Share a proverb

[Hottentot]

Everyone knows proverbs. Some cultures use them more than the others, but they exist everywhere. Many of them are shared or based on foreign proverbs with different words, others are Biblical. Some are national, some are local. Most of them tell a lot with only a few catchy words.

Since we have an international forum here I'm curious of what kind of proverbs you have and use in your everyday lives. Please share some examples. If they are not in English to begin with, consider writing them in the original language as well.

A few in Finnish to begin with:


Ahneella on paskainen loppu.
The greedy person has a crappy ending.

Aidan takana ruohokin on vihreämpää.
The grass is greener behind the fence. (A fairly common one. I have heard that at least the Russians have exactly the same saying.)

Aina on oksan ottajia, kun on kuusen kaatajia.
There are always people to take the branches when there are people cutting down a spruce.

Akoilla ja susilla on maailma pilattu.
The world has been spoiled with the hags and the wolves.

Aukaista sanainen arkkunsa.
To open one's chest full of words, as in to start speaking.

Ei auta itku markkinoilla.
It's no use to cry on a market place.

Ei kannettu vesi kaivossa pysy.
The water brought to the well doesn't stay in there, as in it's no use to try anything with anyone if that person him/herself isn't willing to do it.

Ei korppi korpin silmää noki.
A raven doesn't peck a raven's eye, as in the people of a same group look after each other. This could be said for example when a police is investigating a crime committed by another police.

Ei kukaan ole seppä syntyessänsä.
No one is born a blacksmith, as in practise makes perfect.

Ei nimi miestä pahenna, jos ei mies nimeä.
A name doesn't make a man worse if the man doesn't make the name worse.

Ei parta pahoille kasva.
A beard doesn't grow on the evil people.

Ei se ota jos ei annakaan.
It won't take if it won't give either, as in it's worth it to try something despite of the odds.

Ei sitä kortilla autoa ajeta.
A car isn't driven with a driver's license.

Ei suuret sanat suuta halkaise.
Big words won't split the mouth, as in you can talk and brag all you want, but it's the deeds that make the difference.

Ei tippa tapa ja ämpäriin ei huku.
A drop won't kill and you won't drown in a bucket. Usually related to alcohol.

Ei tässä kurjuutta kummempaa.
Nothing especial apart from misery. Can be said when someone asks "how are you".

Eniten tyhjät tynnyrit ääntä pitää.
The empty barrels make the loudest noise.

Eteenpäin, sanoi mummo lumessa.
"Forward!" said the granny in the snow.

Happamia, sanoi kettu pihlajanmarjoista.
"Sour", said the fox about a rowan berries. It's based on a tale of a fox trying to eat rowan berries and when it couldn't reach them on the tree, it left and said: "they were sour anyway!"

Helppoa ku heinänteko.
Easy as making hay.

Hulluilla on halvat huvit.
The lunatics have cheap amusements.

Hullu paljon työtä tekee, viisas pääsee vähemmällä.
A crazy man works a lot, a wise man gets along with less work (gah, horrible translation, Finns help me out here!)

Hätä ei lue lakia.
Emergency doesn't know the law.

Idästä ei tule muuta hyvää kuin aurinko.
The only good thing coming from the East is the sun.

Joka laulaen tulee, se viheltäen menee.
That which comes singing, leaves whistling. Easy come, easy go.

Joka leikkiin ryhtyy, se sen kestäköön.
He who participates in a game should also endure the game.

Jos ei viina, terva ja sauna auta, niin sitten kaivetaan hauta.
If booze, tar and sauna won't help, we will dig a grave.

Kateus vie kalatkin järvestä.
Envy takes even the fish away from the lake.

Kenellä olutta, sillä ystäviä.
He who has beer has friends.

Kenen leipää syöt, sen lauluja laulat.
Whose bread you eat, his songs you sing. Probably based on the tribal era when there was a god for everything and each of them had their own spells that were sung to get good luck. If you were a fisherman, then you sung the spells of a water god and so on.

Kerta se on ensimmäinenkin.
The first time is a time too.

Kiittämättömyys on maailman palkka.
Ingratitude is the reward of the world.

Kissa kiitoksella elää.
A cat can live on "thanks". Said when you want a more concrete reward for something.

Konstit on monet sano akka ku kissalla pöytää pyyhki.
"There are many ways", said the hag while sweeping the table with a cat.

