List of proverbial phrases
Below is an alphabetical list of widely used and repeated proverbial phrases. If known, their origins are noted.
A proverbial saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression , while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context.[ 1] [ 2]
In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:
A proverb [or proverbial phrase] is usually defined, an instructive sentence, or common and pithy saying, in which more is generally designed than expressed, famous for its peculiarity or elegance, and therefore adopted by the learned as well as the vulgar, by which it is distinguished from counterfeits which want such authority
—
John Ray, A Compleat Collection of English Proverbs, 1798[ 3]
A
B
C
D
E
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise (Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), polymath and Founding Father of the United States )[a] [b] Easier said than done East is east, and west is west (and never the twain shall meet) [a] East, west, home is best[a] [b]
Easy come, easy go [a] Easy, times easy, is still easy
Early marriage, earlier pregnant[a]
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper
Eat, drink and be merry, (for tomorrow we die) [a] Empty vessels make the most noise [a] Enough is as good as a feast [a] Even a worm will turn [a] Even from a foe a man may learn wisdom
Every cloud has a silver lining [a] Every dog has his day [a] Every Jack has his Jill [a] Every little bit helps [a] Every man for himself (and the Devil take the hindmost )[a] Every man has his price [a] Every picture tells a story[a]
Every stick has two ends[a]
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die[a]
Everyone has their price Everything comes to those who wait [b] Every tide has its ebb
F
G
H
Half a loaf is better than no bread [a] Handsome is as handsome does [a] Hard cases make bad law [a] Hard work never did anyone any harm[a]
Haste makes waste [a] He that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing[a]
He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches[a]
He who hesitates is lost [a] He who laughs last laughs longest [a] He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword [a] He who loves the world as his body may be entrusted with the empire – Laozi , Chinese philosopher (604 BC – c. 531 BC)[ 11]
He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man[a]
He who pays the piper calls the tune [a] He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know – Laozi , Chinese philosopher (604 BC – c. 531 BC)[ 11]
He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon [a] Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned ;[a] Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd – William Congreve , The Mourning Bride Hindsight is always twenty-twenty [a] History repeats itself [a] Home is where the heart is [a] Honesty is the best policy [a] Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst
Hope springs eternal [a] Horses for courses [a] Hunger never knows the taste, sleep never knows the comfort[a]
I
Idle hands are the devil's playthings
If anything can go wrong, it will [a] Murphy's law )If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well[a]
If at first you do not succeed, try, try again [a] If God had meant us to fly, he would have given us wings[a]
If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there would be no work for tinkers[a]
If it ain't broke, don't fix it If it were not for hope the heart would break
If it were a snake, it would have bit you
If the shoe fits, wear it [a] If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain [a] If wealth is lost, nothing is lost. If health is lost, something is lost. If character is lost, everything is lost[a]
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride [a] If you're growing in age, then you're nearing to the graveyard[a]
If you cannot be good, be careful[a]
If you cannot beat them, join them [a] If you cannot live longer, live deeper
If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen [a] If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll always ask for a glass of milk[a]
If you think that you know everything, then you're a Jack ass[a]
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas [a] If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys [a] If you play with fire , you will get burned
If you steal from one author, it is plagiarism; if you steal from many, it is research (Wilson Mizner (1876–1933), American writer and entrepreneur)[ 12]
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself [a] If you have never seen the bottom of the tree, you cannot know how tall it stands[a]
If you must dance with the Devil, you might as well know his favorite song (H. Anthony Ribadeneira)[a]
If you've got it, flaunt it
Ignorance is bliss Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery[a]
In for a penny, in for a pound [a] (March comes) in like a lion, (and goes) out like a lamb
In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is king [a] In the midst of life, we are in death[a]
Into every life a little rain must fall[a]
