Proverbs From Around the World!

Proverbs From Around the World!

We all know many proverbs, but seldom do we know where they come from. In fact, research suggests that most of the proverbs we know did not come from our own culture! In the rich and complex history of our world and the many thousands of different cultures and countries that have risen, fallen and maintained, we have discovered many truths, and have coined many phrases and proverbs. Here you can have a glance at that wealth of wisdom, collected from 100 nations and cultures, in one list. You may be surprised to discover the origin of some famous proverbs, as well as the wisdom that every country has to offer!

Afghanistan		What you see in yourself is what you see in the world.
Albania		The sun at home warms better than the sun elsewhere.
Argentina		1. Dress the monkey in silk and it is still a monkey. 2. A man who develops himself is born twice.
Armenia		You are as many a person as the number of lanugages you know.
Austria		A light is still a light - even though the blind man cannot see it.
Azerbaijan		It's not shameful not to know, but it's shameful not to ask.
Belgium		He who does not wish for little things does not deserve big things.
Benin		Anyone who see beauty and does not look at it will soon be poor.
Bosnia		The eyes of cheats are always full of tears
Brazil		He who knows nothing, doubts nothing.
Bulgaria		A tree falls the way it leans.
Burma		One sesame seed won't make oil.
Cameroon		A chattering bird builds no nest.
China		A rumor goes in one ear and out many mouths.
Congo		A cat goes to a monastery, but she still remains a cat.
Cuba		Life is shot but a smile takes barely a second.
Czech Republic		Wisdom is easy to carry but difficult to gather.
Denmark		Better to ask twice than to lose your way once.
Egypt		God loves him who cares for the poor more than him who respects the wealthy.
England		A fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years.
Ethiopia		Advise and counsel him; if he does not listen, let adversity teach him.
France		There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
Gaelic		Even God cannot make two mountains without a valley in between.
Georgia		The eyeless ant asks God for eye-lashes.
Germany		A lean agreement is better than a fat lawsuit.
Ghana		Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.
Greece		Great abilities produce great vices as well as virtues.
Guinea		He who has done evil, expects evil.
Haiti		Don't insult the alligator until you've crossed the river.
Hebrew / Jewish		1. Poverty is a wonderful thing. It sticks to a man after all his friends have forsaken him. 2. Don't approach a goat from the front, a horse from the back, or a fool from any side.
Hindu		Never strike your wife, even with a flower.
Hungary		Where ambition ends, happiness begins.
Iceland		He who lives without discipline dies without honor.
India		The cobra will bite you whether you call it cobra or Mr. Cobra.
Iran		Acquaintance without patience is like a candle with no light.
Ireland		He who gets a name for early rising can stay in bed until midday.
Italy		Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out.
Jamaica		When you go to a donkey's house, don't talk about. ears.
Japan		1. Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods. 2. Fall seven times, stand up eight.
Kenya		Having a good discussion is like having riches.
Korea, South		Aim high in your career but stay humble in your heart.
Kurdish		It is more difficult to contend with oneself than with the world.
Latin		Keep quiet and people will think you a philosopher.
Lebanon		Lower your voice, strengthen your argument.
Madagascar		Words are like eggs: when they are hatched they have wings.
Malaysia		A fool is like the big drum that beats fast but does not realize its hollowness.
Malta		Where the heart loves, there the legs walk.
Mexico		It's not enough to know how to ride - you must also know how to fall.
Morocco		Evening promises are like butter: morning comes, and it's all melted.
Netherlands		A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.
New Zealand		The more you ask how much longer it will take, the longer the journey will seem.
Niger		Accomplishment of purpose is better than making a profit.
Nigeria		The death that will kill a man begins as an appetite.
Norway		Luck is loaned, not owned.
Palestinian		You will not dare mistreat the face you see in the morning.
Philippines		People who never break things first will never learn to create anything.
Poland		The greatest love is a mother's, then a dog's, then a sweetheart's.
Portugal		Beware of a man that does not talk and a dog that does not bark.
Romania		Eating and scratching want but a beginning.
Russia		Success and rest don't sleep together.
Rwanda		You can outdistance that which is running after you, but not what is funning inside you.
Samoa		Stones decay; words last.
Saudi Arabia		A book is a garden carried in the pocket.
Scotland		Be slow in choosing a friend but slower in changing him.
Senegal		The opportunity that God sends does not wake up him who sleeps.
Sicily		Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.
Sierra Leone		To try and fail is not laziness.
Slovenia		Speak the truth, but leave immediately after.
Somalia		Where I make my living, there is my home.
South Africa		He who has no intelligence is happy with it.
Spain		More things grow in the garden than the gardener sows.
Sweden		Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water.
Switzerland		Better to sell with regret than to keep with regret.
Tamil		Learn about the future by looking at the past.
Tanzania		The roaring lion kills no game.
Thailand		At high tide the fish eat ants; at low tide the ants eat fish.
Tibet		Goodness speaks in a whisper, evil shouts.
Turkey		Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love.
Uganda		Caution is not cowardice; even the ants march armed.
Ukraine		Only when you have eaten a lemon do you appreciate what sugar is.
United States		1. After all is said and done, more is said than done. 2. The more sins you confess, the more books you will sell.
Vietnam		If you want to gather a lot of knowledge, act as if you are ignorant.
Welsh		Without perseverance, talent is a barren bed.
Yiddish		If you want your dreams to come true, don't over sleep.
Yugoslavia		Life is like a game in which God shuffles the cards, the devil deals them and we have to play the trumps.
Zen		If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.
Zimbabwe		If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.