Proverbs and Quotations

Kahlil Gibran Quotes

2006-10-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
Kahlil Gibran

Thomas Alva Edison Quotes

2006-10-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Anything that won't sell, I don't want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.
Thomas A. Edison

Be courageous! Have faith! Go Forward!
Thomas A. Edison

Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business. Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward!
Thomas A. Edison

Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.
Thomas A. Edison

Discontent is the first necessity of progress.
Thomas A. Edison

Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.
Thomas A. Edison

Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration.
Thomas A. Edison

Great ideas originate in the muscles.
Thomas A. Edison

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

His genius he was quite content in one brief sentence to define; Of inspiration one percent, of perspiration, ninety nine.
Thomas A. Edison

I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.
Thomas A. Edison

I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.
Thomas A. Edison

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.
Thomas A. Edison

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison

I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exists - proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision.
Thomas A. Edison

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.
Thomas A. Edison

I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.
Thomas A. Edison

I start where the last man left off.
Thomas A. Edison

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas A. Edison

It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.
Thomas A. Edison

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.
Thomas A. Edison

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
Thomas A. Edison

Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth.
Thomas A. Edison

Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged.
Thomas A. Edison

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.
Thomas A. Edison

One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But... I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.
Thomas A. Edison

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas A. Edison

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
Thomas A. Edison

Religion is all bunk.
Thomas A. Edison

Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress.
Thomas A. Edison

Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.
Thomas A. Edison

Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison

Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.
Thomas A. Edison

The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.
Thomas A. Edison

The body is a community made up of its innumerable cells or inhabitants.
Thomas A. Edison

The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.
Thomas A. Edison

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.
Thomas A. Edison

The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.
Thomas A. Edison

The value of an idea lies in the using of it.
Thomas A. Edison

There is far more opportunity than there is ability.
Thomas A. Edison

There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking.
Thomas A. Edison

There is no substitute for hard work.
Thomas A. Edison

There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever.
Thomas A. Edison

There's a way to do it better - find it.
Thomas A. Edison

They say President Wilson has blundered. Perhaps he has, but I notice he usually blunders forward.
Thomas A. Edison

To have a great idea, have a lot of them.
Thomas A. Edison

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
Thomas A. Edison

To my mind the old masters are not art; their value is in their scarcity.
Thomas A. Edison

Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly. The scope of thrift is limitless.
Thomas A. Edison

We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything.
Thomas A. Edison

What a man's mind can create, man's character can control.
Thomas A. Edison

What you are will show in what you do.
Thomas A. Edison

When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.
Thomas A. Edison

Your worth consists in what you are and not in what you have.
Thomas A. Edison

Albert Einstein Quotes

2006-10-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.
Albert Einstein

A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem.
Albert Einstein

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
Albert Einstein

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
Albert Einstein

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?
Albert Einstein

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.
Albert Einstein

All such action would cease if those powerful elemental forces were to cease stirring within us.
Albert Einstein

All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.
Albert Einstein

All these constructions and the laws connecting them can be arrived at by the principle of looking for the mathematically simplest concepts and the link between them.
Albert Einstein

All these primary impulses, not easily described in words, are the springs of man's actions.
Albert Einstein

An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.
Albert Einstein

Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools.
Albert Einstein

Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius-and a lot of courage-to move in the opposite direction.
Albert Einstein

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.
Albert Einstein

Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.
Albert Einstein

Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.
Albert Einstein

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
Albert Einstein

As far as I'm concerned, I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue.
Albert Einstein

As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.
Albert Einstein

Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
Albert Einstein

But their intervention makes our acts to serve ever less merely the immediate claims of our instincts.
Albert Einstein

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.
Albert Einstein

Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.
Albert Einstein

Confusion of goals and perfection of means seems, in my opinion, to characterize our age.
Albert Einstein

Considered logically this concept is not identical with the totality of sense impressions referred to; but it is an arbitrary creation of the human (or animal) mind.
Albert Einstein

Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.
Albert Einstein

Do you believe in immortality? No, and one life is enough for me.
Albert Einstein

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
Albert Einstein

Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.
Albert Einstein

Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler.
Albert Einstein

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Albert Einstein

Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.
Albert Einstein

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.
Albert Einstein

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
Albert Einstein

Force always attracts men of low morality.
Albert Einstein

Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood.
Albert Einstein

God always takes the simplest way.
Albert Einstein

God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically.
Albert Einstein

God does not play dice.
Albert Einstein

God may be subtle, but he isn't plain mean.
Albert Einstein

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.
Albert Einstein

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
Albert Einstein

He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
Albert Einstein

He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
Albert Einstein

Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism - how passionately I hate them!
Albert Einstein

How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for those who are wise and of goodwill! In such a place even I would be an ardent patriot.
Albert Einstein

Human beings must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.
Albert Einstein

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.
Albert Einstein

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
Albert Einstein

I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.
Albert Einstein

I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.
Albert Einstein

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation and is but a reflection of human frailty.
Albert Einstein

I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.
Albert Einstein

I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil.
Albert Einstein

I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the earth will be killed.
Albert Einstein

I do not know with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones.
Albert Einstein

I don't know, I don't care, and it doesn't make any difference!
Albert Einstein

I have just got a new theory of eternity.
Albert Einstein

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.
Albert Einstein

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
Albert Einstein

I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
Albert Einstein

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.
Albert Einstein

I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.
Albert Einstein

I used to go away for weeks in a state of confusion.
Albert Einstein

I want to know all Gods thoughts; all the rest are just details.
Albert Einstein

I want to know God's thoughts... the rest are details.
Albert Einstein

If A equals success, then the formula is: A = X + Y + Z, X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut.
Albert Einstein

If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith.
Albert Einstein

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.
Albert Einstein

If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.
Albert Einstein

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?
Albert Einstein

If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.
Albert Einstein

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Albert Einstein

In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.
Albert Einstein

In order to be an immaculate member of a flock of sheep, one must above all be a sheep oneself.
Albert Einstein

Information is not knowledge.
Albert Einstein

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.
Albert Einstein

Isn't it strange that I who have written only unpopular books should be such a popular fellow?
Albert Einstein

It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed.
Albert Einstein

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.
Albert Einstein

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.
Albert Einstein

It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man.
Albert Einstein

It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.
Albert Einstein

It is only to the individual that a soul is given.
Albert Einstein

It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely.
Albert Einstein

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
Albert Einstein

It should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid.
Albert Einstein

It stands to the everlasting credit of science that by acting on the human mind it has overcome man's insecurity before himself and before nature.
Albert Einstein

It was the experience of mystery - even if mixed with fear - that engendered religion.
Albert Einstein

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.
Albert Einstein

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.
Albert Einstein

Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow - perhaps it all will.
Albert Einstein

Knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be.
Albert Einstein

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Albert Einstein

Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.
Albert Einstein

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.
Albert Einstein

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein

Love is a better teacher than duty.
Albert Einstein

Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Albert Einstein

Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events.
Albert Einstein

Morality is of the highest importance - but for us, not for God.
Albert Einstein

Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone.
Albert Einstein

Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.
Albert Einstein

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.
Albert Einstein

Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.
Albert Einstein

Nationalism is an infantile sickness. It is the measles of the human race.
Albert Einstein

Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.
Albert Einstein

Never lose a holy curiosity.
Albert Einstein

No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.
Albert Einstein

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.
Albert Einstein

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
Albert Einstein

Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.
Albert Einstein

Occurrences in this domain are beyond the reach of exact prediction because of the variety of factors in operation, not because of any lack of order in nature.
Albert Einstein

On the other hand, the concept owes its meaning and its justification exclusively to the totality of the sense impressions which we associate with it.
Albert Einstein

Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.
Albert Einstein

One strength of the communist system of the East is that it has some of the character of a religion and inspires the emotions of a religion.
Albert Einstein