It ain't over till/until it's over
It ain't over till the fat lady sings It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so
It goes without saying [a] It is a small world It is all grist to the mill [a] It is an ill wind (that blows no one any good) [a] It is best to be on the safe side[a]
It is better to be smarter than you appear than to appear smarter than you are
It is better to give than to receive[a]
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all[a]
It is better to cultivate a Land with two Bulls, rather working under Boss who never gives Wage when asked[a]
It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness [a] It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive[a]
It is easy to be wise after the event[a]
It's Greek to me It is like juggling sand (Ian Murray)[a]
It is never too late[a]
It is no use crying over spilt milk [a] It is no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted [a] It is not enough to learn how to ride, you must also learn how to fall
It is on [a] It is the early bird that gets the worm [a] It is the empty can that makes the most noise[a]
It is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease [a] It is what it is It needs a hundred lies to cover a single lie[a]
It never rains but it pours [a] It takes a thief to catch a thief[a]
It takes a whole village to raise a child It takes all sorts to make a world [a] It takes one to know one [a] It takes two to tango [a] I'm going to have to give you the pink slip[a]
It will come back and haunt you[a]
It will be the same a hundred years hence
Islands depend on reeds, just as reeds depend on islands (Myanmar proverbs)[citation needed
J
K
L
A language is a dialect with an army and navy The last drop makes the cup run over Laugh before breakfast, cry before supper Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone[a]
Laughter is the best medicine [a] Late lunch makes day go faster
Learn a language, and you will avoid a war (Arab proverb)[ 5]
Least said, soonest mended [a] Less is more [a] Let bygones be bygones [a] Let not the sun go down on your wrath[a]
Let sleeping Aussies lie
Let sleeping dogs lie [a] Let the buyer beware [a] Let the cat out of the bag [ 15] Let the dead bury the dead (N.T.)[a]
Let the punishment fit the crime[a]
Let well alone [a] Let your hair down Life begins at forty[a]
Life is too short not to do something that matters.
Life is not all beer and skittles [a] Life is what you make it[a]
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place [a] Like father, like son [a] [b] Little pitchers have big ears [a] Little strokes fell great oaks [a] Little things please little minds[a]
Live and let live Live for today, for tomorrow never comes[a]
Live to fight another day (This saying comes from an English proverbial rhyme, "He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day")[a]
Loose lips sink ships Look before you leap [a] Love is blind – The Two Gentlemen of Verona [a] Love of money is the root of all evil[ 16]
Love makes the world go around [a]
Love will find a way[a]
M
Make hay while the sun shines [a] Make love not war [a] Man does not live by bread alone[a]
Man proposes, heaven disposes
Manners maketh man [a] Many a little makes a mickle[a]
Many a mickle makes a muckle [a] Many a true word is spoken in jest [a] Many hands make light work [a] March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb[a]
Marriages are made in heaven[a] [a] [ 17] [ 18] [ 19]
Marry in haste, repent at leisure [b] Memory is the treasure of the mind
Men are blind in their own cause – Heywood Broun (1888–1939), American journalist
Men get spoiled by staying, women get spoiled by wandering[b]
Might is right[b]
Might makes right Mighty oaks from little acorns grow [a] Milking the bull Misery loves company [a] Moderation in all things[a]
Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for its living, and a child that is born on the Sabbath day is fair and wise and good and gay[a]
Money does not grow on trees [a] Money earned by deceit, goes by deceit[a]
Money is not everything[a]
Money demands care, you abuse it and it disappears – Rashida Costa
Money makes the world go around[a]
Money talks [a] Money makes many things, but also makes devil dance[a]
More haste, less speed [a] Mud sticks
Music has charms to soothe the savage beast[a]
N
O
P
Parsley seed goes nine times to the Devil[a]
Patience is a virtue[a]
Pearls of wisdom[a]
Penny wise and pound foolish[a]
Penny, Penny. Makes many.
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones[a]
Physician, heal thyself[a]
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes[ 23]
Possession is nine-tenths of the law[a]
Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely[a]
Practice makes perfect[a]
Practice what you preach[a]
Preaching to the choir
Prevention is better than cure[a]
Pride comes/goes before a fall (O.T.),[a] [b]
Procrastination is the thief of time
Putting the cart before the horse
Put your best foot forward[a]
Put your money where your mouth is[a]
R
Red sky at night shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning[a]
Respect is not given, it is earned.
