PROVERB

Absence makes the heart grow fonderPersons, places, or things become dearer to us when they are absent. Actions speak louder than wordsPeople are more impressed with our sincerity if we act on our beliefs than if we merely talk about them. All for one and one for allAll the members of a group support each of the individual members, and the individual members pledge to support the group. All roads lead to RomeAll paths or activities lead to the center of things. This was literally true in the days of the Roman Empire, when all the empire’s roads radiated out from the capital city, Rome. All that glitters is not goldThings that appear on the surface to be of great value may be quite worthless. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boyA person who never takes time off from work becomes boring and bored. All’s fair in love and warPeople in love and soldiers in wartime are not bound by the rules of fair play. All’s well that ends wellProblems that occur along the way do not matter as long as the outcome is happy. Any port in a stormIn an emergency, we will accept help from any source and in any place, even from an unpleasant person. An apple a day keeps the doctor awayApples keep us healthy. April showers bring May flowersSome unpleasant occurrences bring about better things. An army marches on its stomachTo be effective, an army relies on good and plentiful food. Bad news travels fastPeople are quick to discuss the misfortunes of others. A bad penny always turns upOur mistakes return to haunt us; also, nasty people have a way of reappearing. The bad workman always blames his tools

 Our success or failure is determined not by what we have to work with but by how we employ what we have. A good workman takes care of his tools. [His] bark is worse than his bite This person makes a great many threats but doesn’t follow through on them. Beauty is only skin deepPhysical beauty is superficial and is not as important as a person’s intellectual, emotional, and spiritual qualities. Beggars can’t be choosersPeople who depend on the generosity of others are in no position to dictate what others give them. The best of friends must partNo matter how much friends care for each other, they cannot be together always. The best things in life are free Money can’t buy the most important things in life. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. Better late than neverIt is better to do something after it was supposed to have been done than not to do it at all. Better safe than sorry It is better to act cautiously beforehand than to suffer afterward. Beware of Greeks bearing giftsDo not trust enemies who bring you presents—they could very well be playing a trick. The bigger they come, the harder they fallThe more powerful and successful people are, the more they suffer when they experience defeat and disaster. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bushThe things we already have are more valuable than the things we only hope to get. Birds of a feather flock togetherPeople are attracted to others who are like themselves. Blood is thicker than waterOur loyalty to our family—that is, to our blood relations—is strong no matter how we may feel about them. 

Boys will be boysChildren can be expected to act in a childish way. Brevity is the soul of witIntelligent speech and writing should aim at using few words. The buck stops hereI’m the ultimately responsible person in this organization. Other people can pass the buck to me, but I can’t pass the buck to anyone else. Business before pleasure We must take care of our responsibilities before enjoying ourselves. Carpe diem  (KAHR-pe DEE-em, DEYE-em) Latin for “Seize the day”: take full advantage of present opportunities. The chickens have come home to roostThe consequences of earlier actions are making themselves felt. Cleanliness is next to godlinessCleanliness is a great virtue. Close, but no cigar Even a near miss is still a miss. Cold hands, warm heartCold hands indicate affection, possibly because the emotions affect blood circulation. The course of true love never did run smoothTrue love always encounters difficulties. Curiosity killed the cat People should mind their own business. De gustibus non est disputandum  (day GOOS-ti-boos nohn est dis-poo-TAHN-dem) Latin for “There’s no disputing about taste.” Another version of this saying is “There’s no accounting for taste.” The devil can cite Scripture for his purposeEven things that are good in themselves (such as the Bible) can be twisted to serve bad purposes. The devil is in the detailsEven the grandest project depends on the success of the smallest components. 

Discretion is the better part of valorCaution is preferable to rash bravery. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you Treat other people with the concern and kindness you would like them to show toward you. A dog is a man’s best friendA dog is more faithful than most other animals—and more faithful than many people. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch Don’t assume that you’ll get the things you want until you have them. Don’t cry over spilt milkIt doesn’t do any good to be unhappy about something that has already happened or that can’t be helped. Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face Don’t engage in an act of anger or revenge that will hurt you more than it hurts anyone else. Don’t judge a book by its coverDon’t judge the value of a thing simply by its appearance. Don’t lock the stable door after the horse has been stolenIt’s foolish to take precautions after the damage they would have prevented has already been done Don’t look a gift horse in the mouthDon’t question the value of a gift. Don’t put all your eggs in one basketDon’t concentrate all your prospects or resources in one thing or place, or you could lose everything. Don’t put the cart before the horseBegin at the proper place; do things in their proper order. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water In getting rid of waste, don’t also discard what is worth keeping. The early bird catches the wormIf we want to achieve our goal, we must get an early start. East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meetThe culture of the West (Europe and the Americas) will always be very different from that of the East (Asia). (Twain means “two.”) Easy come, easy go

