A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

A

1. Abundance, like want, ruins many.
        Romanian Proverb
2. Adversity makes a man wise, not rich.
        Romanian Proverb
3. Advice is least heeded when most needed.
        English Proverb
4. After dark all cats are leopards.
        Native American Proverb (Zuni)
5. After lunch; rest; after dinner walk a mile.
        Arab Proverb
6. After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
         Italian Proverb
7. The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.
         Swedish Proverb
8. After three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless.
        Chinese proverb
9. After victory, tighten your helmet chord.
        Japanese Proverb
10. All roads lead to Rome.
         Roman Proverb
11. All roads do not lead to Rome.
          Slovenian Proverb
12. All sins cast long shadows.
          Irish Proverb
13. All things good to know are difficult to learn.
         Greek Proverb
14. All sunshine makes the desert.
         Arab Proverb
15. An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.
          Arab Proverb
16. An ass is but an ass, though laden with gold.
         Romanian Proverb
17. An iron rod bends while it is hot.
         Greek Proverb
18. The anvil fears no blows.
         Romanian Proverb
19. Ask a lot, but take what is offered.
         Russian Proverb
20. Ask about your neighbors, then buy the house.
         Jewish Proverb
21. Ask the experienced rather than the learned.
         Arabic proverb
22. Avoid the evil, and it will avoid thee.
         Gaelic Proverb

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 B

1. Bad is never good until worse happens.
         Danish Proverb
2. Bed is the poor man's opera.
        Italian Proverb
3. The beginning is the half of every action.
         Greek Proverb
4. Be happy while you're living, For you're a long time dead.
        Scottish Proverb
5. Behind an able man there are always other able men.
         Chinese Proverb
6. Below the navel there is neither religion nor truth.
        Italian Proverb
7. Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
        Chinese Proverb
8. Be on your guard against a silent dog and still water.
         Latin Proverb
9. Be Prepared
        Boy Scout Motto
10. Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in changing him.
         Scottish Proverb
11. The best armor is to keep out of range.
         Italian Proverb
12. Be thine enemy an ant, see in him an elephant..
         Turkish Proverb
13. Better a mouse in the pot than no meat at all.
         Romanian Proverb
14. Better be ill spoken of by one before all than by all before one.
         Scottish Proverb
15. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
         Chinese Proverb
16. Better be quarreling than lonesome.
          Irish Proverb
17. Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out.
          Italian Proverb
18. Beware of a man of one book.
         English Proverb
19. Beware of a man's shadow and a bee's sting.
         Burmese Proverb
20. Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.
         Benjamin Franklin
21. The big thieves hang the little ones.
         Czech Proverb
22. The blind man is laughing at the bald head.
          Persian Proverb
23. A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
         Chinese Proverb
24. By asking for the impossible, obtain the best possible.
         Italian Proverb
25. By learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn.
          Latin Proverb

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C

1. Call on God, but row away from the rocks.
        Indian Proverb
2. Children are a poor man's wealth.
        Danish Proverb
3. The church is near, but the way is icy, The tavern is far, but I will walk carefully.
        Ukranian Proverb
4. A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood
        Chinese Proverb
5. Complain to one who can help you.
        Yugoslav Proverb
6. Confessed faults are half mended.
        Scottish Proverb
7. The country rooster does not crow in the town.
        African (Swahili) Proverb
8. The crow that mimics a cormorant is drowned.
         Japanese Proverb
9. Cuando amor no es locura, no es amor.
   (When love is not madness, it is not love.)
         Spanish Proverb

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E

1. Eat and drink with your relatives; do business with strangers.
        Greek Proverb
2. Eating and scratching want but a beginning.
        Romanian Proverb
3. Eating while seated makes one of large size; eating while standing makes one strong.
         Hindu Proverb
4. Employ thy time well if thou meanest to get leisure.
        Benjamin Franklin
5. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
         Arab Proverb
6. Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think.
        Chinese Proverb
7. Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day.
         Polish Proverb
8. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
         Miscellaneous Proverb
9. Every animal knows more than you do.
        Native American Proverb (Nez Perce)
10. Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother.
          Moorish Proverb
11. Every invalid is a doctor.
         Irish Proverb
12. Everyone thinks his own burden heavy.
         French Proverb
13. Every path has its puddle.
         English Proverb
14. Every peasant is proud of the pond in his village because from it he measures the sea.
         Russian Proverb
15. Every road has two directions.
          Russian Proverb
16. Everything passes, everything wears out, everything breaks.
    (tout passe, tout lasse, tout casse)
          French Proverb
17. Examine what is said, not him who speaks.
          Arab Proverb
18. Experience is the comb that nature gives us when we are bald.
         Belgian proverb
19. The eyes are the window of the soul.
          English Proverb
20. The eyes believe themselves; the ears believe other people.
          German Proverb