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
Albert Einstein

Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.
Albert Einstein

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
Albert Einstein

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
Albert Einstein

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
Albert Einstein

People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results.
Albert Einstein

Perfection of means and confusion of ends seem to characterize our age.
Albert Einstein

Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity.
Albert Einstein

Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.
Albert Einstein

Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
Albert Einstein

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein

Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.
Albert Einstein

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
Albert Einstein

Small is the number of people who see with their eyes and think with their minds.
Albert Einstein

Solitude is painful when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature.
Albert Einstein

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.
Albert Einstein

Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.
Albert Einstein

That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.
Albert Einstein

The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while.
Albert Einstein

The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat.
Albert Einstein

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein

The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.
Albert Einstein

The environment is everything that isn't me.
Albert Einstein

The faster you go, the shorter you are.
Albert Einstein

The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead.
Albert Einstein

The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.
Albert Einstein

The grand aim of all science is to cover the greatest number of empirical facts by logical deduction from the smallest number of hypotheses or axioms.
Albert Einstein

The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax.
Albert Einstein

The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule.
Albert Einstein

The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Albert Einstein

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.
Albert Einstein

The more success the quantum theory has, the sillier it looks.
Albert Einstein

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
Albert Einstein

The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.
Albert Einstein

The only real valuable thing is intuition.
Albert Einstein

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.
Albert Einstein

The only source of knowledge is experience.
Albert Einstein

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.
Albert Einstein

The pioneers of a warless world are the young men (and women) who refuse military service.
Albert Einstein

The process of scientific discovery is, in effect, a continual flight from wonder.
Albert Einstein

The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.
Albert Einstein

The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.
Albert Einstein

The road to perdition has ever been accompanied by lip service to an ideal.
Albert Einstein

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
Albert Einstein

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.
Albert Einstein

The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.
Albert Einstein

The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.
Albert Einstein

The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.
Albert Einstein

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
Albert Einstein

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
Albert Einstein

There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there.
Albert Einstein

There is no logical way to the discovery of these elemental laws. There is only the way of intuition, which is helped by a feeling for the order lying behind the appearance.
Albert Einstein

They come into being not through demonstration but through revelation, through the medium of powerful personalities.
Albert Einstein

Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.
Albert Einstein

To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.
Albert Einstein

To the Master's honor all must turn, each in its track, without a sound, forever tracing Newton's ground.
Albert Einstein

Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.
Albert Einstein

True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.
Albert Einstein

True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.
Albert Einstein

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.
Albert Einstein

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
Albert Einstein

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.
Albert Einstein

We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings.
Albert Einstein

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein

We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.
Albert Einstein

We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.
Albert Einstein

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.
Albert Einstein

When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.
Albert Einstein

When the solution is simple, God is answering.
Albert Einstein

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.
Albert Einstein

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
Albert Einstein

Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.
Albert Einstein

Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.
Albert Einstein

You ask me if I keep a notebook to record my great ideas. I've only ever had one.
Albert Einstein

You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.
Albert Einstein

You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.
Albert Einstein

Persian Proverbs

2006-05-11T02:10:00.000-07:00

A bad wound heals but a bad word doesn't.

A broken hand works, but not a broken heart.

A broken sleeve holdeth the arm back.

A stone thrown at the right time is better than gold given at the wrong time.

A thief is a king till he's caught.
)
A thief knows a thief as a wolf knows a wolf.
)
Be a lion at home and a fox abroad.

By a sweet tongue and kindness, you can drag an elephant with a hair.

Courteous men learn courtesy from the discourteous.

Courtesie is cumbersome to them that ken it not.

Courtesy on one side can never last long.

Do little things now; so shall big things come to thee by and by asking to be done.

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Do well the little things now; so shall great things come to thee by and by asking to be done.

Epigrams succeed where epics fail.

Every man goes down to his death bearing in his hands only that which he has given away.

Go and wake up your luck.

Go as far as you can see, and when you get there you'll see further.

Go further and fare worse.

He gives a party with bath-water.

He gives him roast meat and beats him with the spit.

He who want a rose must respect the thorn.

He who wants a rose must respect the thorn.

He who wants content can't find an easy chair.

I used to feel sorry for myself because I had no shoes until I met a man who was dead.

If a man would live in peace, he should be blind, deaf, and dumb.

If fortune turns against you, even jelly breaks your tooth.

If one has to jump a stream and knows how wide it is, he will not jump. If he does not know how wide it is, he will jump, and six times out of ten he will make it.

If the teacher be corrupt, the world will be corrupt.

Luck is infatuated with the efficient.

No lamp burns till morning.

One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it.

Taking the first step with the good thought, the second with the good word, and the third with the good deed, I enter paradise.

The best memory is that which forgets nothing but injuries. Write kindness in marble and write injuries in the dust.

The best mode of instruction is to practise what we preach.

The best of friends must part.

The best of men are but men at best.

The blind man is laughing at the bald head.

The doctor must heal his own bald head.

The loveliest of faces are to be seen by moonlight, when one sees half with the eye and half with the fancy.

The wise man sits on the hole in his carpet.

Thinking is the essence of wisdom.

Use your enemy's hand to catch a snake.

Walls have mice and mice have ears.

What is brought by the wind will be carried away by the wind.

Whatever is in the heart will come up to the tongue.

Whatever you sow, you reap.

When the cat and mouse agree, the grocer is ruined.

Who does not beat his own child will later beat his own breast.

You can't pick up two melons with one hand.

You can't please everyone.

You can't polish a turd.

You can't push on a rope.

You can't put an old head on young shoulders.

You can't put new wine in old bottles.

You can't squeeze blood from a rock.

You can't take blood from a stone.

Burmese Proverbs

2006-05-11T00:22:00.000-07:00

A stupid act entails doing the work twice over.

Beware of a man's shadow and a bee's sting.

If you take big paces you leave big spaces.

If you truly want honesty, don't ask questions you don't really want the answer to.

If you trust before you try, You will repent before you die.

Only with a new ruler do you realize the value of the old.

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.

Seven days is the length of a guest's life.

Sparrows who emulate peacocks are likely to break a thigh.

Bugandan Proverbs

2006-05-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

If you burn a house, can you conceal the smoke?
The talker will lead the dog to the meat market.
When the master is absent, the frogs hop into the house.

Brazilian Proverbs

2006-05-11T00:13:00.000-07:00

Never promise a poor person, and never owe a rich one.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
One who does not look ahead remains behind.

Black Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice.

Belizean Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Don't call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river.
Don't carry all your eggs in one basket.
Don't hang your hat higher than you can reach.

Bedouin Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Truth may walk through the world unarmed.

Bantu Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

Every beast roars in its own den.
The earth is a beehive; we all enter by the same door but live in different cells.
Visitors' footfalls are like medicine; they heal the sick.

Baguirmi Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Do not try to cook the goat's young in the goat's milk.

Australian Aboriginal Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Those who play at bowls must look out for rubbers.

Ashanti Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

One cannot both feast and become rich.

Argentine Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

The one who loves you will make you weep.

Arabic Proverbs

2006-05-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

A chameleon does not leave one tree until he is sure of another.

A change is as good as a rest.

A foolish man may be known by six things: Anger without cause, speech without profit, change without progress, inquiry without object, putting trust in a stranger, and mistaking foes for friends.

A friend advises in his interest, not yours.

A horse of good breed is not dishonored by his saddle.

A horse that will not carry a saddle must have no oats.

A house divided cannot stand.

A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.

A mouth that praises and a hand that kills.

A secret is like a dove: when it leaves my hand it takes wing.

A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to our steps as we walk the tightrope of life.

A wise man associating with the vicious becomes an idiot; a dog traveling with good men becomes a rational being.

Arrogance diminishes wisdom.

Arrogance is a weed that grows mostly on a dunghill.

Ask the experienced rather than the learned.