 Things easily acquired may be lost just as easily. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we dieWe should enjoy life as much as possible, because it will be over soon. Every cloud has a silver liningEvery misfortune has its positive aspect. Every dog has his dayEven the lowest of us enjoys a moment of glory. Experience is the best teacherLife teaches more effectively than books or school. Familiarity breeds contempt The better we know people, the more likely we are to find fault with them. Feed a cold; starve a feverEating will help cure a cold; not eating will help cure a fever. Finders keepers, losers weepersA person who finds something can keep it, and the loser has no right to it. Fish or cut baitMake a decision now; stop hesitating. To cut bait is to stop fishing. Fish out of waterSomeone who is out of his or her normal environment or range of activities A fool and his money are soon partedFoolish people do not know how to hold on to their money. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little mindsA great person does not have to think consistently from one day to the next. Fools rush in where angels fear to treadFoolish people are often reckless, attempting feats that the wise avoid. For want of a nail the kingdom was lostSomething of great importance may depend on an apparently trivial detail. The saying comes from a longer proverb about a battle during which the loss of a nail in a horseshoe leads to the loss of a horse, which leads to the loss of the rider, which leads to the loss of the battle, which in turn leads to the loss of a whole kingdom. Forewarned is forearmedThose who know that something is coming are better prepared to face it than those who do not know. A friend in need is a friend indeed

 A friend who helps out when we are in trouble is a true friend—unlike others who disappear when trouble arises. From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a stepIn life, things that are noble and magnificent are never far from things that are trivial and laughable. The game is not worth the candle What we would get from this undertaking is not worth the effort we would have to put into it. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspirationGreat accomplishments depend not so much on ingenuity as on hard work. Give him enough rope and he’ll hang himselfA person will bring about his or her own misfortune if given the opportunity. Give the devil his dueAdmit it when there is some good even in a person you dislike. God helps those who help themselvesGod will not come to the aid of those who refuse to try; we must exert ourselves if we want to succeed. Good fences make good neighborsGood neighbors respect one another’s property. A good man is hard to findDependable, trustworthy help is not easy to get. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fencePeople are never satisfied with their own situation; they always think others have it better. Great oaks from little acorns growGreat things or people often have humble origins. Half a loaf is better than none Something is better than nothing at all. Haste makes wasteActing too quickly may actually slow things down. He who hesitates is lostA person who spends too much time deliberating about what to do loses the chance to act altogether. He who laughs last, laughs bestYou may laugh now, thinking you have won, but you may not prevail in the end. 

Here today, gone tomorrowWhat is present or important now may be absent or irrelevant in the future. Hitch your wagon to a starAim high; hope for great things. Honesty is the best policyHonesty is more effective than dishonest scheming. Hope springs eternalPeople always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity If at first you don’t succeed, try, try againKeep trying. If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the mountainIf someone won’t do this thing for me, I’ll do it for myself. If the shoe fits, wear itIf something belongs or pertains to you, accept it. If wishes were horses, then beggars would rideIf wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchenDon’t take on a job if you are unwilling to face its pressures. Ignorance is blissNot knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it. Imitation is the sincerest form of flatteryTo imitate someone is to pay the person a genuine compliment—often an unintended compliment. In this world nothing is certain but death and taxesDeath and taxes are the only things that we can be sure of. It ain’t a fit night out for man or beastThe night is terribly cold and stormy. It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it homeA house is just a building until we have lived in it long enough for it to feel like “home,” a place intimately associated with life’s trials and joys. It takes a thief to catch a thiefOnly a thief knows how a thief thinks and acts. It takes two to tangoCertain activities cannot be performed alone 

It’s never over till it’s overDon’t give up too soon; there may still be a chance to succeed. It’s never too late to mendYou’re never too old to change your ways. Learning is always possible. It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the gameReaching a goal is less important than giving our best effort. Knowledge is powerThe more one knows, the more one will be able to control events. Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alonePeople prefer cheerfulness in others. A person who is cheerful will have company, but someone who is gloomy will often be alone. Leave well enough aloneIf things are going tolerably well, leave them alone; your efforts to improve the situation may make things worse. The leopard cannot change its spotsWe cannot change our basic nature. Let bygones be bygonesLet past offenses and problems stay in the past; don’t let them taint the present. Let sleeping dogs lieDo not stir up a problem that has lain quiet for some time. Let them eat cakeA saying that shows insensitivity to or incomprehension of the realities of life for the unfortunate. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it Let’s face difficulties as they happen and not worry uselessly about them beforehand. Life is short; art is long Good work takes a long time to accomplish. Lightning never strikes twice in the same placeMisfortune does not occur twice in the same way to the same person. A little learning is a dangerous thing People who know only a little do not understand how little they know and are therefore prone to error. Little pitchers have big earsAdults must be careful about what they say within the hearing of children. 

