A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and revered, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical.
Haste makes waste
A stitch in time saves nine
Ignorance is bliss
Mustn’t cry over spilled milk.
You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Everyone unto their own.
Well begun is half done.
A friend’s frown is better than a fool’s smile.
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
It is better to be smarter than you appear than to appear smarter than you are.
Good things come to those who wait.
A poor workman blames his tools.
A dog is a man’s best friend.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
If the shoe fits, wear it!
Honesty is the best policy
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
A fool and his money are soon parted
A friend in need is a friend indeed
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
A new broom sweeps clean
A penny saved is a penny earned
A person is known by the company he keeps
A picture paints a thousand words
A prophet is not recognized in his own land
A problem shared is a problem halved
A watched pot never boils
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody.
Actions speak louder than words
After a storm comes a calm
All good things come to he who waits
Do as I say not as I do.
Call a spade a spade.
All roads lead to Rome
All that glitters is not gold
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.
Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes it.
No one can be caught in places he does not visit.
False friends are worse than open enemies.
An open door may tempt a saint.
As one door closes, another always opens.
Actions speak louder than words.
Easy come, easy go.
Do right and fear no man.
Love and a cough cannot be hid.
Love sees no faults.
All’s fair in love and war
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Joy shared is double joy; grief shared is (only) half grief.
Heavy givers are light complainers.
Don’t blow your own trumpet.
Nothing dries sooner than a tear.
Memory is the treasure of the mind.
The best things are not bought and sold.
As you sow so shall you reap
Attack is the best form of defence
Ask no questions and hear no lies
Bad news travels fast
Barking dogs seldom bite
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Behind every great man there’s a great woman
Better late than never
Better safe than sorry
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
Big fish eat little fish
Birds of a feather flock together
Blood is thicker than water
Cowards may die many times before their death
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Don’t burn your bridges behind you
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Don’t try to walk before you can crawl
Don’t wash your dirty linen in public
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
Empty vessels make the most noise
Enough is as good as a feast
Every dog has its day
Every picture tells a story
Every stick has two ends
Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die
Faint heart never won fair lady
Faith will move mountains
First come, first served
First impressions are the most lasting
Fish always stink from the head down
Forgive and forget
Give credit where credit is due
God helps those who help themselves
Great minds think alike
Half a loaf is better than no bread
Hard work never did anyone any harm
He who can does, he who cannot, teaches
He who laughs last laughs longest
He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword
History repeats itself
Home is where the heart is
If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well
If God had meant us to fly he’d have given us wings
If life deals you lemons, make lemonade
If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king
Better to go back than go wrong.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Make hay while the sun shines.
Leave no stone unturned.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.
Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Best to bend it while it’s a twig.
It is better to give than to receive
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings
Better to have than to wish.
Kill two birds with the one stone.
It takes a thief to catch a thief
It’s never too late
It’s the early bird that catches the worm
He has enough who is content.
It’s the empty can that makes the most noise
Jack of all trades, master of none
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone
Laughter is the best medicine
Live for today for tomorrow never comes
A poor man is better than a liar.
A single penny fairly got is worth a thousand that are not.
Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape.
Every man is the architect of his destiny.
Experience is the father of wisdom.
Step by step one goes far.
Strike while the iron’s hot.
Like father, like son
A spark can start a great fire.
Look before you leap
Love is blind
Love makes the world go round
Love thy neighbour as thyself
Rob Peter to pay Paul
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Love will find a way
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
Fall seven times. Stand up eight.
It is easier to destroy than to build.
Seek and you shall find
Silence is golden
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Speak softly and carry a big stick
Strike while the iron is hot
Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves
Make hay while the sun shines
Man does not live by bread alone
Lost time is never found again.
Many a mickle makes a muckle
Many hands make light work
Marriages are made in heaven
Marry in haste, repent at leisure
Misery loves company
Money doesn’t grow on trees
Money is the root of all evil
Money isn’t everything
Money makes the world go round
Necessity is the mother of invention
Never go to bed on an argument
Never judge a book by its cover
Never let the sun go down on your anger
Never speak ill of the dead
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent
No pain, no gain
Nothing is certain but death and taxes
Nothing succeeds like success
Oil and water don’t mix
One man’s meat is another man’s poison
One law for the rich and another for the poor
Opportunity never knocks twice at any man’s door
Patience is a virtue
Penny wise and pound foolish
Practice makes perfect
Practice what you preach
Prevention is better than cure
Procrastination is the thief of time
Tell the truth and shame the Devil
That which does not kill us makes us stronger
The best things in life are free
The customer is always right
The darkest hour is just before the dawn
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
The pen is mightier than sword
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach
There are two sides to every question
There’s a time and a place for everything
There’s always more fish in the sea
There’s no smoke without fire
There’s no such thing as a free lunch
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
Time flies
Time and tide wait for no man
Time is a great healer
To err is human; to forgive divine
To every thing there is a season
Two wrongs don’t make a right
What goes up must come down
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
Where there’s a will there’s a way
While there’s life there’s hope
Why keep a dog and bark yourself?
Keep It Simple
Wonders will never cease
Worrying never did anyone any good
You are never too old to learn
You can’t get blood out of a stone
Nobody can serve two masters.
A good conscience is a soft pillow.
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
One man’s loss, is another man’s gain.
Rules are made to be broken.
Ask advice only of your equals.
He who would leap high must take a long run.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
When you go to buy, use your eyes, not your ears.
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.
If you refuse to be made straight when you are green, you will not be made straight when you are dry.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