Ask thy purse what thou should'st buy.

At the narrow passage there is no brother and no friend.

Believe what you see and lay aside what you hear.

Call someone your lord and he'll sell you in the slave market.

Do not buy either the moon or the news, for in the end they will both come out.

Eat whatever thou likest, but dress as others do.

Eat whatever you like, but dress as others do.

Every ambitious man is a captive and every covetous one a pauper.

Every day of your life is a page of your history.

Every sun has to set.

Give a man some cloth and he'll ask for some lining.

He fasted for a whole year and then broke his fast with an onion.

He who peeps at the neighbor's window may chance to lose his eyes.

He who plants thorns must never expect to gather roses.

He who sees the calamity of other people finds his own calamity light.

If a poor man ate it, they would say it was because of his stupidity.

Many are the roads that do not lead to the heart.

Meaningless laughter is a sign of ill-breeding.

Measure your guilt, then stretch your legs.

Meat and mass never hindered man.

No crowd ever waited at the gates of patience.

No cure, no pay.

Older than you by a day, wiser than you by a year.

One hand cannot applaud.

One hand for oneself and one for the ship.

Only the tent pitched by your own hands will stand.

Only three things in life are certain birth, death and change.

Patience is beautiful.

Proverbs are the lamp of speech.

Seek counsel of him who makes you weep, and not of him who makes you laugh.

Seven trades but no luck.

Shall the gosling teach the goose to swim?

Shallow waters mak' maist din.

The ass went seeking for horns and lost his ears.

The dogs may bark but the caravan moves on.

The fool has his answer on the tip of his tongue.

The fruit of silence is tranquility.

The fruit of timidity is neither gain nor loss.

The frying-pan says to the kettle, "Avaunt, black brows!"

The hand of God is with the group.

The knife of the family does not cut.

The mind is for seeing, the heart is for hearing.

The one-eyed person is a beauty in the country of the blind.

The sinning is the best part of repentance.

The wound of words is worse than the wound of swords.

The wound that bleedeth inwardly is the most dangerous.

The wrath of brothers is fierce and devilish.

The young goose is a good swimmer.

Think of the going out before you enter.

Visit rarely, and you will be more loved.

What is learned in youth is carved in stone.

What is learnt in the cradle lasts to the grave.

When a door opens not to your knock, consider your reputation.

When what you want doesn't happen, learn to want what does.

Who does not go with you, go with him.

Wishing does not make a poor man rich.

Wit is folly unless a wise man hath the keeping of it.

Write the bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble.

You are like a tree, giving your shade to the outside.

Your tongue is like a horse--if you take care of it, it takes care of you; if you treat it badly, it treats you badly.

Arabian Proverbs

2006-05-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

A book is a garden carried in the pocket.

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.

A book that remains shut, is but a block.

A kind word can attract even the snake from his nest.

A little and a little, collected together, becomes a great deal; the heap in the barn consists of single grains, and drop and drop makes an inundation.

A little bird wants but a little nest.

A little body doth often harbour a great soul.

A little debt makes a debtor, a great one an enemy.

A man profits more by the sight of an idiot than by the orations of the learned.

All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are moveable, and those that move.

Beware of one who flatters unduly; he will also censure unjustly.

Compete, don't envy.

Death is a black camel that lies down at every door. Sooner or later you must ride the camel.

Death is a black camel which kneels at every man's gate.

Diligence is a great teacher.

Diligence is the mother of good luck.

Do not cut down the tree that gives you shade.

Fear not the man who fears God.

I am a prince and you are a prince; who will lead the donkeys?.

If begging should unfortunately be thy lot, knock at the large gates only.

If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.

If you stop every time a dog barks, your road will never end.

Judge a man by the reputation of his enemies.

Judge not of a ship as she lies on the stocks.

Know each other as if your were brothers; negotiate deals as if you were strangers to each other.

Knowledge acquired as a child is more lasting than an engraving on stone.

Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.

No man is a good physician who has never been sick.

One coin in the money-box makes more noise than when it is full.

Salt will never be worm-eaten.

Search knowledge though it be in China.

Silence is the best answer to the stupid. The fool has his answer on the tip of his tongue.

Sinning is the best part of repentance.

Sins of omission are seldom fun.

The different sorts of madness are innumerable.

The difficult is done at once, the impossible takes a little longer.

The hasty and the tardy meet at the ferry.

The hasty angler loses the fish.

The hasty hand catches frogs for fish.

Throw a lucky man in the sea, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth.

Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.

Trust in God, but tie your camel.

Trust makes way for treachery

Ancient Proverbs

2006-05-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

Zeal is fit only for wise men but is found mostly in fools.

American Proverbs

2006-05-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

A dog is a man's best friend.

A dose of adversity is often as needful as a dose of medicine.

A girl with cotton stockings never sees a mouse.

A malignant sore throat is a danger; a malignant throat not sore is worse.

A man can die just once.

A man can't do more than he can do. What says Don Ferdinando?

A man is as big as the things that made him mad.

A man never becomes an orator if he has something to say.

A miss is as good as a mile.

A poor man is always behind.

A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense.

All men are fools, but all fools are not men.

All men are not cast in the same mold.

An American will go to hell for a bag of coffee.

Bad news travels fast.

Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

Bad the crow, bad the egg.

Boys will be boys.

By the yard, life is hard. By the inch, it's a cinch.

Christmas comes, but once a year is enough.

Close, but no cigar.

Crap or get off the pot.

Don't close the barn door after the horse runs away.

Don't cry over spilt milk.

Don't cry till you are out of the wood.

Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

Don't hide your light under a bushel.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

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

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Don't upset the apple cart.

Don't use a lot where a little will do.

Easy come, easy go.

Easy does it.

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die.

Even a dog knows the difference between being stumbled over and being kicked.

Every man has a fool up his sleeve.

Every man has one black patch, and some have two.

Every man hath a fool in his sleeve.

Every man hath his hobby-horse.

Feed a cold, starve a fever.

Feed sparingly and defy the physician.

Fish or cut bait.

For age and want save while you may, no morning sun lasts a whole day.

Free ships, free goods.

From little acorns mighty oaks do grow.

Gold is where you find it.

Good fences make good neighbors.

Here today, gone tomorrow.

Honesty is like an icicle; if once it melts that is the end of it.

I am just as good as you are, and a damned sight better.

I'd rather be red than dead.

I'd rather have them say "There he goes" than "Here he lies.".

If you can't lick 'em, join 'em.

If you can't ride two horses at once, you shouldn't be in the circus.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Ignorance is a form of environmental pollution.

Ignorance is bliss.

In God we trust; all others pay cash.

In politics, a man must learn to rise above principle.

It takes a thief to catch a thief.

It takes nine months to have a baby, no matter how many people you put on the job.

It takes one to know one.

It takes three generation to make a gentleman.

It takes two to make a bargain.

Leave well enough alone.

Leaves enough, but few grapes.

Let the big dog eat.

Loose lips sink ships.

Love many, trust few and always paddle your own canoe.

Make love, not war.

Man can't live in this world alone.

Man cannot live by bread alone.

Man is greater than the tools he invents.

Man is like a banana: when he leaves the bunch, he gets skinned.

Man is the only animal who can be skinned twice.

Many speak much who cannot speak well.

Men apt to promise are apt to forget.

Men are blind in their own cause.

Men seek less to be instructed than applauded.

Men that have much business must have much pardon.

Never be content with your lot. Try for a lot more.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

Never say die.

Never swap horses crossing a stream.

Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.

Of two evils, it is always best to vote for the less hypocritical.

Old age is ripeness.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Opportunities, like eggs, come one at a time.

Paddle your own canoe.

Pain is forgotten where gain comes.

Poets are born, not made.

Practice what you preach.

Praise makes a bad man worse.

Put up or shut up.

Put your money where your mouth is.