Revenge is a dish best served cold[a]
Revenge is sweet[a]
Rome was not built in one day [a] [b] Right or wrong, my country[a]
Risk it for a biscuit.[ 24]
Rules were made to be broken.
S
See a pin and pick it up, all the day you will have good luck; See a pin and let it lay, bad luck you will have all day[a]
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil[a]
Seeing is believing[a]
Seek and ye shall find[a]
Set a thief to catch a thief[a]
Shiny are the distant hills[a]
Shrouds have no pockets[a]
(Speech is silver but) Silence is golden[a]
Sit crooked and talk straight[ 25]
Slow and steady wins the race[a]
Slow but sure[a]
Smooth move
Snake in the grass
Softly, softly, catchee monkey[a]
Some are more equal than others (George Orwell, Animal Farm)
Sometimes we are the student. Sometimes we are the master. And sometimes we are merely the lesson – Jacalyn Smith[a]
Spare the rod and spoil the child[a]
Speak as you find[a]
Speak of the devil and he shall/is sure/will appear
Speak softly and carry a big stick[a]
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me[a]
Still waters run deep [a] Strike while the iron is hot[a]
Stupid is as stupid does[a]
Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan[a]
(A) swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly
T
Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves[a]
Talk is cheap[a]
Talk of the Devil, and he is bound to appear[a]
Talk of Angels, and hear the flutter of their wings
Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are[ 26]
Tell the truth and shame the Devil (Shakespeare, Henry IV )[a] [b]
The age of miracles is past[a]
The apple does not fall/never falls far from the tree[a]
The best condiments are authentic flavors[b]
The best defense is a good offense[a]
The best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry[a]
The best things in life are free[a]
The bigger they are, the harder they fall[a]
The boy is father to the man[a]
The bread never falls but on its buttered side[a]
The child is the father of the man[a]
The cobbler always wears the worst shoes[a]
The comeback is greater than the setback[a]
The course of true love never did run smooth[a]
The customer is always right[a]
The darkest hour is just before the dawn[a]
The Devil finds work for idle hands to do [a] The Devil looks after his own[a]
The die is cast[ 27]
The early bird catches the worm[a]
The end justifies the means[a]
The enemy of my enemy is my friend The exception which proves the rule[a]
The female of the species is more deadly than the male[a]
The good die young[a]
The grass is always greener (on the other side) (of the fence) [a] The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world [a] The husband is always the last to know[a]
The innocent seldom find an uncomfortable pillow – William Cowper , English poet (1731–1800)[ 28]
The labourer is worthy of his hire[a]
It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back [a]
The law is an ass (from English writer Charles Dickens ' novel Oliver Twist
The leopard does not change his spots[a]
The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
The light is on but nobody is home
The longest day must have an end[b]
The longest journey starts with a single step[a]
The Moon is made of green cheese The more the merrier[a]
The more things change, the more they stay the same[a]
The only disability in life is a bad attitude – Scott Hamilton
The only way to understand a woman is to love her[a]
The old wooden spoon beats me down[a]
The only way to find a friend is to be one
The pen is mightier than the sword [a] The pot calling the kettle black The proof of the pudding is in the eating[a]
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions [a] The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot[a]
The squeaky wheel gets the grease [a] The streets are paved with gold
The stupid monkey knows not to eat the banana skin
The truth is effortless (Rashida Costa)
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach[a]
The work praises the man.
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream[a]
There are none so blind as those who will not see[a] Edmund Burke or George Santayana
There are two sides to every question[a]
There but for the grace of God go I[a]
There is an exception to every rule[a]
There are always more fish in the sea[a]
There is honour among thieves[a]
There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle[a]
There is many a slip 'twixt cup and lip[a]
There is more than one way to skin a cat[a]
There is no accounting for tastes[a]
There is no fool like an old fool[a]
There is no I in team
There's no need to wear a hair shirt
There is no place like home[a]
There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.
