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.
#1
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
#2
Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows fall behind you.
#3
It’s not enough to learn how to ride, you must also learn how to fall.
#4
If you can’t live longer, live deeper.
#5
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
#6
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
#7
Actions speak louder than words.
#8
Mind your own business.
#9
There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.
#10
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
#11
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
#12
All good things must come to an 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.
#17
Knowledge is power.
#18
Laughter is the best medicine.
#19
It takes a whole village to raise a child.
#20
Even though you know a thousand things, ask the man who knows one.
#21
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
#22
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
#23
Even from a foe a man may learn wisdom.
#24
Honesty is the best policy.
#25
The early bird gets the worm.
#26
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
#27
Curiosity killed the cat.
#28
The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest.
#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.
#33
You can’t always get what you want.
#34
Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
#35
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
#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.
#43
If you play with fire, you’ll get burned.
#44
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
#45
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
#46
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
#47
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
#48
Two heads are better than one.
#49
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
#50
Out of sight, out of mind.
#51
Learn to walk before you run.
#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.
#55
Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.
#56
Where one door shuts, another opens.
#57
Measure twice, cut one.
#58
Time waits for no one.
#59
Fall seven times, stand up eight.
#60
The tree with most leaves will not necessarily produce juicy fruit.
#61
A mother understands what a child does not say.
#62
Cheese, wine, and friends must be old to be good.
#63
Easy come, easy go.
#64
God helps those who help themselves.
#65
The pen is mightier than the sword.
#66
There is no time like the present.
#67
Time is money.
#68
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
#69
Many hands make light work.
#70
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
#71
First things first.
#72
Don’t make a mountain out of an anthill (or molehill).
#73
Every cloud has a silver lining.
#74
Every dog has its day.
#75
Practice what you preach.
#76
The calm (comes) before the storm.
#77
Good things come to those who wait.
#78
A stitch in time saves nine.
#79
Necessity is the mother of invention.
#80
The longest mile is the last mile home.
#81
If you snooze, you lose.
#82
Ignorance is bliss.
#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.
#86
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
#87
My hands are tied.
#88
If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
#89
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
#90
All that glitters is not gold.
#91
A picture is worth a thousand words.
#92
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
#93
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
#94
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
#95
Cowards die many times before their deaths.
#96
Beauty is only skin-deep.
#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.
#101
You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.
#102
No news is good news.
#103
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
#104
Fortune favors the bold.
#105
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
#106
Practice makes perfect.
#107
Still waters run deep.
#108
A change is as good as a rest.
#109
Begin to weave and God will give the thread.
#110
The work praises the man.
#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.
#117
You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.
#118
It’s the tip of the iceberg.
#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.
#121
Love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
#122
Don’t cast pearls before swine.
#123
Walk the walk, talk the talk.
#124
Money doesn’t grow on trees.
#125
Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it.
#126
Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.
#127
The best candle is understanding.
#128
Don’t put too many irons in the fire.
#129
Like father, like son.
#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.
#133
Half truth is whole lie.
#134
After the feast comes the reckoning.
#135
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
#136
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
#137
A stitch in time saves nine.
#138
He who hesitates is lost.
#139
Barking dogs, seldom bite.
#140
No pain, no gain.
#141
Money is the root of all evil.
#142
Blood is thicker than water.
#143
An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.
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