List of proverbial phrases

List of proverbial phrases

This is an alphabetical list of widely used and repeated proverbial phrases. Whenever known, the origin of the phrase or proverb is noted. The majority of these phrases can be found at one of the following sources:Wikipedia:Please clarify A proverbial phrase or a proverbial expression is type of a conventional saying similar to proverbs 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 it peculiarity or elegance, and therefore adapted 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 Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z References

List of proverbial phrases

A
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush A book, a woman, and money once go to other's hands will never come back, even if they come back, a book will be torn, woman becomes unchaste and money comes in bits "A cat may look at a king". Originates from the 16th century, and appeared in a political pamphlet in 1652. It refers to an impertinent comment made by someone of lower status (i.e. the cat looking) to someone with higher status (i.e. the king). A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
In every chain of reasoning, the evidence of the last conclusion can be no greater than that of the weakest link of the chain, whatever may be the strength of the rest. Thomas Reid, Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man, 1786

A change is as good as a rest "A drowning man will clutch at a straw". Originates from the 16th century, and refers to a desperate situation (i.e. drowning) and using any chance, even if it is hopeless, to get oneself out of it (i.e. grabbing [clutching] a straw). A fair day's work for a fair day's pay A fool and his money are soon parted, Thomas Tusser (15241580)[3] A friend in need is a friend indeed A golden key can open any door A good beginning makes a good ending. Louis L'Amour, American author (19081988) A good man is hard to find A house divided against itself cannot stand, Abraham Lincoln, 1858
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. Holy Bible, Matthew 12:25

A house is not a home A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC) A leopard cannot change its spots
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. Holy Bible, Jeremiah 13:23

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again. Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1709

A little of what you fancy does you good A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client A man with a hammer sees every problem as a nail A miss is as good as a mile A new broom sweeps clean, but an old one knows where the dirt is. A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse A penny saved is a penny earned A person is known by the company he keeps A picture is worth a thousand words

A place for everything and everything in its place A poor workman always blames his tools

List of proverbial phrases A problem shared is a problem halved A prophet is not recognized in his own land
But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. Holy Bible, Mark 6:4

A rising tide lifts all boats A rolling stone gathers no moss A soft answer turneth away wrath A stitch in time saves nine, Thomas Fuller, 1732 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. Samuel Hartlib, The reformed common-wealth of bees, 1655 A thing of beauty is a joy forever, from John Keats' epic poem, Endymion, 1818 A trouble shared is a trouble halved A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men A watched pot never boils. From Mary Barton-A Tale of Manchester Life (1848), by Elizabeth Gaskell, English novelist A woman's place is in the home A man works from sun to sun but a woman's work is never done, A word to the wise is enough, Absence makes the heart grow fonder Absolute power corrupts absolutely. John Dalberg-Acton, 1887, Accidents will happen (in the best-regulated families). Actions speak louder than words. Adversity makes strange bedfellows All good things come to he who waits All good things must come to an end, All is grist that comes to the mill All roads lead to Rome, All that glitters is not gold, All the world loves a lover All things come to those who wait All things must pass All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, All you need is love All is fair in love and war All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds All is well that ends well An apple a day keeps the doctor away An army marches on its stomach. Napoleon Bonaparte (17691821), Emperor of France An Englishman's home is his castle Another day, another dollar. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure Any port in a storm, Any publicity is good publicity April showers bring forth May flowers,

As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it As you sow so shall you reap Ask a silly question and you will get a silly answer

List of proverbial phrases Ask my companion if I be a thief Ask no questions and hear no lies Attack is the best form of defense

B
Bad news travels fast Barking dogs seldom bite, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Beauty is only skin deep, Beggars should not be choosers, Behind every great man, there is a great woman Better late than never Better safe than sorry Better the Devil you know than the Devil you do not Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt Better wear out than rust out. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. Trojan War, Virgil in the Aeneid Big fish eat little fish Birds of a feather flock together Blood is thicker than water Boys will be boys Brevity is the soul of wit (Shakespeare), Business before pleasure

C
Caesar's wife must be above suspicion Careless talk costs lives Charity begins at home Cheats never prosper Children should be seen and not heard Christmas comes but once a year Cleanliness is next to godliness Clothes make the man Cold hands, warm heart Comparisons are odious Count your blessings Courage is the measure of a Man, Beauty is the measure of a Woman Cowards may die many times before their death Crime does not pay