F

1. Fall seven times, stand up eight.
        Japanese Proverb
2. Fast Ripe, Fast Rotten.
        Japanese Proverb
3. A father is a banker provided by nature.
         French Proverb
4. Fear less, hope more,
   eat less, chew more,
   whine less, breathe more,
   talk less, say more,
   hate less, love more,
   and all good things will be yours.
        Swedish proverb
5. Fear not a jest. If one throws salt at you, you will not be harmed unless you have sore places.
        Latin Proverb
6. First deserve, and then desire.
         English Proverb
7. The first drink with water, the second without water, the third like water.
        Spanish Proverb
8. First secure an independent income, then practice virtue.
        Greek Proverb
9. Fish or cut bait.
        American Proverb
10. Fish, to taste good, must swim three times: in water, in butter, and in wine.
         Polish Proverb
11. A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
         Miscellaneous Proverb
12. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.
          Miscellaneous Proverb
13. A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control
          Miscellaneous Proverb
14. A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
          Miscellaneous Proverb
15. Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
         Chinese Proverb
16. From a fallen tree, all make kindling.
         Spanish Proverb
17. From a thorn comes a rose, and from a rose comes a thorn.
         Greek Proverb
18. A full cup must be carried steadily.
         English Proverb

G

1. Get what you can and keep what you have; that's the way to get rich.
        Scottish Proverb
2. Give to a pig when it grunts and a child when it cries , and you will have a fine pig and a bad child.
        Danish Proverb
3. Go and wake up your cook.
        Arab Proverb
4. The go-between wears out a thousand sandals.
         Japanese Proverb
5. God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.
        Jewish Proverb
6. God gives the nuts but he does not crack them.
        German Proverb
7. God sells knowledge for labour -- honour for risk.
        Arabic Proverb
8. God will be present, whether asked or not.
        Latin Proverb
9. God gave teeth; He will give bread.
        Lithuanian Proverb
10. God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.
         Jewish Proverb
11. Good fences make good neighbors.
         American Proverb
12. Good men must die, but death cannot kill their names.
         Spanish Proverb
13. Goodness shouts. Evil whispers.
         Balinese Proverb
14. Goodness speaks in a whisper, evil shouts.
         Tibetan proverb
15. Go often to the house of a friend; for weeds soon choke up the unused path.
         A paraphrase of a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American Transcendentalist
    Another opinion on this quote: Alan Walker states "this particular proverb is part of the 'Lay Of Loddfafnir' in the Viking Edda, and is spoken by the god Odin to one of his initiates". Thanks Alan!
16. A good painter need not give a name to his picture, a bad one must.
         Polish Proverb
17. Gossip needs no carriage.
          Russian Proverb
18. Gratitude is the heart's memory.
         French Proverb
19. The greater love is a mother's; then comes a dog's; then a sweetheart's.
         Polish Proverb
20. Great men are not always wise.
          Biblical Proverb
21. A guest sees more in an hour than the host in a year.
          Polish Proverb

H

1. A half-truth is a whole lie.
        Jewish Proverb
2. The hammer shatters glass but forges steel.
        Russian Proverb
3. A handfull of patience is worth a bushel of brains.
         Dutch Proverb
4. Happiness is like a sunbeam, which the least shadow intercepts, while adversity is often as the rain of spring.
        Chinese Proverb
5. A heart in love with beauty never grows old.
         Turkish Proverb
6. The heart that loves is always young.
         Greek Proverb
7. He fishes well who uses a golden hook.
         Latin Proverb
8. He is rich who owes nothing.
        French Proverb
9. He that does not ask will never get a bargain.
        French Proverb
10. He that is of a merry heart hasth a continual feast.
          Biblical Proverb
11. He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
          Biblical Proverb
12. He who is outside his door already has a hard part of his journey behind him.
         Dutch Proverb
13. He who must die, must die in the dark, even though he sells candles.
         Colombian Proverb
14. He who says what he likes will hear what he does not like.
         English Proverb
15. He who searches for pearls should not sleep.
         Lybian Proverb
16. He who wants a rose must respect the thorn.
          Persian Proverb
17. He who would rule must hear and be deaf, see and be blind.
         German Proverb
18. He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
          Chinese Proverb
19. He who builds by the roadside has many surveyors.
         Italian Proverb
20. He who doesn't risk never gets to drink champagne.
         Russian Proverb
21. He who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.
         Arab Proverb
22. He who hurries can not walk with dignity.
         Chinese Proverb
23. He who is not impatient is not in love.
          Italian Proverb
24. He who knows little quickly tells it.
         Italian Proverb
25. He who knows nothing doubts nothing.
          Italian Proverb
26. He who puts up with insult invites injury.
         Jewish Proverb
27. He who respects his parents never dies.
         Greek Proverb
28. He who sows peas on the highway does not get all the pods into his barn.
         Danish Proverb
29. He who undertakes too much seldom succeeds.
         Dutch Proverb
30. He who would leap far must first take a long run.
         Danish Proverb
31. Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?
          Benjamin Franklin
32. Hours are Time's shafts,
    and one comes winged with death.
         Scottish Clock Motto