Little strokes fell great oaks Limited strength, when persistently applied, can accomplish great feats. Live and learn Learn from experience and from your mistakes. Live and let live We should live the life we choose and allow others to do the same. Look before you leap We should know what we are getting into before we commit ourselves. Love conquers all Love overcomes all obstacles. Love makes the world go `round Love is the principal force behind human life. The love of money is the root of all evil All wrongdoing can be traced to an excessive attachment to material wealth. Make haste slowly The quickest way to accomplish something is to proceed deliberately. Make hay while the sun shines Take advantage of favorable circumstances; they may not last. Man does not live by bread alone People have spiritual as well as physical needs. A man is known by the company he keeps Our character is reflected in our choice of friends. Man proposes, God disposes People can make plans; God determines how things will turn out. A man’s home is his castle 

People enjoy the position of rulers in their own homes, and others have no right to enter without the householder’s permission. Many hands make light work Large tasks become small when divided among several people. Marry in haste, repent at leisure If we marry without thinking about the decision, we will have a lifetime to regret the choice. The meek shall inherit the Earth Pushy people do not succeed in the end. Misery loves company People who are unhappy may get some consolation from knowing that others are unhappy too. A miss is as good as a mileA near miss is still a miss and therefore no better than missing by a great margin. Losing a game by one point is still losing. The love of money is the root of all evil All wrongdoing can be traced to an excessive attachment to material wealth. The more the merrier The more people there are involved in something, the more fun it will be. Murder will out Crime or wrongdoing will eventually be discovered and punished. Necessity is the mother of invention A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem. Never give a sucker an even break Don’t hesitate to take advantage of a fool. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today Don’t procrastinate. Never say die Never give up.  

A new broom sweeps clean New leadership injects energy. Nice guys finish last Winning requires toughness, even ruthlessness; No man can serve two masters One’s loyalties must be undivided. No man is an island No one is self-sufficient; everyone relies on others No news is good news Not hearing about a situation suggests that nothing bad has happened. No rest for the weary You must keep persevering no matter how tired or overworked you are. Nothing succeeds like success Success breeds more success. Nothing ventured, nothing gained If you don’t risk anything, you won’t gain anything. Nothing will come of nothing You will gain nothing if you invest nothing. Oil and water don’t mix Certain qualities or personalities are incompatible. Old soldiers never die; they only fade away  A line from a song popular among soldiers in Britain in World War I. Once bitten, twice shy  An injury makes a person wary of its cause. One good turn deserves another A kindness is properly met with another kindness.

 One man’s meat is another man’s poison What is good for one person may be bad for another; what is pleasant to one person may be unpleasant to another. One [or A] picture is worth a thousand words A visual image can convey an idea or an emotion more effectively than words. One rotten (or bad) apple spoils the barrel A single bad influence can ruin what would otherwise remain good. The one who pays the piper calls the tune The person who hires another determines the services to be rendered. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure A little precaution before a crisis occurs is preferable to a lot of fixing up afterward Out of sight, out of mind We often forget about things or people who are absent. Out of the frying pan, into the fire Going from a bad situation to one that is even worse. The pen is mightier than the sword  Human history is influenced more by the written word than by warfare. A penny saved is a penny earned  Money not spent is money that is in one’s pocket. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones We shouldn’t complain about others if we are as bad as they are. A place for everything and everything in its place Things should be kept in order. Poets are born, not made Poets, like all true artists, possess talent that cannot be taught. Politics makes strange bedfellows

 Political interests can bring together people who otherwise have little in common. Practice makes perfect Doing something over and over makes one better at it. Practice what you preach Do yourself what you advise others to do. Pride goeth before a fall People who are overconfident or too arrogant are likely to fail. Procrastination is the thief of time Putting things off robs us of the opportunity to accomplish something. The proof of the pudding is in the eating Actual use is the best test. Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s Keep politics separate from certain other fields, such as religion. The road to hell is paved with good intentions Merely intending to do good, without actually doing it, is of no value. A rolling stone gathers no moss This proverb now has two meanings: people pay a price for being always on the move, in that they have no roots in a specific place (the original meaning); or people who keep moving avoid picking up responsibilities and cares. Rome wasn’t built in a day Valuable projects take time. Seeing is believing I’ll believe it when I see it with my own eyes. The show must go on People are counting on us to do this, and we must not disappoint them. Sic transit gloria mundi 