There is no smoke without fire/Where there is smoke, there is fire[a]
There is no such thing as a free lunch [a] There is no such thing as bad publicity[a]
There is no time like the present[a]
There are none so deaf as those who will not hear [a] There's nowt so queer as folk[a]
There is one born every minute[a]
There is safety in numbers[a]
They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind[a]
Third time is a charm[a]
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it – George Santayana [a]
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones [a] Those who know many languages live as many lives as the languages they know (Czech proverb)[ 5]
Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas[a]
Time and tide wait for no man[a]
Time flies[a]
Time goes by slowly when your are living intensely[a]
Time is a great healer[a]
Time is money[a]
(Only) time will tell[a]
'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all[a]
To be worn out is to be renewed – Laozi , Chinese philosopher (604 BC – c. 531 BC)[ 11]
To each his own
To err is human, to forgive divine[a]
To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world (Chinese proverb)[ 5]
To the victor go the spoils[a]
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive[a]
Tomorrow is another day[a]
Tomorrow never comes[a]
Too many cooks spoil the broth[a]
Too little, too late
Too much of a good thing
Truth is stranger than fiction[a]
Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it – often attributed to French author Jules Renard (1864–1910)
(Like) Trying to grow a goose
(The) truth will out[a]
Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows fall behind you
Two birds with one stone
Two can play at that game
Two heads are better than one[a]
Two is company, but three is a crowd[a] [b]
Two wrongs (do not) make a right[a]
U
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown[ 29]
United we stand, divided we fall[ 30]
Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter (African Proverb)[ 31]
Use it or lose it
Ugly is as ugly does
Up a creek without a paddle
United we bargain; divided we beg
Unity is strength
V
Variety is the spice of life. William Cowper , English poet (1731–1800)[ 32]
Virtue is its own reward
W
Walk softly but carry a big stick (26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt , 1900 in letter relating an old African proverb)[ 33]
Walls have ears
Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs[a]
Waste not, want not[a]
Well begun is half done
What does not kill me makes me stronger Well done is better than well said
What cannot be cured must be endured[a]
What goes around, comes around
What goes up must come down[a]
What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts[a]
What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander[a]
What is the worst that can happen?[ 34]
What the eye does not see (the heart does not grieve over)
When in Rome, (do as the Romans do) . St. Ambrose , 347 AD[ 35] Whatever floats your boat
When it rains it pours
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade [a] [ 36] When the cat is away, the mice will play[a]
When the going gets tough, the tough get going [a] When the oak is before the ash, then you will only get a splash; when the ash is before the oak, then you may expect a soak[a]
When you have seen one, you have seen them all
What is learnt in the cradle lasts to the tombs
What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over[a]
Where there is a will there is a way[a]
Where there is muck there is brass[a]
Where there is life there is hope[ 37]
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right[a]
While there is life there is hope[a]
Who will bell the cat? Whom the Gods love die young[a]
Why keep a dog and bark yourself?[a]
With great power comes great responsibility (often attributed to Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man )Woe to the vanquished Woman is the root of both good and evil[a]
Wonders will never cease[a]
Work expands so as to fill the time available[a]
Worrying never did anyone any good[a]
Y
You are never too old to learn[a]
You are what you eat[a]
You can have too much of a good thing[a]
You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink[a]
You can never/never can tell
You cannot always get what you want