I

1. If a man is destined to drown, he will drown even in a spoonful of water.
        Yiddish Proverb
2. If Jack's in love, he's no judge of Jill's beauty.
        Benjamin Franklin
3. If there is no wind, row.
        Latin Proverb
4. If three people say you are an ass, put on a bridle.
        Spanish Proverb
5. If work were good for you, the rich would leave none for the poor.
        Haitian proverb
6. If you are a host to your guest, be a host to his dog also.
        Russian Proverb
7. If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.
        Chinese Proverb
8. If you bow at all, bow low.
        Chinese Proverb
9. Za dvumya zaitsami pogonish'sya, ne odnogo ne poimaesh'.
   (If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.) Russian Proverb
10. If you can't go over, you must go under.
          Jewish Proverb
11. If you can't lick 'em, join 'em.
         American Proverb
12. If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of he game, the stakes, and the quitting time.
         Chinese proverb
13. If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.
          Khalil Gibran
14. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
         Native American Proverb (Minquass)
15. If you scatter thorns, don't go barefoot.
          Italian Proverb
16. If you see in your wine the reflection of a person not in your range of vision, don't drink it.
         Chinese Proverb
17. If you want to be respected, you must respect yourself.
          Spanish Proverb
18. If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep.
          Yiddish Proverb
19. If you want your eggs hatched, sit on them yourself.
         Haitian proverb
20. If you wish good advice, consult an old man.
         Romanian Proverb
21. If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.
          Benjamin Franklin
22. If you would live healthy, be old early.
         Spanish Proverb
23. If you would be pope, you must think of nothing else.
         Spanish Proverb
24. If you suspect a man, don't employ him, and if ypu employ him, don't suspect him.
          Chinese Proverb
25. If your head is wax, don't walk in the sun.
         Benjamin Franklin
26. If youth but had the knowledge and old age the strength.
          French Proverb
27. Ignorance is bliss.
         American Proverb
28. In case of doubt it is best to lean to the side of mercy.
         Legal Proverb
29. In reviling, it is not necessary to prepare a preliminary draft.
         Chinese Proverb
30. In times of prosperity friends will be plenty, in times of adversity not one in twenty.
          English Proverb
31. In the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed are kings
         Macedonian Proverb
    Thanks Margarita for submitting this one! -ed
32. In the morning be first up, and in the evening last to go to bed, for they that sleep catch no fish.
          English Proverb
33. It is easier to pull down than to build up.
          Latin Proverb
34. It is not a fish until it is on the bank.
         Irish Proverb
35. It is not enough to aim.; you must hit.
         Italian Proverb
36. It is the great north wind that made the Vikings.
         Scandanavian Proverb
37. It is the part of a good shepherd to shear his flock, not to skin it.
         Latin Proverb

J

1. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
        Chinese Proverb
2. Judge not the horse by his saddle.
        Chinese Proverb

K

1. Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve.
        Chinese Proverb