Cut your coat according to your cloth, Curiosity killed the cat

List of proverbial phrases

D
Dead men tell no tales Devil take the hindmost Discretion is the better part of valour Do as I say, not as I do Do as you would be done by Do unto others as you would have them do unto you Do not bite the hand that feeds you Do not burn your bridges behind you Do not cast your pearls before swine Do not cry over spilt milk Do not change horses in midstream Do not count your chickens before they are hatched Do not cross the bridge till you come to it Do not cut off your nose to spite your face Do not keep a dog and bark yourself Do not let the bastards grind you down Do not look a gift horse in the mouth Do not make a mountain of a mole hill Do not meet troubles half-way Do not put all your eggs in one basket Do not put the cart before the horse Do not put new wine into old bottles Do not rock the boat Do not spoil the ship for a ha'pworth of tar Do not throw pearls to swine Do not teach your Grandmother to suck eggs Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater Do not try to walk before you can crawl Do not upset the apple-cart Do not wash your dirty linen in public Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom

E
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise, East is east, and west is west East, west, home is best, Easy come, easy go Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die Empty vessels make the most noise Enough is as good as a feast Enough is enough Even a worm will turn Every cloud has a silver lining

Every dog has his day Every Jack has his Jill

List of proverbial phrases Every little bit helps Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost Every man has his price Every picture tells a story Every stick has two ends Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die Everything comes to those who wait

F
Fact is stranger than fiction Failing to plan is planning to fail Faint heart never won fair lady (Scott), Fair exchange is no robbery Faith will move mountains Familiarity breeds contempt Feed a cold and starve a fever Fight fire with fire

Finders keepers, losers weepers Fine words butter no parsnips First come, first served First impressions are the most lasting First things first Fish always stinks from the head downwards Fish and guests smell after three days Flattery will get you nowhere Fools rush in where angels fear to tread For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost Forewarned is forearmed Fortune favours the brave

G
Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains Give a dog a bad name and hang him Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime Give a man rope enough and he will hang himself Give credit where credit is due Give him an inch and he will take a mile God helps those who help themselves Good fences make good neighbours Good talk saves the food Good things come to those who wait Great minds think alike

List of proverbial phrases

H
Half a loaf is better than no bread Handsome is as handsome does Hard cases make bad law Hard work never did anyone any harm Haste makes waste He that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing He who can does, he who cannot, teaches He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day He who hesitates is lost He who laughs last laughs best He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword He who loves the world as his body may be entrusted with the empire. Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC) He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man He who pays the piper calls the tune He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know. Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC) He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned Hindsight is always twenty-twenty History repeats itself Home is where the heart is Honesty is the best policy Hope springs eternal Horses for courses Hunger never knows the taste, sleep never knows the comfort

I
If anything can go wrong, it will If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well If at first you do not succeed, try, try again If God had meant us to fly, he would have given us wings If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there would be no work for tinkers If life deals you lemons, make lemonade If the cap fits, wear it If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain If we're not back by dawn, call the President. If wealth is lost,nothing is lost.If health is lost, something is lost. If character is lost, everything is lost. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride If you're growing in Age,then you're nearing to the Graveyard If you cannot be good, be careful If you cannot beat them, join them If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll always ask for a glass of milk

If you think that you know everything, then you're a Jack ass If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas

List of proverbial phrases If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys If you steal from one author, it is plagiarism; if you steal from many, it is research. Wilson Mizner (18761933) If you want a thing done well, do it yourself If you have never seen the bottom of the tree, you cannot know how tall it stands Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery In for a penny, in for a pound In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is king In the midst of life, we are in death Into every life a little rain must fall It goes without saying It is all grist to the mill It is an ill wind that blows no one any good It is best to be on the safe side It is better to give than to receive It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all It is better to cultivate a Land with two Bulls, rather working under Boss who never gives Wage when asked It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive It is easy to be wise after the event It is never too late It is no use crying over spilt milk It is no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted It is the early bird that gets the worm It is the empty can that makes the most noise It is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease It never rains but it pours It takes a thief to catch a thief It needs a Hundred Lies to cover a Single Lie It takes all sorts to make a world It takes one to know one It takes two to tango I'm going to have to give you the pink slip

J
Jack of all trades, master of none Jack of all trades, master of some Judge not, that ye be not judged. St. Matthew 7:1, King James Bible

K
Keep your chin up Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Keep your powder dry. Valentine Blacker, 1834 from Oliver's Advice Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)

Knowledge is power, guard it well.