Kukas kissan hännän nostaa, jos ei kissa itse.
Who is going to raise a cat's tail if not the cat itself? As in no one is going to notice your achievements if you don't let anyone know about them.

Kun köyhyys astuu ovesta sisään, rakkaus karkaa ikkunasta ulos.
When the poverty steps in through the door, the love escapes through the window.

Kun merellä vahinko sattuu, niin kaikki ovat maalla viisaita.
When an accident happens on the sea, everyone on the land is wise.

Kun on lusikalla annettu, niin ei voi kauhalla vaatia.
When it has been given with a spoon, you can't demand with a dipper. Said to imply that someone may be a little too dumb to do or understand something.

[Tribesman]

Beauty is only skin deep, but uglyness goes right to the bone.

A sparrow doesn't need much, but it still has to gather it.

[Dowly]

Hullu paljon työtä tekee, viisas pääsee vähemmällä.
A crazy man works a lot, a wise man gets along with less work (gah, horrible translation, Finns help me out here!)It gets the point across, but just in case, let's take an example:

Hottentot, the crazy man, compiles a list and translates the proverbs.

Dowly, the wise, sexy, awesome person, goes to google and finds a page with
finnish proverbs and posts a link to it:
http://www.ageaid.org/2011/07/finnish-proverbs.html

:O:

[Osmium Steele]

Ok, a few from this side of the pond.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose. ;-)

Once bitten, twice shy.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. (We have that one here too!)

Let sleeping dogs lie.

You'll catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar.

God watches out for kids and drunkards.

A watched pot never boils.

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get - Forrest Gump ( I couldn't resist)

[Hottentot]

It gets the point across, but just in case, let's take an example:

Hottentot, the crazy man, compiles a list and translates the proverbs.

Dowly, the wise, sexy, awesome person, goes to google and finds a page with
finnish proverbs and posts a link to it:
http://www.ageaid.org/2011/07/finnish-proverbs.html

:O:

Touché. :haha:

[Dowly]

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I prefer the Bush's version :DL
Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again.

[Onkel Neal]

A lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Every plan fails at the first step.

[soopaman2]

Pezzu di carni cu l'occhi.

An old womans thoughts on the American politician.

[u crank]

If their brass were gold, they would be millionaires

Couldn't carry a tune if it had handles.

Keep your stick on the ice.

[Sailor Steve]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother. - Ben Franklin

Beware the Greeks bearing gifts.

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.

A closed mouth catches no flies.

Curiosity killed the cat.



Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
You know you're getting old when you remember when a saying now considered to be an old proverb was first created.

[TLAM Strike]

Don't run with scissors.

[Osmium Steele]

You know you're getting old when you remember when a saying now considered to be an old proverb was first created.

I hear ya.

http://delanieholton.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/hang_in_there.jpg

Friday's coming!

[Herr-Berbunch]

A quote from Great Uncle Walter (Brian Blessed) - Never wear trousers on a Thursday!

Seems legit :yep:

[AVGWarhawk]

The grass is greener by the septic tank.

[BossMark]

Here is a few



A bad cause requires many words.
A broken hand works, but not a broken heart.
A close friend can become a close enemy.
A drowning man is not troubled by rain.
A forest is in an acorn.
A hungry man is an angry man.
A loan though old is not gift.
A man is not honest simply because he never had a chance to steal.
A monkey never thinks her baby's ugly.
A penny saved is a penny gained.
A rumour goes in one ear and out many mouths.
God gives the nuts, but he doesn't crack them.
He is not wise that is not wise for himself.
He makes his home where the living is best.

[Sailor Steve]

I hear ya.

http://delanieholton.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/hang_in_there.jpg

Friday's coming!
Oh, man, another blast from 1970! That may very well have been the very first lolcat picture, though we didn't call them that.

A quote from Great Uncle Walter (Brian Blessed) - Never wear trousers on a Thursday!

Seems legit :yep:
Well, if we're going to quote new and perverse "old" proverbs, I have to give one of my favorites from Robert A. Heinlein: "Place your clothes and your weapons where you can find them in the dark."

The grass is greener by the septic tank.
Irma Bombeck!!! :rock: :D

[CaptainHaplo]

Its only kinky the first time......

[Garion]

The mair yi ken
The less the Better

(B Connolly esq) :woot:

Cheers

Garion

[von Kinderei]

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is :know:

[Takeda Shingen]

I always liked Sir Francis Bacon:

Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid.

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.

A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.

A bachelor's life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch and a miserable dinner.

