silence is golden.

A watched pot never boils over.

Time and tide will wait for no man.

All things come to those who wait.

A bleating sheep loses a bite.

In vain the net is spread in the sight of the bird.

Little leaks sink the ship.



What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over.

Charity begins at home.

Why keep a dog and bark yourself?

The pen is mightier than the sword.

The leopard does not change his spots.

The sun loses nothing by shining into a puddle.

Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

He that cannot obey cannot command.

Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper.

A bad excuse is better than none.

It is the first step that is difficult.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

A liar ought to have a good memory.


It is good to make a bridge of gold to a flying enemy.

Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves.


It takes two to make a bargain.

It never rains but it pours.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

It takes three generations to make a gentleman.

Do not throw pearls to swine.

Don't change horses in mid stream.

What is given to a neighbour is not lost.

There is an exception to every rule.

It is not work that kills, but worry.

A guilty conscience needs no accuser.

You can take a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink.

A slice off a cut loaf isn't missed.

Punctuality is the politeness of princes.

Don't throw out your dirty water until you get in fresh.

The sooner begun, the sooner done.

Lend your money and lose your friend.

It takes two to make a quarrel.

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.


A live dog is better than a dead lion.

Second thoughts are best.

No man can serve two masters.

When house and land are gone and spent, then learning is most excellent.

We must eat a peck of dirt before we die.

It is never too late to mend.

Self-preservation is the first law of nature.

Speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them.

He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount.

Virtue is its own reward.

Thrift is a great revenue.

A king's chaff is worth more than other men's corn.


The last drop makes the cup run over.

When the cat's away, the mice will play.

A civil question deserves a civil answer.

If you don't make mistakes you don't make anything.

A bad workman blames his tools.

A fool and his money are soon parted.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

He that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing.

Life begins at forty.



Least said, soonest mended.

Don't cross the bridge till you come to it.

Out of debt, out of danger.

The rotten apple injures its neighbour.

If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Young men may die, but old men must die.