L

1. L'amour faite passer les temps. Les temps faite passer l'amour. (Love makes time pass. Time makes love pass.)
        French Sundial Motto
2. A lean agreement is better than a fat lawsuit.
        German Proverb
3. Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.
        Chinese Proverb.
4. Let every fox take care of his own tail.
        Italian Proverb
5. Let him make use of instinct who cannot make use of reason.
        English Proverb
6. Let no man deceive you with vain words.
         Biblical Proverb
7. Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way.
        Native American Proverb (Blackfoot)
8. Listen or your tongue will keep you deaf.
        Native American Proverb
9. Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but, follow no one absolutely.
        Chinese Proverb
10. A little pot boils easily.
         Dutch Proverb
11. Live together like brothers and do business like strangers.
         Arab Proverb
12. Live with wolves, and you learn to howl.
         Spanish Proverb
13. Live your own life, for you will die your own death.
         Latin Proverb
14. Lomhlaba Unzima, Lohmhlaba. [This world is a harsh place, this world.]
          Zulu Proverb
15. Long absent, soon forgotten.
         Romanian Proverb
16. Look for the good, not the evil, in the conduct of members of the family.
         Jewish Proverb
17. Love and eggs are best when they are fresh.
          Russian Proverb
18. Love is like dew that falls on both nettles and lilies.
         Swedish Proverb
19. Love rules without rules.
         Italian Proverb
20. Love tells us many things that are not so.
          Ukranian Proverb
21. Love your neighbor, but don't tear down your fence.
          German Proverb
22. The loveliest of faces are to be seen by moonlight, when one sees half with the eye and half with the fancy.
          Persian Proverb

M

1. Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come.
        Chinese Proverb
2. Make sure to be in with your equals if you're going to fall out with your superiors.
        Jewish Proverb
3. Man has responsiblity, not power.
        Native American Proverb (Tuscarora)
4. A man is not where he lives, but where he loves.
        Latin Proverb
5. A man's first care should be to avoid the reproaches of his own heart, his next to escape the censures of the world.
        English Proverb
6. The man who does not learn is dark, like one walking in the night.
        Chinese Proverb
7. Many men know how to flatter, few men know how to praise. Greek Proverb
8. Measure a thousand times and cut once.
        Turkish Proverb

N

1. Never advise anyone to go to war or to marry.
        Spanish Proverb
2. Never do anything standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you can do lying down.
        Chinese Proverb
3. Never draw your dirk when a blow will do it.
        Scottish Proverb
4. Never fall out with your bread and butter.
        English Proverb
5. Never give advice in a crowd.
        Arab Proverb
6. Never give advice unless asked.
        German Proverb
7. Never rely on the glory of the morning or the smiles of your mother-in-law.
        Japanese Proverb
8. Never squat with your spurs on.
        Texan Proverb
9. Never trust the man who tells you all his troubles but keeps from you all his joys.
         Jewish Proverb
10. Never write a letter while you are angry.
         Chinese Proverb
11. Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
          American Proverb
12. No call alligator long mouth till you pass him.
         Jamaican Proverb
13. No need to teach an eagle to fly.
         Greek Proverb
14. No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
         Taoist Proverb
15. No one is rich enough to do without a neighbor.
         Danish Proverb

O

1. Observe your enemies, for they first find your faults.
        Greek Proverb
2. One does evil enough when one does nothing good.
        German Proverb
3. One drink is just right; two is too many; three are too few.
        Spanish Proverb
4. One meets his destiny often in the road he takes to avoid it.
        French Proverb
5. One should be just as careful in choosing one's pleasures as in avoiding calamities.
        Chinese Proverb
6. Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun.
        Indian Proverb

P

1. Pray, pray very much; but beware of telling God what you want.
        French Proverb

R

1. Ready money works great cures.
        French Proverb
2. The reverse side also has a reverse side.
        Japanese Proverb
3. A rich man has no need of character.
         Hebrew Proverb

S

1. Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
         American Proverb
2. Set a thief to catch a thief.
        French Proverb
3. Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.
        Swedish Proverb
4. Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves.
        Italian Proverb
5. Since we cannot get what we like, let us like what we can get.
        Spanish Proverb
6. A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.
         Chinese Proverb
7. The sinning is the best part of repentance.
        Arabic Proverb
8. Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
        African Proverb
9. A snake deserves no pity.
        Yiddish Proverb
10. Speak of the devil and he appears.
          Italian Proverb
11. Spread the table and contention will cease.
         English Proverb