Put your trust in God, and keep your powder dry.

Putting the cart before the horse.

Quarreling dogs come halting home.

Republicans will do anything for the poor except get off their backs.

Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

Silence is golden, speech is silver.

Silence is golden.

Stand up, cent, let the dollar sit down.

Step on a crack break your mother's back.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Stopping at third base adds no more to the score than striking out.

Take care of your pennies and your dollars will take care of your widow's next husband.

Take the bitter with the sweet.

Talk is cheap but it takes money to buy whiskey.

Talk is cheap.

The bad gardener quarrels with his rake.

The bad workman blames his tools.

The cemeteries are filled with people who thought the world couldn't get along without them.

The chickens have come home to roost.

The child is the father of the man.

The most dangerous food is a wedding cake.

The mountains are never so far apart but the animals find one another.

The reason some people are stingy is also the reason they are rich.

The receiver is as bad as the thief.

The show must go on.

The wish is the father of the deed.

The worm turns.

Time heals all wounds.

Turnabout is fair play.

Two's company, three's a crowd.

Variety is the spice of life.

We may give advice, but we cannot give conduct.

What a story these old walls could tell.

When pleasure interferes with business, give up business.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Wishes won't wash dishes.

You can't fit a round peg in a square hole.

You can't unscramble an egg.

You don't put robbers to work in a bank.

You made your bed, now lie in it.

You make a mountain of a mole-hill.

Akan Proverbs

2006-05-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

If all the seeds that fall were to grow, then no one could follow the path under the trees.
If an ass goes a-traveling, he'll not come home a horse.
Marriage is like a groundnut: you have to crack them to see what is inside.
One should never rub bottoms with a porcupine.
The family is like the forest: if you are outside, it is dense; if you are inside, you see that each tree has its own position.
The rain wets the leopard's spots but does not wash them off.

African Zulu Proverbs

2006-05-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Do not speak of a rhinoceros if there is no tree nearby.
This world is a harsh place, this world. [Sulu, Lomhlaba Unzima, Lohmhlaba.]
This, too, shall pass.

African Swahili Proverbs

2006-05-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

The country rooster dows not crow in the town.

African Annang Proverbs

2006-05-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

A razor may be sharper than an ax, but it cannot cut wood.

Armenian Proverbs

2006-05-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Thunder clouds do not always give rain.
You are as many a person as languages you know.

Balinese Proverbs

2006-05-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Goodness shouts. Evil whispers.

Amharic Proverbs

2006-05-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

To lie about a far country is easy.

Afghan Proverbs

2006-05-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

A lame crab walks straight.

A little water is a sea to an ant.

A porcupine speaking to its baby says, "O my child of velvet."

A river is not contaminated by having a dog drink from it.

Allah has said, "Start moving so that I may start blessing."

Blood cannot be washed out with blood.

Blood is thick than water.

Blood will have blood.

Blood will tell.

Bloom where you are planted.

Cats don't catch mice to please God.

Debt severs love.

Don't be a thief and you won't fear the king.

Don't show me the palm tree, show me the dates.

Five fingers are brothers but not equals.

Five of them would run from the bang of one empty gun.

Give even an onion graciously.

Give every man his due.

Having been bitten by a snake, he's afraid of a rope.

If a forest catches fire, both the dry and the wet will burn up.

If you deal in camels, make the doors high.

If you want to keep camels, have a big enough door.

In an ant colony dew is a flood.

It's the same donkey, but with a new saddle.

No one says his own buttermilk is sour.

Only stretch your foot to the length of your blanket.

Storing milk in a sieve, you complain of bad luck?

The mud of one country is the medicine of another.

The right answer to a fool is silence.

The seeker is the finder.

The tree will not sway without a trace of wind.

The wood is burnt, but the ashes are a nuisance.

There are twenty-five uncaught sparrows for a penny.

Two watermelons can't be held in one hand.

Under his bowl there is a little bowl.

What you see in yourself is what you see in the world.

What you spend, you have.

When the tiger kills, the jackal profits.

Quotation of Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)

2006-05-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

The weather is like the government, always in the wrong.

Proverbs

2006-03-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

Quotation : Sophocles

2006-03-04T00:47:00.000-08:00

To him who is in fear everything rustles.
Sophocles (495 BC-405 BC)

Quotation: Aesop

2006-01-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch.
Aesop(620 BC-560 BC)

Quotations

2006-01-16T02:32:00.000-08:00

Those whom the gods love grow young.

Oscar Wilde(1854-1900)

It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.
Upton Sinclair(1878-1968)

If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.
Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)

Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.
William Makepeace Thackeray(1811-1863)

Afrikaan Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:45:00.001-08:00

proverb: Die doodskleed het geen sakke nie
meaning: He who dies cannot take any property with him to the afterlife.
name: cafeholique Afrikaans

proverb: Al dra 'n bobbejaan 'n goue ring, bly hy nog 'n lelike ding.
meaning: Even if a baboon wears a golden ring, it remains an ugly
thing. One should not be mislead by superficial changes. It rhymes in
Afrikaans.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Agteros kom ook in die kraal.
meaning: The ox that walks behind also gets into the kraal(a pen for
livestock). Even the underdog eventually succeeeds.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Wie nie waag nie, wen nie.
meaning: He who doesn't take risks, doesn't win.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: n Mak hond buit die seerste.
meaning: A tame dog's bite hurts the most.
name: Aubrey Franks

Bengali Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:45:00.000-08:00

proverb: GEON YOGI BHIKH PAAY NA
meaning: LITERAL: a saint(yogi)from his own village does not get alms.
MEANING:A person is initially ignored by his own people about his greatness.
name: nirmal g kundu

idiom: kete paro
meaning: to go away
usage: bhaloy bhaloy ekhan theke KETE PARO (Run away from here when things are o.k)
name: nirmal

proverb: Baro yadi hote chao chhoto hao tabe
meaning: Literal:If you want to be big, be small
Meaning: Be humble to be great
name: nirmal g kundu

proverb: Aapani achari dharma parere shekhay
meaning: One shall practice what he preaches
name: nirmal g kundu

Danish proverbs

2005-11-11T23:44:00.000-08:00

proverb: You can't blow with your mouth and keep flour in it at the same time !
meaning: In some circumstances you have to choose between two incompatible things instead of doing both (for instance, both stay away and interfere at the same time).
language: danish

Chinese Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:43:00.000-08:00

proverb: "Shan bu4 zhuan3 lu4 zhuan3"
meaning: If the mountain doesn't move, move the route around the mountain.

proverb: "Yi4 xing4 xiang xi"
meaning: Different personalities attract each other.

Dutch Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

proverb: "One sprinkles the most sugar where the tart is burnt."
meaning: People will try to mask something negative by overdoing the positive, like when government offcials use lots of grand language in concealing or downplaying criminal activity.

Gujarati proverbs

2005-11-11T23:41:00.000-08:00

proverb: Jagya tya thi savar.
meaning: Translation: Its morning whenever you wake up.
Meaning: Its never too late to start doing the right thing.

Hindi Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

proverb: haaton ki lakiron par vishwas nahi karna chahiye kyunki takdir to unki bhi hoti hai jinke haath nahi hote hai
meaning: its better to do ur work than being superstitious and waiting for the right time
your future does not depend on the lines of ur hands coz ppl who do not have hands also have a future

proverb: Jab Laxmi tilak karti ho, tab muh dhone nahi jana chahiye.
meaning: Explaination in for non hindi speaking: When Laxmi(goddess of furtune) is doing tilak (you might have seen hindus having red color on their forehead when they are coming from temple. That's called tilak. And it is considered blessing from God.) don't go for to wash your face.
Meaning: When opportunity is at your door step, just grab it orelse you are going to loose the opportunity.

proverb:
1)Ghar ki Murqi daal brabar.
2)Aik teer say doo shekaar.
3)Shak ka elaaj tu Hakeem Luqman kay pass bhi nien tha.
meaning:
1)Home grown Chiken is just like a Pulse or its mean if you gonna bake your home grown chicken at your dinner-- doesn't taste good or things that are easy to get doesn't worth!!!
2)Make two hunt by one bullet or Get two thing in one step
3)Doubt has no cure!!! or famous ancient doctor Luqman wasn't able to cure stupid thought.

