Proverbs

What is a proverb?
A proverb is a short well-known expression that states a general truth or gives advice.

What is a saying?
A saying is a well-known expression, or a remark often made, also known as a proverb.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.   

When you are away from someone you love, you love them even more.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.  

Eating an apple every day can help to keep you healthy.

An Englishman's home is his castle.  

An Englishman's home is a place where he feels safe,  enjoys privacy and can do as he wishes.

An empty purse frightens away friends. 

When one's financial situation deteriorates,  friends tend to disappear.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. 

Someone who helps you when you are in trouble.

A good beginning makes a good end.

 

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A leopard cannot change its spots. 

It is not possible for a bad or unpleasant person to become good or pleasant. A man is as old as he feels himself to be.

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A man is known by the company he keeps.  

A person's character is judged by the type of people with whom they spend their time.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.  

If a person keeps moving from place to place, they gain neither friends nor

possessions.                               

A stitch in time saves nine.  

It's better to deal with a  problem at an early stage, to prevent it from getting worse.

Action speaks better than words.  

People show what they are really like by what they do, rather than by what they say.

Better be alone than in bad company.   

Be careful in the choice of the people you associate with

Better late than never.

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Birds of a feather flock together.  

People of the same sort are usually found together.

Blood is thicker than water    

Family relationships are stronger than relationships with other people.

Charity begins at home.  

A person's first duty is to help and care for his own family.

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. 

You must not be too confident that something will be successful.

Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork. 

Do something yourself which causes your own downfall.

Don't judge a book by its cover. 

Don't judge by appearances.

Facts speak louder than words. 

People show what they are really like by what they do, rather than by what

they say.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.  

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God helps those who help themselves.

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Great minds think alike.

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He who plays with fire gets burnt. 

If you behave in a risky way, you are likely to have problems.

He laughs best who laughs last. 

Don't express your joy, or your triumph, too soon!

Health is better than wealth.

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In for a penny, in for a pound. 

If you start something, it's better to spend the time or money necessary to complete it.

It's no use crying over spilt milk. 

Don't express regret for something that has happened and cannot be remedied.   

Let bygones be bygones. 

Let's forgive and forget past quarrels.

Like father, like son. 

A son's character can be expected to resemble his father's.

Love is blind. 

A person in love does not see the faults of the person he/she loves.

Many hands make light work. 

Sharing work makes work easier.

No news is good news. 

If the news was bad, we would hear of it.  Since we have heard nothing,

we can assume that all is  well.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

You cannot expect to achieve anything if you don't take risks.

Once bitten, twice shy.  

After an unpleasant experience, people are careful to avoid something similar.

Out of sight, out of mind.

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Practice makes perfect.  

Doing something repeatedly is the only way to become good at it.

Practise what you preach  

Do yourself what you advise others to do.

Prevention is better than cure

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Rome was not built in a day.  

It takes a long time to do a job properly.  You should not expect to do it quickly.

Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me

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The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  

Children resemble their parents.

The early bird catches the worm.  

If you want to do something successfully, you should do it as soon as you can.

The more haste, the less speed.  

A person makes more progress if they do things less quickly.

The more you have, the more you want.

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The pen is mightier than the sword   

Words and communication have greater effect than war and fighting.

The wish is father to the thought.  

You think that something is true because you want it to be so.

 

Time is money.

Time is valuable and should not be wasted.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.  

If too many people are involved in something, it will not be done properly.

Two wrongs don't make a right  

It is wrong to harm someone because they have harmed you.

Variety is the spice of life.   

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Walls have ears.  

Be careful.  People could be listening.

Waste not, want not.  

If you never waste anything, you will have it when you need it.

What a man says drunk, he thinks sober.

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When the cat's away, the mice play.  

People misbehave when their boss, or the person in authority, is absent.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  

You should adopt the customs of the people or country you are visiting,

and behave in the same way.

Where there's life there's hope.

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Where there's a will, there's a way. 

A person with determination will find a way of doing something.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. 

You can't make old people change their ideas or ways of doing things.

You reap what you sow.  

What you receive, or whatever happens, is a result of your own actions.

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