List of proverbial phrases

L
Laugh before breakfast, cry before supper. Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone Laughter is the best medicine Least said, soonest mended Less is more Let bygones be bygones Let not the sun go down on your wrath Let sleeping dogs lie Let the buyer beware Let the dead bury the dead (N.T.) Let the punishment fit the crime Let well alone Let your hair down. Life begins at forty Life is not all beer and skittles Life is what you make it Lightning never strikes twice in the same place Like father, like son, Little pitchers have big ears Little strokes fell great oaks Little things please little minds Live and let live Live for today, for tomorrow never comes Look before you leap Love is blind The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II, Scene 1 (1591) Love makes the world go around Love will find a way

M
Make hay while the sun shines Make love not war Man does not live by bread alone Manners maketh man Many a little makes a mickle Many a mickle makes a muckle Many a true word is spoken in jest Many hands make light work March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb Marriages are made in heaven Marry in haste, repent at leisure Men get spoiled by staying, Women get spoiled by wandering Might is right Might makes light

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow Milking the bull

List of proverbial phrases Misery loves company Moderation in all things 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. Money does not grow on trees Money earned by deceit, goes by deceit Money is the root of all evil Money is not everything Money makes the world go around Money talks Money makes many things, but also makes devil dance More haste, less speed Music has charms to soothe the savage beast

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N
Nature abhors a vacuum, Never reveal a man's wage, and woman's age Necessity is the mother of invention Needs must when the devil drives Never cast a clout until May be out Never give a sucker an even break Never judge a book by its cover Never let the sun go down on your anger Never look a gift horse in the mouth Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today Never speak ill of the dead Never say never[4] Never tell tales out of school Nine tailors make a man, No man can serve two masters No man is an island No names, no pack-drill No news is good news No one can make you feel inferior without your consent No pain, no gain No rest for the wicked Nothing is certain but death and taxes Nothing succeeds like success, Nothing ventured, nothing gained

List of proverbial phrases

11

O
Once a gunner always a gunner Oil and water do not mix Old soldiers never die; they just fade away Once a thief, always a thief Once bitten, twice shy One good turn deserves another One half of the world does not know how the other half lives One hand washes the other One man's meat is another man's poison One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb One law for the rich and another for the poor One swallow does not make a summer One who believes in Sword, dies by the Sword One year's seeding makes seven years weeding Only fools and horses work Opportunity never knocks twice at any man's door

Out of sight, out of mind Over greedy man, over wrathful woman will never flourish

P
Parsley seed goes nine times to the Devil Patience is a virtue Pearls of wisdom Penny wise and pound foolish People who live in glass houses should not throw stones Physician, heal thyself Possession is nine-tenths of the law Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely Practice makes perfect Practice what you preach Prevention is better than cure Pride goes before a fall (O.T.), Procrastination is the thief of time Put your best foot forward Put your money where your mouth is

List of proverbial phrases

12

R
Red sky at night shepherds delight; red sky in the morning, shepherds warning Revenge is a dish best served cold Revenge is sweet Rome was not built in a day, Right or wrong, my country

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 See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil Seeing is believing Seek and ye shall find Set a thief to catch a thief Shiny are the distant hills Shrouds have no pockets Silence is golden Slow and steady wins the race Slow but sure Softly, softly, catchee monkey Sometimes we are the student. Sometimes we are the master. And sometimes we are merely the lesson Jacalyn Smith Spare the rod and spoil the child Speak as you find Speak softly and carry a big stick Speech is silver Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me Still waters run deep Strike while the iron is hot Stupid is as stupid does Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan

T
Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves Talk is cheap Talk of the Devil, and he is bound to appear Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are[5] Tell the truth and shame the Devil (Shakespeare, Henry IV), That which does not kill us makes us stronger The age of miracles is past The apple never falls far from the tree The best defence is a good offence The best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry The best things in life are free

The bigger they are, the harder they fall The boy is father to the man The bread never falls but on its buttered side

