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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Do to others as you would have them do to you.
There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.
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)
All good things must come to an end.
Also, everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright - it’s not the end.
Better late than never.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it.
I always heard it continues as follows:. You can give a man a brain, but you can't make him think .
Knowledge is power.
Laughter is the best medicine.
Unless you have an actual medical condition, then get medicine from a doctor.
Even though you know a thousand things, ask the man who knows one.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
Even from a foe a man may learn wisdom.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Coffee and love taste best when hot.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Love is blind.
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Those who wish to sing always find a song.
If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.
A watched pot never boils.
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Learn to walk before you run.
A more prescient one is ' learn to swim before you jump into deep water'
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.
Measure twice, cut one.
The tree with most leaves will not necessarily produce juicy fruit.
A mother understands what a child does not say.
Easy come, easy go.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
There is no time like the present.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
It took I believe three years. In other words something may take longer than you think it will
Don’t make a mountain out of an anthill (or molehill).
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Every dog has its day.
Practice what you preach.
Good things come to those who wait.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
If you snooze, you lose.
Some men go through a forest and see no firewood.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
My hands are tied.
If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
For if you trouble , trouble ,trouble will trouble you. Thanks gran .
Cowards die many times before their deaths.
Beauty is only skin-deep.
"..., but no man ever fell for an attractive pair of kidneys", as PTerry wrote.
It never rains, but it pours.
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.
No news is good news.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
