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Living a life is not an easy task, especially if you want to live it well. There are things you have to learn from your own experience as you go, but there are also things that are universal and don’t change as centuries pass by. From time immemorial, people have tried to accumulate that knowledge and relay it to the coming generations. This is how proverbs came to exist.
A proverb is a short saying, usually just one or two sentences, that contains a piece of truth about life. They are very succinct and express a deep philosophical concept in just a few words. These old sayings come from the time when people still very much relied on oral communication and instead of writing things down, would just repeat them from one person to another until they became common knowledge.
As it often happens when things are disseminated by word of mouth, some parts of proverbs have been forgotten. Some of the common proverbs we use today initially had a different meaning, but parts of it got lost over time. That’s why if you want to know the full meaning of a particular proverb, it can be helpful to consult a scientific source.
Interestingly, some common sayings can be found in different cultures. Though worded in various ways, they essentially portray the same truth. This shows that some things are equally important for everyone, no matter where you come from.
For this article, we collected popular proverbs from all over the world. Which one do you like the most? Let us know in the comments if you have any favorite sayings that you live by.
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#4
If you can’t live longer, live deeper.
#6
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
#9
There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.
Charles Mayberry 3 years ago
This. Ignorance is normal, there's always things we don't know. Willful ignorance is another matter. Ignorance can be fixed. But you can't fix willful ignorance (willful ignorance can also rightly be called stupid)
#12
All good things must come to an end.
Headless Roach 3 years ago
Also, everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright - it’s not the end.
#13
Better late than never.
#14
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
#15
Enjoy it while it lasts.
#16
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it.
lauralett50 3 years ago
I always heard it continues as follows:. You can give a man a brain, but you can't make him think .
#17
Knowledge is power.
#18
Laughter is the best medicine.
Pedantic Panda 3 years ago
Unless you have an actual medical condition, then get medicine from a doctor.
#20
Even though you know a thousand things, ask the man who knows one.
#24
Honesty is the best policy.
#25
The early bird gets the worm.
#29
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
#30
Coffee and love taste best when hot.
#31
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
#32
There is no place like home.
#36
Love is blind.
#37
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
#38
Those who wish to sing always find a song.
#39
If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.
#40
A watched pot never boils.
#41
Beggars can’t be choosers.
#42
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
#46
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
#47
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
#49
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
#51
Learn to walk before you run.
Hugh Cookson 3 years ago
A more prescient one is ' learn to swim before you jump into deep water'
#52
Always put your best foot forward.
#53
Practice makes perfect.
#54
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
#61
A mother understands what a child does not say.
#63
Easy come, easy go.
#65
The pen is mightier than the sword.
#67
Time is money.
#70
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
lauralett50 3 years ago
It took I believe three years. In other words something may take longer than you think it will
#71
First things first.
#72
Don’t make a mountain out of an anthill (or molehill).
#75
Practice what you preach.
#77
Good things come to those who wait.
#79
Necessity is the mother of invention.
#83
Some men go through a forest and see no firewood.
#84
Birds of a feather flock together.
#85
The grass is always greener on the other side.
#90
All that glitters is not gold.
#91
A picture is worth a thousand words.
#92
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
#94
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
#96
Beauty is only skin-deep.
Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
"..., but no man ever fell for an attractive pair of kidneys", as PTerry wrote.
#97
While the cat’s away, the mice will play.
#98
It never rains, but it pours.
#99
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
#100
The cat is out of the bag.
#102
No news is good news.
#103
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
#106
Practice makes perfect.
Will Cable 3 years ago
Again It is something you would think is right but let us look at the evidence....politicians have been in power for many years and they still haven't got things right.
#107
Still waters run deep.
#109
Begin to weave and God will give the thread.
#111
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
#112
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
#113
No man is an island.
#114
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
#115
Strike while the iron is hot.
#116
It’s no use crying over spilled milk.
#119
Birds of a feather flock together.
#120
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act.
#122
Don't cast pearls before swine.
Emily Taylor 3 years ago
Pearls: knowledge, Swine: animals Don't waste your time sharing all your ideas and wisdom with those who are incapable of appreciating it or doing anything with it.
#123
Walk the walk, talk the talk.
#124
Money doesn’t grow on trees.
#126
Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.
Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
That is a very abstract analogy. Might as well compare a missing shingle in a palace roof with a homeless person's leaky cardboard fridge box and say both their homes suffer in the rain. They sure do, but for one of them it's a permanent danger to their health while for the other one it's a momentary inconvenience equivalent to a mild itch on the nose.
#128
Don’t put too many irons in the fire.
#130
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.
#131
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
#132
Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.
#134
After the feast comes the reckoning.
#135
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
#136
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
Only in some very abbreviated dictionaries (thanks again, PTerry) and if you're a sanctimonious, conceited prick.
#137
A stitch in time saves nine.
#138
He who hesitates is lost.
lauralett50 3 years ago
My friend was hesitant about getting on the plane. The one that hit a tower on 9-11.
#139
Barking dogs, seldom bite.
#141
Money is the root of all evil.
#142
Blood is thicker than water.
#143
An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.
John Barber 3 years ago
*hands, not brain. You should do some research before you post this stuff. You're not very good at it.
What do you think ?
lauralett50 3 years ago
Edit. My brother met her at group theropy, after his break down . Should have realized: his words,not mine .
lauralett50 3 years ago
Edit. My brother met her at group theropy, after his break down . Should have realized: his words,not mine .
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