Indonesian Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:39:00.000-08:00

[A]

"Ada asap ada api."
Where there is smoke, there is fire
Meaning: There's a cause of everything.

"Ada gula ada semut."
Where there is sugar, there are ants
Meaning: People tend to be attracted to what most benefits them

"Ada tahi ada lalat."
Where there is shit, there are flies
Meaning: People tend to be attracted to what most benefits them

"Ada udang di balik batu."
There is a shrimp behind the stone
Meaning: There are hidden purposes behind an act

"Air beriak tanda tak dalam."
Water with ripple is shallow
Meaning: People with much ado usually don't know much/shallow

"Air cucuran jatuhnya ke pelimbahan juga."
Water drips from the roof will eventually go to the reservoir
Meaning similar to "Like father like son" or "An apple never falls far from the tree"

"Air dicincang tak putus."
Water minced will not get separated.
Meaning: Like the seaweed that clings to each other after each passing boat separates them, so too a family will come together with the passing of each crisis.
See also: "Biduk lalu kiambang bertaut."

"Air susu dibalas dengan air tuba."
Milk is repaid with poison
Meaning: A good deed that is repaid by a bad deed

"Air tenang menghanyutkan."
Still water runs deep.
Meaning: Never underestimate a quiet person, for he may have qualities that belie his quiet nature.

"Air tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya"
Never think that still water doesn't have crocodiles.
Meaning: Never take for granted a quiet person, for he may have qualities that belie his quiet nature.

"Anak dipangku dilepaskan, beruk di rimba disusukan."
A child in the lap is let go, a monkey from the forest is nursed instead.
Meaning: Changing priorities.

"Alah bisa karena biasa."
Practice makes perfect.
Meaning: If we do a lot of practice we can do a good job.

"Anjing menggonggong, kafilah tetap berlalu."
The dogs are barking, the caravan moves on
Meaning: Useless protest, critic, or sarcasm.

"Asam di gunung, garam di laut bertemu dalam satu belanga."
Tamarind in the mountain, salt in the sea meet in a cauldron.
Tamarind and salt are two of the most important and frequently used spices in Indonesia.
Meaning: Even things that are far apart can meet as one. Usually used to settle differences between two rivalries or to express a relationship from two very different entities. Or, in the context of match-making, even two persons of different backgrounds / from
distant places can meet and eventually get married.

[B]
"Bagai air di daun talas."
As if water on talas leaf.
Daun talas has a thin waxy layer and therefore is waterproof.
Meaning: Two things that never get along.
Sometimes used for a person who does not have a firm conviction.

"Bagai aur dengan tebing"
Like the bamboo and the river bank
Meaning: Each is dependent on the other for their mutual survival.
See also: "Bagai kuku dengan isi".

"Bagai kerakap di atas batu, hidup segan mati tak mau."
As if kerakap leaf on a rock, unwilling to live, unwilling to die.
Kerakap is a wide leaf of sirih tree and is extraordinarily resilient and long lasting. However, as with other leafs, once it's plucked off from the tree, it's bound to die.
Meaning: Fighting a losing battle.

"Bagai kuku dengan isi."
Like the fingernail and the flesh beneath.
Meaning: Each is dependent on the other for their mutual survival.
See also: "Bagai aur dengan tebing".

"Bagai makan buah simalakama."
As if eating Simalakama fruit.
The story says that if one is presented with the fruit of Simalakama: If he eats it, his father would die, otherwise his mother would die instead.
Meaning: In a no-win situation where all the possible solutions present has terrible consequence(s).

"Bagai mendapat durian runtuh."
As if receiving falling durian fruits.
Meaning: When a durian tree is already ripe and sweet, many of the durians will fall to the ground. This proverb refers to someone who has suddenly gained much wealth.

"Bagai menatang minyak yang penuh."
Like carrying a cupful of oil.
Meaning: A person who is extremely cautious in doing something. Often used to describe one's love for a child.

"Bagai pungguk merindukan bulan."
Like an owl craving for the moon.
Meaning: A person who wish for something impossible.

"Bagai telur diujung tanduk."
As an egg on the tip of a horn.
Meaning: In a very critical situation as the egg will soon tip-over and fall.

"Bagaikan air dengan minyak."
Like water and oil.
Meaning: Does not mix well together.

"Berakit-rakit ke hulu, berenang-renang ke tepian. Bersakit-sakit dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian."
Rafting up the stream, swimming to its edge. Getting pains first, having fun next."
Often, both couplet are cited. Sometimes just the first couplet. Rafting up the stream signifies arduous effort, swimming (downhill) is the fun and easy part.
Meaning: No pain no gain.

"Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing."
Heavy we shoulder together, light we hand-carry together.
Meaning: Collaboration, sharing of burden irrespective of the weight.

"Bermain air basah, bermain api hangus."
Playing with water, wet. Playing with fire, burned.
Meaning: Every action has its consequences.

"Bersakit-sakit dahulu bersenang-senang kemudian."
The second couplet of "Berakit-rakit ke hulu, berenang-renang ke tepian."
Meaning: No pain no gain.

"Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita runtuh."
United we stand, divided we fall

"Besar pasak dari pada tiang."
The peg is greater than the stake
In camping, pegs for the camp should be smaller than the stakes. It would be a waste if we make the pegs greater than the stakes.
Meaning: Expense is bigger than income.

"Biduk lalu kiambang bertaut."
Hull gets past seaweed gets together again.
Meaning: Like the seaweed that clings to each other after each passing boat separates them, so too a family will come together with the passing of each crisis.
See also: "Air dicincang tak putus"

"Buruk muka cermin dibelah."
Ugly face, the mirror is split.
Meaning: Blaming the wrong reason/cause or creating a scapegoat.

[D]
"Dimana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan."
Where there is a will, there is a way

"Dimana bumi dipijak, disitu langit dijunjung."
Wherever we stand, we have to hold the sky
Meaning: Wherever we live, we must observe the local custom.

"Dimana tak da lang, aku lah lang, kata belalang."
Where there are no eagles, I am the one, said the grasshopper.
Here's a rhyming play in the proverb. The first and second "lang" are Eagle = Elang, which rhymes with Grasshopper = Belalang.
Meaning: Where's no top dogs, underdogs will be seen as one.

"Duduk sama rendah, tegak sama tinggi."
Sitting the same low, standing the same height
Meaning: Equality, emancipation.

"Dunia tak selebar daun kelor."
The world isn't as wide as kelor leaves.
Meaning: The opposite of It's A Small World.
Usually to comfort a broken heart, suggesting "Hey, there are still plenty of girls/guys out there."

[G]
"Gajah bertarung lawan gajah, pelanduk mati di tengah-tengah."
Elephants wage war against elephants, deers die in the midst
Meaning: When prominent persons fights, commoners would suffer.

"Gajah di pelupuk mata tak tampak, semut diseberang lautan tampak."
An elephant on the eyelid can't be seen, but an ant on the other side of the sea can.
Meaning: An egoistic person can't realize his/her own mistakes, but can always find mistakes of others

"Gajah mati meninggalkan gadingnya, macan mati meninggalkan belangnya, manusia mati meninggalkan namanya."
An elephant dies leaves its tusk, a tiger dies leaves its stripes, a person dies leaves his/her name.
Meaning: Someone will be remembered by his/her accolades.

"Guru kencing berdiri, murid kencing berlari."
The teacher urinates while standing, the pupil urinates while running."
Meaning: A junior will always mimic/do what the senior does.