T

1. Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand.
        Native American Proverb
2. A true friend, is one that will take a bullet for you in the war.
        Italian Proverb
   Kindly submitted to quotesandsayings.com by Massimo Raimondi, from a book on Mussolini
3. Tell me who's your friend and I'll tell you who you are.
        Russian proverb
4. There is a pinch of the madman in every great man.
        French Proverb
5. There is no flying without wings.
         French Proverb
6. There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
        French Proverb
7. There is nothing hidden between Heaven and Earth
        Venezuelan Proverb
8. There wouldn't be such a thing as counterfeit gold if there were no real gold somewhere.
        Sufi Proverb
9. Those who have free seats at a play hiss first.
         Chinese Proverb
10. Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas.
         Italian Proverb
11. Though a tree grow ever so high, the falling leaves return to the ground.
         Malayan Proverb
12. Three things it is best to avoid: a strange dog, a flood, and a man who thinks he is wise.
         Welsh Proverb
13. To attract good fortune, spend a new coin on an old friend, share an old pleasure with a new friend, and lift up the heart of a true friend by writing his name on the wings of a dragon.
         Chinese Proverb
14. To change and change for the better are two different things.
         German Proverb
15. To deceive a diplomat speak the truth, he has no experience with it.
          Greek Proverb
16. To know and to act are one and the same.
          Samurai Proverb
17. To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.
         Chinese Proverb
18. A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense.
          American Proverb
19. Trumpet in a herd of elephants; crow in the company of cocks; bleat in a flock of goats.
         Malayan Proverb
20. Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.
          Maori proverb

U

1. Under a ragged coat lies wisdom.
        Romanian Proverb
2. Under a tattered cloak you will generally find a good drinker.
         Spanish Proverb
3. Use power to curb power.
        Chinese Proverb
4. Use soft words and hard arguments.
         English Proverb
5. Use your enemy's hand to catch a snake.
        Persian Proverb

V

1. Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare.
        Japanese Proverb
2. Vulnerant omnia, ultima necat. (All the [hours] wound you, the last one kills)
        Latin Proverb

W

1. Wait until it is night before saying that it has been a fine day.
        French Proverb
2. Walk till the blood appears on the cheek, but not the sweat on the brow.
         Spanish Proverb
3. We know the worth of a thing when we have lost it.
        French Proverb
4. What may be done at any time will be done at no time.
        Scottish Proverb
5. We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.
        French Proverb
6. What the heart thinks, the tongue speaks.
        Romanian Proverb
7. What the people believe is true.
        Native American Proverb (Anishinabe)
8. What was hard to endure is sweet to recall. French Proverb
9. What you don't see with your eyes, don't invent with your mouth.
        Jewish Proverb
10. What you give you get, ten times over.
         Yoruba Proverb
11. When a blind man carries a lame man, both go forward.
          Swedish proverb
12. When an elephant is in trouble even a frog will kick him.
          Hindu Proverb
13. When anger rises, think of the consequences.
         Confucius
14. When a thing is done, advice comes too late.
         Romanian Proverb
15. When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.
         Chinese Proverb
16. When friends ask, there is no tomorrow.
          Miscellaneous Proverb
17. When in doubt, Gallop!
          Proverb of the French Foreign Legion
18. When one shuts one eye, one does not hear everything.
         Swiss Proverb
19. When spiders unite they can tie down a lion.
         Ethiopian Proverb
20. When the fox preaches, look to the geese.
         German Proverb
21. When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.
         African Proverb
22. When two quarrel, both are to blame.
         Dutch Proverb
23. When we cannot get what we love, we must love what is within our reach.
         French Proverb
24. When you go to buy, use your eyes, not your ears.
         Czech Proverb
25. When you have no choice, mobilize the spirit of courage.
         Jewish Proverb
26. When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.
         Chinese Proverb
27. When you throw dirt, you lose ground.
         Texan Proverb
28. When you want to test the depths of a stream, don't use both feet.
         Chinese Proverb
29. Where God has his church the Devil will have his chapel.
          Spanish Proverb
30. Where there is a sea there are pirates.
          Greek Proverb
31. Where there is love, there is pain.
         Spanish Proverb
32. Where there are no swamps there are no frogs.
         German Proverb
33. Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
          Confucius
34. Who depends on another man's table often dines late.
          Italian Proverb
35. Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.
         Spanish Proverb
36. The whisper of a pretty girl can be heard further than the roar of a lion.
          Arab Proberb
37. Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one.
          Japaneses Proverb
38. The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.
         German Proverb
39. The woman cries before the wedding and the man after.
          Polish Proverb
40. Words must be weighed, not counted.
          Polish Proverb

Y

1. You may laugh at a friend's roof; don't laugh at his sleeping accomodation.
         Kenyan Proverb
2. Young pigs grunt as as old pigs grunted before them.
        Danish Proverb
3. Your friend has a friend; don't tell him.
         Jewish Proverb
4. You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.
        Navajo Proverb
5. You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
        Irish Proverb