You cannot burn a candle at both ends.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too[a]
You cannot get blood out of a stone[a]
You cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear[a]
You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs[a]
You cannot make bricks without straw[a]
You cannot push a rope
You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds[a]
(You cannot) teach an old dog new tricks[a]
You cannot unscramble eggs
You cannot win them all[a]
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar[a]
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain[a]
You pay your money and you take your choice[a]
Youth is wasted on the young[a]
You may/might as well be hanged/hung for a sheep as (for) a lamb
You must have rocks in your head[a]
You scratch my back and I will scratch yours
You only live once. You'll never get if you never go
You're never fully dressed without a smile
You've got to separate the wheat from the chaff[a]
You've made your bed and you must lie in/on it
Z
Zeal without knowledge is fire without light
Notes
Benham, W. Gurney (1926). Putnam's Complete Book of Quotations, Proverbs, and Household Words . New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
References
^ Adams, Owen S. (17 September 2023). "Proverbial Phrases from California" . Western Folklore . 8 (2): 95– 116. doi :10.2307/1497581 . JSTOR 1497581 . ^ Arvo Krikmann "the Great Chain Metaphor: An Open Sezame for Proverb Semantics?", Proverbium:Yearbook of International Scholarship
^ Ray, John (1768). A compleat collection of English proverbs xi– xii. ^ Martin, Gary. " . Phrasefinder . Retrieved 27 June 2017 . ^ a b c d e "Top Ten Best Proverbs About Language Learning" . Lingholic . 9 June 2014.^ Edward, John Emerich (1949). Dalberg-Acton – Essays on Freedom and Power ^ "Quotesyo.com | All Types Of Quotes" . quotesyo.com . Retrieved 25 November 2024 .^ Milton, J., & Leonard, J. (2003). Paradise lost. Penguin Books. Book 1, line 263
^ "Where Does the Expression "Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts" Come From?" . Retrieved 8 April 2010 .^ Martin, Gary. "Curiosity killed the cat" . The Phrase Finder. Retrieved 17 October 2012 . ^ a b c d "Quotations by Lao Tzu" . Retrieved 6 April 2010 .^ "Sayings of Wilson Mizner" . Retrieved 8 April 2010 .^ "Keep your chin up" . Retrieved 6 April 2010 .^ "Oliver's Advice (Barossa)" . Retrieved 6 April 2010 .^ Soniak, Matt (12 July 2012). "What's the Origin of "Let the Cat out of the Bag"?" . Mental Floss . ^ 1 Timothy 6:10
^ "marriages are made in heaven" . The Free Dictionary . Retrieved 3 October 2022 .^ " . NMK . 16 January 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2022 .^ Leo Tolstoy . War and Peace II:III:XXII ^ "Never Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Story" . 14 July 2017.^ "Charles Dickens Pickwick Papers" . Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 27 June 2014 .^ " . Middle East Eye . Retrieved 21 November 2020 .^ "Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary" . www.yourdictionary.com . Retrieved 4 April 2024 .^ "Risk it for the Biscuit – Meaning, Origin and Usage - History of English" . 4 September 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024 .^ "Armenian Proverbs You'll Love About Life – With English Translations" . Digital Daybook . 30 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2023 .^ World of Quotes Retrieved 11 February 2011.^ Martin, Gary. " . Phrasefinder . Retrieved 27 June 2017 . ^ "The innocent seldom find an uncomfortable pillow" . Retrieved 6 April 2010 .^ "Definition of uneasy lies the head that wears a crown | Dictionary.com" . www.dictionary.com . Retrieved 28 December 2019 .^ "Proverbs starting with letter U ‹ Proverb Hunter" . Proverb Hunter . Retrieved 28 December 2019 .^ King, LaGarrett J. "When Lions Write History" . ProQuest . Retrieved 16 October 2024 . ^ "William Cowper Quotes" . Retrieved 22 May 2016 .^ "Speak Softly. . " . Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 April 2010 .^ "English Phrase: What's the worst that can happen? | PhraseMix.com" . www.phrasemix.com . Retrieved 15 October 2024 .^ "When in Rome..." Retrieved 8 April 2010 .^ Hubbard, Elbert (1922). Selected Writings of Elbert Hubbard Wm. H. Wise & Co./The Roycrofters . p. 237.Alt URL ^ "Quotesyo.com | All Types Of Quotes" . quotesyo.com . Retrieved 26 November 2024 .
External links