[H]

"Habis manis sepah dibuang."
Literally: Habis = Finished, Manis = Sweet, Sepah = Tasteless, Dibuang = Thrown away.
Illustrated when someone is enjoying sugar canes: After the sweet part is finished and becomes tasteless, the cane is thrown away.
Meaning: We only call our friends if we need help, and we don't help our friends in need (egoistic act)

"Hati gajah sama dilapah, hati tungau sama dicecah"
Translation: An elephant is still an elephant when flayed; a flea is still a flea if you proke at it.
Meaning: You get what you get - if you get a lot of something, then you have a lot, if you get a small amount of something, you only have a small amount.

[I]

"Ingin hati memeluk gunung, apa daya tangan tak sampai."
Translation: The will of the heart is to hug the mountain, but the arm is not long enough.
Meaning: This proverb is often used to illustrate a person who does not have enough resources to do/accomplish his goal/wish.

[J]

"Jadilah kumbang, hidup sekali di taman bunga, jangan jadi lalat, hidup sekali di bukit sampah."
Be a bee, lived once in a flowery garden, not a fly, lived once in heaps of garbage.
Meaning: Live a good and useful life.

"Jadilah orang pandai bagai padi yang merunduk."
Be a smart man, like drooping paddy.
Paddy droops more as it matures since its kernel is getting heavier.
Meaning: To be a smart man you need to be humble. Or: A smart man is usually humble. See Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya.

[K]

"Kacang lupa kulitnya."
Translation: A nut forgets its shell
This proverb is often used to illustrate a person who forgets where he/she come from (e.g. hometown, family, heritage, etc.)

"Kalah jadi abu, menang jadi arang."
Translation: Loser becomes ashes, winner becomes (burnt) coal.
This proverb is often used to illustrate a lose/lose situation, where both winner and loser gain nothing from the conflict.

"Kalau tak ingin terlimbur pasang, jangan berumah di tepi laut."
If you don't want to get flooded, don't build a house next to the sea.

"Kalo di hutan tak ada singa, beruk rabun bisa menjadi raja."
If there were no lion in the jungle, a blind monkey can be king.

"Karena mulut badan binasa."
Because of the mouth the body is destroyed.

"Karena nila setitik, rusak susu sebelanga."
One drop of indigo stains the whole cauldron of milk.
The word "indigo" here means something like ink.
Meaning: one ill behaviour may cause others to forget the kindness we've done.

"Kasih anak sepanjang galah, kasih ibu sepanjang jalan."
The love from a child is as long as a stick, the love from a mother is as long as a road
Meaning: A mother's love is neverending

"Ke gunung sama mendaki, ke lurah sama menurun."
Together we climb the mountain, together we climb down the hill
Meaning: Together in good and bad times

"Keluar mulut harimau, masuk mulut buaya."
Out from the tiger's mouth, into the crocodile's mouth.
Meaning: To describe a person who has just gotten out from a precarious situation just to get into another precarious situation.

"Kemarau setahun dihapuskan hujan sehari."
A year of dry season (summer) is erased by a day of rain
Meaning: A long dispute has been forgoten by love, or sometimes a long time of goodness has been forgotten by one badness.

"Kepala boleh panas, tetapi hati harus tetap dingin."
Head can be heated but heart must stay cool.
Meaning: No matter how stressed or angry we are, we have to solve a problem with rationale.
Meaning: A dispute can only be resolved by discussing the problem openly and coolly.

"Kepala sama hitam, isi hati siapa tahu."
The hair is all colored the same (black in this case), but no one will know the inside of one's heart
Meaning: A different way of thingking in every person

[L]

"Lain ladang lain belalang, lain lubuk lain ikannya."
Different fields have different insect, different ponds have different fish.
Meaning: Different people have different personality.
Meaning: Different background means different thinking.
Meaning: Different culture means different custom.

"Lancar kaji karena diulang, lancar jalan karena ditempuh."
We spell fluently because we keep repeating it. We know the route because we pass it often.
Meaning: Be dilligent in learning.

"Lebih baik satu burung ditangan dari pada sepuluh burung dipohon."
Better one bird in the hand than 10 birds on the tree.
Meaning: Better something than nothing.

"Lempar batu sembunyi tangan."
Throw a stone but hide the hand.
Meaning: Someone who doesn't want to be responsible for his/her doing.

"Luka di kaki, sakit seluruh badan."
A pain in the feet, the whole body feels it.
Meaning: To describe a unity of a society.

[M]

"Malu bertanya, sesat di jalan."
Embarrassed to ask will result in getting lost.
Meaning: Asking question is the only way to learn

"Mati satu tumbuh seribu."
One dead replaced by one thousand.
Used to describe the undying spirit of a movement (for instance during the struggle for independence)
Also: "Gugur satu tumbuh seribu." The word 'gugur' means similar as 'mati' (die), but it usually relates only with dead leaves (when a leaf dries it will fall from its tree) or somebody who dies in honour, like the heroes. Thus, "Gugur satu tumbuh seribu" sounds more patriotic than "Mati satu tumbuh seribu."

"Memancing di air keruh."
Fishing in a murky water.
Meaning: Taking advantage of a murky/confusing situation.

"Memang lidah tidak bertulang."
The tongue indeed has no bone.
Meaning: To describe, with disgust, a person who has no principle, who kept changing what he/she says, who is a big time liar.

"Menang jadi arang, kalah jadi abu."
Meaning: To describe a no win situation
Same as: Bagai makan buah simalakama.
See: Kalah jadi abu, menang jadi arang

"Mengharap burung terbang tinggi, punai di tangan dilepaskan."
Meaning: Expecting something bigger, and we let go what we already have.
Example: A gamble who gamble away his paycheck expecting to win big but ends up with nothing.

"Mengharapkan hujan turun, air di tempayan ditumpahkan."
Eager for the rain to fall, water already stored is thrown away.
Same as: Mengharap burung terbang tinggi, punai di tangan dilepaskan

"Menuhuk kawan seiring menggunting dalam lipatan."
To punch a comrade, to cut inside a fold.
Meaning: To describe a traitor (or traitorous acts)

"Merdeka atau mati."
Freedom or death.
Meaning: We have to fight for our freedom as long as it takes, and we shall not mind the death following our struggle for independence.
That is a very common motto in Indonesian wars against the Dutch colonialisation, usually written "Merdeka ataoe mati", because at that time, 'u' was still written as 'oe', just like the current 'y' was 'j', the 'j' was 'dj', and the 'c' was 'tj'.

[N]

"Nasi telah menjadi bubur."
The rice has become porridge
Meaning: Describe, usually with regret, something that has already happenned and is irreversible.

[P]
"Panas mentari di kepala orang banyak, panas hati dirasa sendiri."
The heat of the sun is felt by everybody, the heat in the heart can only be felt by oneself.
Meaning: There is no point of nurturing a contempt/hate/anger inside us. Just let it go!

"Patah tumbuh hilang berganti."
Whatever broken will grow back, whatever lost will be replaced.
Meaning: There will be a replacement for everything.
Usually is used to describe the undying spirit of a movement (for instance, during the struggle for independence.)
Similar to: Mati satu tumbuh seribu.

"Pikir dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tidak berguna."
Thinking first is an asset, regret later is useless.
Meaning: Think everything carefully before committing yourself because there is no point for regretting it later.

"Pikir itu pelita hati."
Thought is the light of the heart
Meaning: Think!

"Pucuk dicinta ulam tiba."
Meaning: To get something one silently expects/wishes for.

[R]

"Rajin pangkal pandai."
Meaning: diligence is the beginning of brilliance

"Rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau."
The neighbour's lawn/grass is always greener.
Meaning: we are never satisfied with our posessions.