List of proverbial phrases The child is the father of the man The cobbler always wears the worst shoes The course of true love never did run smooth The customer is always right The darkest hour is just before the dawn The Devil finds work for idle hands to do The Devil looks after his own The early bird catches the worm The end justifies the means The exception which proves the rule The female of the species is more deadly than the male The good die young The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world The husband is always the last to know The innocent seldom find an uncomfortable pillow. William Cowper, English poet (17311800) The labourer is worthy of his hire The last of the Mohicans The leopard does not change his spots The longest day must have an end The longest journey starts with a single step The more the merrier The more things change, the more they stay the same The only good Indian is a dead Indian The only way to understand a woman is to love her The pen is mightier than the sword The proof of the pudding is in the eating The road to Hell is paved with good intentions The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot The squeaking wheel gets the grease The straw that broke the camel's back The way to a man's heart is through his stomach There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream There are none so blind as those that will not see attributed variously to Edmund Burke or George Santayana There are two sides to every question There but for the grace of God go I There is an exception to every rule There are always more fish in the sea There is honour among thieves There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle There is many a slip 'twixt cup and lip There is more than one way to skin a cat There is no accounting for tastes There is no fool like an old fool There is no place like home

13

There is no smoke without fire There is no such thing as a free lunch

List of proverbial phrases There is no such thing as bad publicity There is no time like the present There is none so blind as those who will not see There's none so deaf as those who will not hear There is nowt so queer as folk There is one born every minute There is safety in numbers They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind Third time is a charm Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas Time and tide wait for no man Time flies Time is a great healer Time is money Time will tell Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all To be worn out is to be renewed. Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC) To each his own. To err is human, to forgive divine To the victor go the spoils To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive Tomorrow is another day Tomorrow never comes Too many cooks spoil the broth Truth is stranger than fiction Truth will out Two blacks do not make a white Two heads are better than one Two is company, but three is a crowd, Two wrongs do not make a right

14

V
Variety is the spice of life. William Cowper, English poet (17311800)

W
Walk softly but carry a big stick. Theodore Roosevelt 1900 in letter relating an old African proverb Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs Waste not, want not What cannot be cured must be endured What goes around, comes around What goes up must come down What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander When in Rome, do as the Romans do. St. Ambrose 347AD

List of proverbial phrases When it rains it pours. When the cat is away, the mice will play When the going gets tough, the tough get going 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 When three women gather, it becomes noisy. What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over Where there is a will there is a way Where there is muck there is brass Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right. While there is life there is hope Whom the Gods love die young Why keep a dog and bark yourself? With a responsibility comes great power Woman is the root of both good and evil Wonders will never cease Work expands so as to fill the time available Worrying never did anyone any good

15

Y
You are never too old to learn You are what you eat You can have too much of a good thing You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink You cannot have your cake and eat it too You cannot get blood out of a stone You cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs You cannot make bricks without straw You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds You cannot teach an old dog new tricks You cannot judge a book by its cover You cannot win them all You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar You pay your money and you take your choice Youth is wasted on the young

List of proverbial phrases

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References
[1] "Proverbial Phrases from California" (http:/ / links. jstor. org/ sici?sici=0043-373X(194904)8:2<95:PPFC>2. 0. CO;2-3& size=LARGE& origin=JSTOR-enlargePage), by Owen S. Adams, Western Folklore, Vol. 8, No. 2 (1949), pp. 95-116 [2] Arvo Krikmann "the Great Chain Metaphor: An Open Sezame for Proverb Semantics?", Proverbium:Yearbook of International Scholarship, 11 (1994), pp. 117-124. [3] A Fool and His Money Are Soon Parted (http:/ / thinkexist. com/ quotation/ a_fool_and_his_money_are_soon_parted/ 154153. html) [4] Charles Dickens Pickwick Papers (http:/ / dictionary. reference. com/ browse/ never+ say+ never) [5] World of Quotes (http:/ / www. worldofquotes. com/ author/ Proverb/ 208/ index. html) Retrieved 11 February 2011.

External links
ProverbHunter.com (http://proverbhunter.com/), English Proverbs Explained List of proverbs (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proverbs.html) Proverbium.org (http://www.proverbium.org), list of proverbs proverbs, idioms and quotes

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Article Sources and Contributors

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