(SIK TRAN-sit GLAWR-ee-uh MOON-dee) Latin for “Thus passes away the glory of the world”; worldly things do not last. Silence is golden Silence is of great value. Slow but steady wins the race Consistent, effective effort leads to success. A soft answer turneth away wrath A gentle reply to someone who is angry will pacify that person. Step on a crack, break your mother’s back Bad luck will come from stepping on the seams of a sidewalk. Still waters run deep A person’s calm exterior often conceals great depths of character, just as the deepest streams can have the smoothest surfaces. A stitch in time saves nine A little preventive maintenance can eliminate the need for major repairs later. Stone walls do not a prison make External constraints cannot imprison someone whose spirit and thoughts are free. Strike while the iron is hot Take advantage of favorable circumstances while they last. The image is from a blacksmith’s shop; the smith can shape iron only by striking it with his hammer when it is red hot. Take the bitter with the sweet Accept life’s misfortunes as well as its joys. There are plenty of fish in the sea There are lots of potential mates in the world. There’s many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip Between the time we decide to do something and the time we do it, things often go wrong. There’s more than one way to skin a cat 

Many tasks can be accomplished in several ways. There’s no accounting for taste Personal preferences are not debatable. This saying is a version of a Latin proverb, De gustibus non est disputandum. There’s no fool like an old fool The most extreme fools are people whose age should have made them wise. There’s no place like home Home is the best of all places. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it Studying history is necessary to avoid repeating past mistakes. Time and tide wait for no man The processes of nature continue, no matter how much we might like them to stop. Time heals all wounds People eventually get over insults, injuries, and hatreds. Time is money If we don’t use our working time to earn money, we are in effect losing money. To err is human, to forgive divine All people commit sins and make mistakes. God forgives them, and people are acting in a godlike (divine) way when they forgive. Too many cooks spoil the broth When too many people work together on a project, the result is inferior. Truth is stranger than fiction Sometimes what actually happens is more bizarre than anything that could have been imagined. Truth will out One way or another, in spite of all efforts to conceal it, the truth will come to be known. Turnabout is fair play You had your turn; now it’s only fair that I should have mine.

 Two heads are better than oneSome problems may be solved more easily by two people working together than by one working alone. Two wrongs don’t make a right An evil act can’t be corrected with more evil. Two’s company, three’s a crowd One companion is better than two. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown A person who has great responsibilities, such as a king, is constantly worried and therefore doesn’t sleep soundly. Variety is the spice of life Changes and new experiences make life delightful. Walls have ears We may be overheard without our knowing it. Waste not, want not If we don’t waste what we have, we’ll still have it in the future and will not lack (want) it.  A watched pot never boils Something we wait for with impatient attention seems to take forever. We have met the enemy, and they are us Evil or upsetting forces exist within, not without. Well begun is half done A good beginning almost assures success. What will be, will be Some things cannot be prevented from happening. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander What is good for a man is equally good for a woman; or, what a man can have or do, so can a woman have or do. This comes from an earlier proverb, “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”

 When in Rome, do as the Romans do When visiting a foreign land, follow the customs of those who live in it. When it rains, it pours When something good or bad occurs, it usually occurs more than once and often within a short period of time: When the cat’s away, the mice will play When a person in authority is away, those under the person’s rule will enjoy their freedom. When the going gets tough, the tough get going The way to overcome adversity is to try harder. Where are the snows of yesteryear?Why does life fade so quickly? Where there’s a will, there’s a way If you want something badly enough, you can find the means to get it. Where there’s smoke there’s fire  The very presence of a rumor means that something is afoot, even if not exactly what is rumored. While there’s life, there’s hope  Never give up. The wish is father of the deed  Desire leads to action. A woman’s work is never done A woman must often work longer hours than a man. A word to the wise is sufficient  Intelligent people can take hints; they don’t need to have everything explained to them at great length. The worm turns  One’s luck or fortune changes. 

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar  You can win people to your side more easily by gentle persuasion and flattery than by hostile confrontation. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.  You can show people the way to do things, but you can’t force them to act. You cannot serve God and mammon  Being virtuous is not compatible with being greedy (mammon means “money”). You can’t fit a round peg in a square hole  People can’t be forced into roles for which they are not suited. You can’t go home again  You can’t recover the past. You can’t have your cake and eat it too  The things people want are often incompatible. You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear  It is impossible to make something excellent from poor material. You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs  We must give up or destroy something to gain something. You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip  You can only get from people what they are willing or able to give. You can’t take it with you  We all must leave worldly wealth behind when we die. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks  People who have long been used to doing things in a particular way will not abandon their habits. You can’t unscramble an egg  Some processes are irreversible. You’ve made your bed, now lie in it

  You made a decision and now must accept its consequences.