A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion.

Friends are the thieves of time.

He that hath knowledge spareth his words.

[von Kinderei]

Even the lion has to defend himself against flies

[Weiss Pinguin]

"Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues." - Proverbs 17:28 :D

This is one I could stand to follow more often :nope:

[von Kinderei]

Cunning surpasses strength

[misha1967]

"Live every day as if it's your last. Because one day, you're going to be right."

[soopaman2]

My uncle told me once when i stated unrealistic expectations...

"You can't pour syrup on sh.. (poop) and call 'em pancakes.

He also said life is like a bucket of crap, you can either complain about the stink or use it as fertilizer.

He is still alive in a craphole in Alabama, all love and respect to you Uncle Danny.

[TarJak]

Never eat too much, nor drink too little.:D

[Hottentot]

Laita lapsi asialle, mene itse perässä.
Ask a child to do something and end up doing it yourself.

Lapsen suusta kuulee totuuden.
The truth is heard from a child's mouth.

Lapsi on terve kun se leikkii, mutta sairas kun ei lopeta.
A child is healthy when it plays and sick when it won't stop.

Lukea kuin piru Raamattua
To read like the Devil reads the Bible. To read something very carefully in order to find something wrong with it.

Luulo ei ole tiedon väärti.
Thinking is not as good as knowing.

Maassa maan tavalla, tai maasta pois.
When in a country, behave like it's behaved in the country or leave the country.

Metsä on suomalaisen kirkko.
The forest is a Finn's church.

Mikäs pahan tappais, Jumala ei huoli ja piru ei pidä kiirutta.
What would kill the evil, the God won't accept and the Devil doesn't rush.

Minkä nuorena oppii, sen vanhana taitaa.
That which you learn when young, you know when old.

A variant of the previous: Minkä nuorena varastaa, sen vanhana omistaa.
That which you steal when young, you own when old.

Nostetaan kissa pöydälle.
To raise a cat to the table. To start talking about something which needs to be talked about while everyone would rather just pretend it doesn't exist.

On kuin kukko tunkiolla.
Like a rooster on a garbage pile. When someone is arrogantly acting like a big boss.

Peukalo keskellä kämmentä.
(To have) a thumb in the middle of the hand. When you are not good at doing something practical such as carving.

Routa porsaan kotiin ajaa.
Ground frost will make the pig come back home. As in no need to worry, something will happen on its own eventually.

Sopii kuin nyrkki silmään.
Fits like a fist to the eye.

Suku on pahin.
The family is the worst.

Suutarin lapsilla ei ole kenkiä.
The shoemaker's children don't have shoes.

Toimii kuin junan vessa.
Works like a train's toilet.

Tuli on hyvä renki, mutta huono isäntä.
Fire is a good servant but a bad host.

Tyhmästä päästä kärsii koko ruumis.
The whole body suffers from a dumb head.

Valheella on lyhyet jäljet.
A lie has short tracks.

Älä opeta poika isääs naimaan.
Son, don't teach your father how to make love.

[u crank]

You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives.

[Jimbuna]

Nine of us is as clever as all of us.

[Penguin]

I start with some proverbs regarding the animal kingdom, as they seem to be the most bizarre ones.


Eine Krähe hackt der anderen kein Auge aus
A crow doesn't pick out another crow's eyes - same as in Finnish, only we have crows

Das geht auf keine Kuhhaut
This doesn't fit on a cow skin - this is too much

Der Fuchs ist schlau und stellt sich dumm, bei manchen ist es andersrum.
The fox is smart and plays dumb, with some it's the other way round.

Ich habe schon Pferde kotzen sehen.
I have seen horses puke - I've seen it all

Tu mal Butter bei die Fische.
"Do some butter to the fishes" - Now make your point. Ruhr German but became a common German saying.

da liegt der Hase im Pfeffer
There lies the rabbit in the pepper -
Da liegt der Hund begraben
There lies the buried dog
Both mean the same: This is the point

Einen geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul.
One doesn't look into a gifted horse's mouth - hey it's free, don't critizise it - a modern variant would be geschenkte Drogen werden nicht gewogen - you don't weigh gifted drugs


My two favorites:
Er sitzt wie ein Affe auf dem Schleifstein.
He sits like an ape on a grinding stone. - He sits in a weird way

Da wird ja der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt
This makes the dog in the frying pan go crazy. - Meaning just: "gosh!"