[S]

"Sambil menyelam minum air."
Drink water while diving
Meaning: Do two things at one go

"Sejelek-jelek pemimpin pasti punya anak buah, sebaik-baik pemimpin pasti punya musuh."
No matter how bad a leader is he/she will have followers, no matter how good a leader is he/she will have enemies.
Meaning: There is always someone who loves you, and someone who hates you.

"Sekali lancung ke ujian, seumur hidup orang tak percaya."
Once a person cheats in an exam, forever people will distrust him.
Meaning: Once you lost the trust of someone, it is almost impossible to gain it back.

"Sekali merengkuh dayung, dua tiga pulau terlampaui."
One stroke at the paddle, two and three islands have passed.
Meaning: Do multiple tasks at one go.

"Sekali bah, sekali pantai berubah"
Once there is a flood, the beach will change
Meaning: A change of event such as the death of a leader, will lead to other changes.
Same as: Sambil menyelam minum air.

"Sepandai-pandai tupai meloncat, akhirnya jatuh juga."
No matter how smart a squirrel can jump, it will fall eventually.
Meaning: No matter how smart a person is, eventually he/she will make a mistake.

"Seperti katak dalam tempurung."
Like a frog trapped under a coconut shell
Meaning: No experience, narrow minded (but acts as if he knows everything)

"Seperti katak hendak jadi lembu."
The story says of a frog that wants to be as big as a cow by inflating itself. In the end, its body bursts open and the frog dies.
Meaning: Someone who expect to become someone that beyond him.
Meaning: Someone who wish/expect something impossible.
Similar with: Bagai pungguk merindukan bulan

"Seperti pinang dibelah dua."
Like a halved pinang.
Pinang is a tree with very straight up trunk, similar to the banana tree.
Meaning: Like a twin, very similar (in appearance)
Humorous: "Seperti pinang dibelah dua dengan kapak". The literal meaning is like pinang halved with an axe. Idiomatically, it means two things that are quite different (because you can never halve a pinang with an axe neatly).

"Setajam-tajam pisau, masih lebih tajam lidah."
No matter how sharp a knife gets, a tongue is even sharper.
Meaning: Be careful of what you say as it can hurt more (feelings) than a knife

"Setinggi-tingginya bangau terbang, akhirnya ke pelimbahan juga."
No matter how high a crane flies, it will fall into the pit eventually.
Meaning: No matter how successful a person is, he/she will experience some bad things too.

"Sudah jatuh, tertimpa tangga pula."
A person slips, and a ladder falls on him.
Meaning: All the bad things seems to happen at the same time.
To describe a very unlucky person who has been having an unlucky streak.

"Surga di telapak kaki ibu."
Heaven is on the bottom of mother's foot.
Meaning: A person who loves/cares about their mother is doing the best deed.
This is also a reference to the saying of Prophet Mohammad of the same meaning, explaining the position of Mother in Islamic belief.

[T]

"Tak ada gading yang tak retak."
There are no ivory that is not cracked.
Meaning: Nothing is perfect in this world.

"Tak ada rotan, akar pun jadi."
No rattans, roots will do.
Meaning: If you are desperate, you must not be choosy.

"Tak bisa menari dikatakan lantai yang berjungkit."
Cannot dance but blame the floor as uneven.
Meaning: Blaming the wrong reason. Looking for a scapegoat.
Same as: Buruk rupa cermin dibelah.

"Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya."
An empty drum gives good sound.
Meaning: A person who talks a lot usually is empty inside (of knowledge).

"Tua-tua keladi, makin tua makin menjadi nakal."
Older, worser
Meaning: Older but instead of getting wiser, one gets naughtier.

Ilocano Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

proverb: NO saan nga makaammo a mangtaliaw iti naggapuanna Saan a makadanon iti papananna.
meaning: He who does not look back at his past (where he came from) will not be able to reach his destination
name: Carl Rubino

proverb: Uray kukua a tawiden, no adda la ket naimbag a nakem
meaning: One need not inherit wealth if he inherits good manners (Ilocano proverb)
name: Carl Rubino

proverb: Ti kamatis, di agbunga't mangga
meaning: The tomato plant doesn't grow mangos (a good person doesn't come from a bad family) Ilocano proverb
name: Carl Rubino

proverb: Uray kukua a tawiden, no adda la ket naimbag a nakem
meaning: One need not inherit wealth if he inherits good manners (Ilocano proverb)
name: Carl Rubino

Marshallese Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:37:00.000-08:00

proverb: Ruumij im lo leen.
meaning: Be late and see consequences.
language: marshallese

Portuguese Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:36:00.000-08:00

proverb: "Who plays with fire pees on the bed."
translation: "Quem mexe com fogo faz xixi na cama."
language: Portuguese
note: This is an old proverb used for parents to keep children far from fire.
name: Ricardo

proverb: Tirar a barriga de misérias.
meaning: To do something for the first time in a long time- means u get to do it in such a way as never before...

Russian Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:35:00.000-08:00

proverb: Sem' raz otmer' - odin raz otrezh' / Ð¡ÐµÐ¼ÑŒ Ñ€Ð°Ð· Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¼ÐµÑ€ÑŒ - Ð¾Ð´Ð¸Ð½ Ñ€Ð°Ð· Ð¾Ñ‚Ñ€ÐµÐ¶ÑŒ / Do the measuring seven times before you cut.
meaning: Always think carefully of the consequences and whether it's worth or not doing before you actually do something.

proverb: To be afraid of wolves means not to go to the wood!
meaning: You should takes risks if you want to get something. Obstacles are natural.
language: russian
name: Lera

proverb: "The wolf will hire himself out very cheaply as a sheperd."
meaning: I'm finding it difficult to put the meaning of this one into words. I'll post it later in the discussion forum.
name: Hambone

Sanskrit Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:34:00.000-08:00

proverb: SATYAMEBA JAYTE (in Sanskrit language)
meaning: truth only wins (prevails)
name: nirmal g kundu

proverb: MOUNAM SAMMATI LAKSHANAM (in Sanskrit language)
meaning: silence indicates acceptance
name: nirmal g kundu

Sesotho Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:33:00.000-08:00

proverb: Ho tsamaea ke ho bona
meaning: Literal: to travel is to see. It means the more one travels the more they become open-minded and learned.
name: Rethabile Masilo

proverb: Thupa e kojoa esale metsi
meaning: A stick is bent while it's soft (otherwise it breaks): children are disciplined while they're still young.
name: Rethabile Masilo

proverb: Mphe-mphe e ea lapisa
meaning: Begging and asking will only leave you hungry (ie you must
work in order to eat)
language: sesotho
name: Rethabile Masilo

proverb: Ntja-peli ha e hloloe ke sebata
meaning: Power is in number
name: Bofelo

proverb: Nonyana e haela ka ts'iba tsa e 'ngoe
meaning: One always needs assistance to start his own thing
name: Bofelo

proverb: Ha ho tsuonyana phatela 'ngoe, 'ngoe le 'ngoe e ea iphatela
meaning: In life each is for himself only,(especially when it comes to finding things for oneself)
name: Bofelo

proverb: lesholu ke le ts'oeroeng
meaning: The guitly is the one who is caught
name: Bofelo

proverb: motsoalle oa lesholu ke lesholu
meaning: One can be guilty of association
language: sesotho

proverb: ngoana lekhala o tsamaea ka lekeke joaloka 'mae
meaning: children will most of the time show the character of their family
name: Bofelo

proverb: Mamello e tsoala katleho
meaning: Patience begets success
name: Rethabile Masilo

proverb: Ea bohlale o ithuta kamehla.
meaning: The wise person learns something everyday.
name: Rethabile Masilo

proverb: Lepotla-potla le ja poli, lesisitheho le ja khomo.
meaning: If you're slow you get to eat a goat, if you're quick you get to eat a cow.
name: Rethabile Masilo

proverb: lekanyane ho phela le liretse
meaning: Only those who are not scared to get all muddy and sweaty makes it
name: Bofelo Kotsane

proverb: Ngoana phakoe se ipolele, motho o motle h'a boleloa ke batho.
meaning: Do not brag about your success, it is usually better when other people praise you.
name: Rethabile Masilo

Spanish Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

slang: De tal palo tal astilla
meaning: Sometimes You see your son acting the same particular behavior that his father has, you say that he has learned it from his father
usage: Omar tiene muy buenas calificaciones en matematica, igual que su padre , de tal palo tal astilla

Tagalog Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:30:00.000-08:00

proverb: Ang pikon talo.
meaning: The short-tempered always lose.

proverb: Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa nakaraan, ay hindi makakarating sa patutunguhan
meaning: He who does not look back at his past (where he came from) will not be able to reach his destination
name: Carl Rubino

Ukrainian Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:29:00.000-08:00

proverb: Hey girl, if you eat cabbage, you will have a pretty face. (the proverb rhymes in old Ukrainian)
meaning: Cabbage is good for your health and looks
language: Ukrainian
name: Lera

Urdu Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:27:00.000-08:00

proverb: Mazhab nahi shikhata apas mein beir rakhana.
meaning: Religion does not teach you to make enemies.
name: Dharmesh

proverb: Jahan Chah waha rah
meaning: This one has same meaning and exactly same as an English proverb. Where there is a will, there is way.
name: Dharmesh

Xhosa Proverbs

2005-11-11T23:17:00.000-08:00

proverb: Umtathi uyawuzala umlotha.
meaning: The umtathi tree begets ash.
Although the umtathi is a good tree, it turns to ash when burnt.It
means that a good person can have bad children.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Ungalibali intaka yobusi.
meaning: Don't forget the honey bird.
Give the honey bird some of the honey it helped you to find.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Ithemba liyaphilisa.
meaning: Hope causes one to live.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Alitshoni lingenandaba.
meaning: It (the sun) doesn't set without news.
There's fresh news every day.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Ukuhamba kukufunda.
or
Ukuhamba yimfundo.
meaning: Travelling is learning.
or
Travelling is education.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Induku ayinamzi.
meaning: A stick doesn't have a home. Violence leads to a broken home.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Isiziba siviva ngodondolo.
meaning: A hole in a river (isiziba) is felt with a long stick
(udondolo). Look before you leap.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Ingcibi yamanzi ifa ngamanzi.
meaning: Too difficult too explain in English. You die doing what you
do for a living. Like live by the sword. die by the sword.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Intaka yakha ngoboya benye.
meaning: A bird builds (it's nest) with another's feathers.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Indlovu ayisindwa ngumboko wayo.
meaning: An elephant's trunk does not weigh it down.
Everyone should carry their own burden.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Iqaqa aliziva kunuka.
meaning: A skunk does not smell itself. People are unaware of their shortcomings.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Ungalahl'imbo yakho ngopoyiyana.
meaning: Do not throw away what is valuable for what is worthless.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Isala-kutyelwa sibona ngolophu.
meaning: A person who never listens to advice will see because of a
bergwind(a warm wind that descends from a mountain towards the sea).
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Isiqhelo siyayoyisa ingqondo.
meaning: A habit conquers the mind.
name: Aubrey Franks

proverb: Umntu ngumtu ngabantu.
meaning: A person is a person because of other people. No man's an
island.
name: Aubrey Franks

Egyptian Proverbs

2005-10-07T02:45:00.000-07:00

<'Elle 3ala rasoh batha ye-hasses 3aleha>
Literal translation: A person with a wound on his head keeps touching it.. Hidden meaning: A person is likely to point to his/her own weaknesses.. Applicability: When somebody's acts expose what he/she is trying to hide.

***
<3ala>
Literal translation: Stretch your legs as far as your quilt (blanket) goes..
Hidden meaning: Do not do what you cannot afford..
Applicability: When extravagancy is unaffordable.
***
<'Elle fat kadimoh tah>
Literal translation: Lost is the person who forgets his/her past.
Hidden meaning: Remember what you were before bragging about what you became..
Applicability: Criticizing those who want to be disassociated from their roots.
***

Literal translation: Dress-up a stick and you get a doll.
Hidden meaning: Make up (cosmetics) can make the ugly quite pretty.
Applicability: Don't be fooled by appearances..
***

Literal translation: The unlucky finds bones in his/her "fatta" (kind of food).
Hidden meaning: A person with a little luck can expect anything happeing to him. Unluckiness sticks!
Applicability: Complain about one's unluckiness
***

Literal translation: The unlucky finds bones in his/her tripe dinner!
Hidden meaning: A person with a little luck can expect anything happeing to him. Unluckiness sticks!
Applicability: Complain about one's unluckiness.
***

Yemeni proverbs

2005-10-07T02:14:00.000-07:00

Sana’a is a ‘must’, however long the journey takes
La budd min Sana’a wa lau taal al-safr

From a pound of talk, an ounce of understanding
Min ratl hakya tafham wiqya

A foreigner should be well-behaved
Ya gharib kun adib

Look to your near neighbour rather than to your distant brother
Jaarak al-qarib wa la akhuk al-ba‘id

Work like an ant and you’ll eat sugar
Kun namla wa takul sukr

Who dies today is safe from tomorrow's sin
Man maat al-yaum salim min dhanb bukra

My fist is in his mouth, his fist is in my eye (i.e. ‘six of one, half a dozen of the other’)
Yaddi fi fumuh wa yadduh fi ‘aini

A friend in time of need is a friend indeed
La sadiq illa fi waqt al-dhiq

A monkey in its mother’s eye is like a gazelle (i.e. love is blind)
Qird fi ‘ain ummuh ghazaal

If speech is of silver, silence is golden
Lau kan al-kalaam min fidha fa al-samt min dhahab

A bird in hand is worth ten in a tree
'Asfoor fil yadd wa la ‘ashra fi al-shajarah

Out of sight, out of mind
Ma ghaab ‘an al-nadhr ghaab ‘an al-khaatir

If you have honey, don’t lick the pot clean
Idha sahibak ‘asl la talhusuh kulluh

A white piastre for a black day
Al-qirsh al-abyad li al-yaum al-aswad

You play with a snake and call it a worm
Tal’ab bi hanash wa taquluh dudah

Modern Lebanese Proverbs

2005-10-07T01:45:00.000-07:00

(From Anis Freyha, "A Dictionary of Modern Lebanese Proverbs" (Arabic - English) 1974, 2nd edition 1994, Librarie du Liban, Riad Solh Square, Beirut, Lebanon)
Samples from the over 4000 proverbs in the book.

The last resort is the hot iron. (2)
Towards the end of the night you shall hear shrill cries. (4)
Have faith in a stone and you will be healed. (11)
Colder than a water carrier's arse. (19)
Farther than earth from heaven. (27)
The son of a son is dear, the son of a daughter a stranger. (34)
The son of your son is yours, the son of your daughter is not. (35)
A man of sixty (is only good) for slaughtering. (lit. for the knife) (42)
When your son is young, discipline him; when he grows older, be a brother to him. (54)
A man with one plan (lit. intention) goes out (to execute it); a man with two plans becomes perplexed. (57)
Let truble (lit. evil) alone, and trouble will let you alone. (61)
Tire out your body, but not your mind. (62)
Exert effort, you shall be rewarded. (lit. tire yourself out for the sake of something and you shall get it.) (63)
When the wolf comes for the sheep, the dog goes to deficate. (73)
What luck! It is God-sent. (lit. It came, and God brought it.) (84)
(When) They came to shoe the horseof the sultan, the beetle (came along) and stuck out her foot. (94)
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak. (115)
If your messenger tarries, expect good. (128)
If you conduct yourself properly, fear no one. (130)
If you come back from a journey, offer your family (something) thoughit be only a stone. (137)