Eteenpäin, sanoi mummo lumessa.
"Forward!" said the granny in the snow.

While I find this funny in a weird way, I'm not sure if I got it. Is it about pointless motivation in a hopeless situation?



Kenen leipää syöt, sen lauluja laulat.
Whose bread you eat, his songs you sing. Probably based on the tribal era when there was a god for everything and each of them had their own spells that were sung to get good luck. If you were a fisherman, then you sung the spells of a water god and so on.


:hmmm: we have the same saying "Wess Brot ich ess, dess Lied ich singe."
Actually I have no less than 4 different theories about it, all from Medieval times though.

1. From the times before standing armies, where the majority of fights was done by mercenaries. Besides your pay you get food from the lord who hired you, and you sing your army's song while marching.
2. The jester, who sings to entertain his lord and gets food
3. derived from 3, the Minnesänger, who travelled from lord to lord and thus sings the songs his changing lords like
4. The right to operate a corn mill were granted by the land overlord to the lower nobles. So they could only bake because their boss gave them the right to grind.

[Hottentot]

Da liegt der Hund begraben
There lies the buried dog
Both mean the same: This is the point

And on the other hand when we say "tähän on koira haudattuna" (there is a dog buried in this), it means that there is some ulterior motive and not everything is being told.

While I find this funny in a weird way, I'm not sure if I got it. Is it about pointless motivation in a hopeless situation?More like a way of saying: "less talking, more doing."

:hmmm: we have the same saying "Wess Brot ich ess, dess Lied ich singe."
Actually I have no less than 4 different theories about it, all from Medieval times though.You forgot number 5: "We stole it from the Finns because we couldn't think of anything that would have been as awesome." :O:

[Penguin]

Nine of us is as clever as all of us.

So what does is make ten of us? :know: :O:


You forgot number 5: "We stole it from the Finns because we couldn't think of anything that would have been as awesome." :O:

:haha:
Our mercenaries were marching while your fishermen were still singing, that's why we won Word Wa...oh, wait a minute...

[Hottentot]

Our mercenaries were marching while your fishermen were still singing, that's why we won Word Wa...oh, wait a minute...

Yeah, but we have such long traditions in singing that we always do well in the Euro Vi...oh, wait a minute...

[Platapus]

Two favourites of mine:

Proper Previous Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance aka 7Ps

To be wise, observe. For observation is the source of wisdom.

But since proverbs have to contradict each other, I have to add

Never confuse umvelt with truth :)

[Jimbuna]

Virginity like bubble, one prick all gone.

[Marcantilan]

El gallo no tiene manos porque la gallina no tiene tetas.

Ruster doesn´t have hands because hen doesn´t have tits.

Ahh, I really like countryside wisdom...

[Jimbuna]

Man who eats prunes, gets good run for money.

[TarJak]

Man who dies on the job, doesn't know whether he's coming or going.

[Jimbuna]

Wife who puts husband in doghouse soon will find him in cathouse.

[Platapus]

So what am I supposed to do when "he who hesitates is lost" but at the same time "look before you leap"?:D

[Jimbuna]

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

[Sailor Steve]

Keep your nose to the grindstone, your shoulder to the wheel and both feet planted firmly on the ground.









Now, let's see you get any work done in that position. :O:

[Long-John-Duffman]

Before judging someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way you'll be a mile away, and have their shoes.

[magicstix]

"If you chase two rabbits, you'll catch neither."

[Takeda Shingen]

Before judging someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way you'll be a mile away, and have their shoes.

Maybe it's just late and maybe I'm just a little tipsy, but this struck me as hilarious. I'm adding this to the repertiore. :haha:

[Hottentot]

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

Give a man a fish and he eats is. Teach a man to fish and he starts demanding student allowance. But don't do anything, and the problem will soon go away on its own.
-Government

[Agiel7]

"Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment."

"There is not a man who does not get senile by the time he reaches sixty. And when one thinks that he will not be senile, he is already so."

"Even if one has learned all the sayings of the sages and saints, he should not insist on them obstinately."

Having put 150+ hours into Shogun 2, I can tell you that game is a veritable treasure trove full of them... Then there's:

"The wise man knows he knows nothing, the fool thinks he knows all."

[Oberon]

A quote from Great Uncle Walter (Brian Blessed) - Never wear trousers on a Thursday!

Seems legit :yep:

Awesome guy, had the pleasure of meeting him on Saturday. Here's another couple from him that I heard on Saturday:

"I've had it with this 'getting old' thing. It's not how old you are, it's how you are old."

And:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlAMWqVtINY&feature=related


Other Proverbs I like are mainly from the East, things like:

"So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself."

[Sailor Steve]

"The wise man knows he knows nothing, the fool thinks he knows all."
Something I've been saying for years. Many fools argue about it.

As for the "sixty" thing, well, there's nothing I can say at this point that will be believed. :sunny:

[Jimbuna]

Man who lives in glass house should change clothes in basement.

[Hottentot]

One that I found myself again sighing under the breath at the uni:

"If ten people are thinking alike, then someone isn't thinking."

[u crank]

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

"You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim."

:har:

[Jimbuna]

Man who scratches ass should not bite fingernails.

[Sailor Steve]

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

"You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim."

:har:
Until the part where the truth comes out. Big Jim bought the farm, "And you don't mess around with Slim." :O:

[soopaman2]

Man who stands on a toilet is high on pot.

[u crank]

Until the part where the truth comes out. Big Jim bought the farm, "And you don't mess around with Slim." :O:

True Steve, and Bad Leroy Brown suffered the same fate. :03:

[Jimbuna]

Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.

[Iceman]

Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Glad to have all you Subsim friends ...:arrgh!:

[Oberon]

Good to see you about Iceman, been a while. :salute:

[Jimbuna]

There are no short cuts to any place worth going.

[Jimbuna]

Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen.

[u crank]

Rare is the person who can weigh the faults of another without putting his thumb on the scale.

[frau kaleun]

Never send a fist to do an elbow's job.

[AngusJS]

A Russian proverb:

Rabota ne volk - v lesu ne khodit.

Work is not a wolf - it does not walk in the woods.

Don't be afraid of work...I guess.

[magic452]

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

This works especially well in politics.

Magic

[Jimbuna]

A man who thinks too much about his ancestors is like a potato — the best part of him is underground.

[u crank]

If you believe that dreams can come true, be prepared for a few nightmares.

[Jimbuna]

A peacock who sits on his tail is just another turkey.

[Platapus]

“Gentlemen, in war you will find that the enemy has three options
open to him.

Of these he will invariably choose the fourth.”
- von Moltke

[Platapus]

Democracy is two wolves and one sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

[MH]

In a democracy the people get the government they deserve.

[u crank]

A lie can be halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on.

[Jimbuna]

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

[Takeda Shingen]

Alcohol: The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.

--Homer Simpson

[Jimbuna]

If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit.

[u crank]

Vision without action is a daydream, action without vision is a nightmare.

[BossMark]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Jimbuna]

You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom.

[u crank]

Money doesn't talk. It swears.

Bob Dylan

[Jimbuna]

Life is like a sewer... what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.

[BossMark]

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

[Jimbuna]

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

[soopaman2]

You can't pour syrup on sh...Uhh Poop and call em pancakes.

(the proverb has a much more profound effect with the cuss word, my aplologies for the "simulated curse")

[Jimbuna]

In golf as in life it is the follow through that makes the difference.

[BossMark]

The pen is mightier than the sword.

[Jimbuna]

The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does.

[u crank]

He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon.

[Jimbuna]

Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it.

[Platapus]

As we used to say in EOD "Never force it, use a bigger hammer!"

[u crank]

More prophecy than proverb but,

"Technology to wipe out truth is now available. Not everybody can afford it but it's available. When the cost comes down, look out!"

Bob Dylan

[Hottentot]

As we used to say in EOD "Never force it, use a bigger hammer!"

I've heard one along similar lines often in my family, but for some reason not in wider use.

"Mitä isompi vika, sitä isompi leka."
(The bigger the problem, the bigger the sledge hammer."

[BossMark]

In for a penny, in for a pound

[Jimbuna]

Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.

[BossMark]

Don't cross your bridges before you get to them

[Platapus]

Never date a beautiful woman, only date homely women.

For a beautiful woman may leave you for another man.

So may a homely woman, but who cares, she's homely. :D

[BossMark]

A lie well stuck to is as good as the truth.

[u crank]

Light travels faster than sound...which is why most people appear brilliant until you hear them.

[BossMark]

It ain't over 'till it's over

[CaptainMattJ.]

Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance.

[Jimbuna]

Practice makes perfect, but nobody's perfect, so why practice?

[BossMark]

Look before you leap

[Jimbuna]

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

[Kapitan]

I have my own proverb

Better to burp and taste it, than fart and waste it.