Between the devil and the deep sea
|
To choose between two equally bad alternatives in a serious dilemma.
|
|
Where there's a will there's a way
|
When a person really wants to do
something, he will find a way of doing it.
|
|
A burnt child dreads fire
|
A bad experience or a horrifying incident
may scar one's attitude or thinking for a lifetime.
|
|
First come, first served
|
The
first in line will be attended to first.
|
|
A friend in need is a friend indeed
|
A friend who helps when one is in
trouble is a real friend.
|
|
Discretion is the better part of valor
|
If
you say discretion is the better part of valor, you mean that avoiding a
dangerous or unpleasant situation is sometimes the most sensible thing to
do.
|
|
A hungry man is an angry man
|
A person who does not get what he wants
or needs is a frustrated person and will be easily provoked to rage.
|
|
Empty vessels make the most noise
|
Those people who have a little knowledge usually talk
the most and make the greatest fuss.
|
|
A man is as old as he feels
|
A person's age is immaterial - it is only
when he thinks and feels that he is ageing that he actually becomes old.
|
|
Great talkers are little doers
|
Those people who talk a lot and are always teaching others usually do not
do much work.
|
|
An idle brain is the
devil's workshop
|
One who has nothing to do will
be tempted to do many mischievous acts.
|
|
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit
|
It is better to be
careful and discrete than to be clever.
|
|
Faint heart never won fair lady
|
To succeed in life one must have the
courage to pursue what he wants.
|
|
A penny saved is a penny gained
|
By being thrifty one will be able to
save up.
|
|
A rolling stone gathers no moss
|
A person who never settles in one
place or who often changes his job will not succeed in life ; one who is
always changing his mind will never get anything done.
|
|
As you sow, so you shall reap
|
One will either enjoy or suffer the
consequences of his earlier actions or inactions.
|
|
Barking dogs seldom bite
|
Those who make loud threats seldom carry
them out.
|
|
Better late than never
|
To do something that is right, profitable, or
good a little late is still better than not doing it at all.
|
|
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush
|
Something that one already
has is better than going after something seemingly more worthwhile that
one may not be able to get.
|
|
Birds of a feather flock together
|
People of the same sort of
character or belief always go together.
|
|
Call a spade a spade
|
If you say
that someone calls a spade a spade, you mean that they speak frankly and
directly, often about embarrassing or unpleasant subjects; an informal
expression.
|
|
Charity begins at home
|
A person's first obligation should be to help
the member of his own family before he can begin thinking of talking
about helping others.
|
|
Dead men tell no lies
|
( often used as an argument for killing someone
whose knowledge of a secret may cause one loss or get into serious
trouble.)
|
|
A great talker is a great liar
|
A smooth and persuasive talker may be
a good liar.
|
|
Every cloud has a silver lining
|
If
you say that every cloud has a silver lining, you mean that every sad or
unpleasant situation has a positive side to it. If you talk about silver
lining you are talking about something positive that comes out of a sad or
unpleasant situation.
|
|
All that glitters is not gold
|
Do not be deceived by things or
offers that appear to be attractive.
|
|
Eat to live, but do not live to eat
|
Man was created for a divine purpose and he has a destiny with his Creator
- he was not born just to enjoy food.
|
|
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
|
One should not risk everything he has in a single venture.
|
|
Every dog has its day
|
Everyone will get a period of success or satisfaction during
his lifetime.
|
|
Every one can find fault, few can do better
|
It is easier to
find fault in other people's actions or methods than to do it properly or
correctly.
|
|
Any time means no time
|
When an event is not decided on or planned
earlier it will never take place.
|
|
Fair exchange is no robbery
|
A contract is fair as long as both the parties understand and agree to the
conditions willingly; after a deal is closed neither side can turn around
and say that he was unfairly treated.
|
|
Fire is a good servant but a bad master
|
Fire, like any other manmade tool or device, will serve man well only when
it is controlled and used wisely.
|
|
|
Actions speak louder than words
|
Children usually learn more from the
examples set by their elders than from what they are told ; a person's
character is judged by the thing she does and not by what he says; actions
give evidence or proof of.
|
|
Fortune knocks once at every man's door
|
Everyone gets at least one good opportunity in his lifetime; everyone
has the opportunity to be successful in life.
|
|
Give the devil his due
|
Be just
and fair-minded , even to the one who does not deserve much or who is
unfriendly or unfair; we should punish a person according to his
wrongdoings.
|
|
God helps those who help themselves
|
God only helps those people who work hard and make an honest effort.
|
|
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
|
A bad or evil occurrence.
|
|
Great minds think alike
|
Wise
people will normally think and behave alike in certain situations.
|
|
Habit is second
nature
|
An act
done repeatedly and often enough will sooner or later become a habit or
second nature.
|
|
He laughs best who laughs last
|
A person who does his best is the one who will get the greatest satisfaction
in the end.
|
|
Never do things by halves
|
One
should not do an incomplete or imperfect job - certain tasks must not be
left half done; they must be done away with immediately.
|
|
Great haste makes great waste
|
If
one does things hastily he will make a lot of mistakes - he will need to
spend a lot of time correcting those mistakes later.
|
|
It's never too late to mend
|
It is
never too late to correct one's mistakes or faults.
|
|
It's no use crying over spilt milk
|
It is pointless to feel remorseful over a thing lost that can never be
found or a mistake done that can never be corrected or rectified.
|
|
Still waters run deep
|
One who is
usually silent and goes about his business quietly may be a very wise
person.
|
|
Jack of all trades and master of none
|
Is a person who can do almost anything, but he rarely excels in any of
them.
|
|
Let bygones by bygones
|
One should
consider forgiving one's and forget all the bad deeds done by others.
|
|
Let not the pot call the kettle black
|
A person who has a fault should not point out the same fault in another;
do not criticize another person as you may have the same weakness.
|
|
Let sleeping dogs lie
|
One should
preferably avoid discussing issues that are likely to create trouble.
|
|
No news is good news
|
When there
is no news, it is likely that everything is all right.
|
|
Look before you leap
|
Avoid acting
hastily, without considering the possible consequences.
|
|
Necessity is the mother of invention
|
When a person is in great need of something, he will find a way of
getting it.
|
|
Honesty is the best policy
|
Being
honest is believed to be the best route to take.
|
|
One man's meat is another man's poison
|
No two persons are alike -
every one has his own preferences, likes and dislikes.
|
|
Once bitten twice shy
|
If a person
has been tricked once he will more be careful and alert the next time.
|
|
Like father, like son, like mother, like
daughter
|
( used to describe a child's
behavior when he or she acts like the
father or mother )
|
|
Practice makes perfect
|
It is
believed that if one practices a certain skill often, he will excel in it
|
|
Prevention is better than cure
|
It
is better to be careful beforehand than to try to solve a problem after it
has arisen.
|
|
Rome was not built in a day
|
Any
great plan or big dream cannot be achieved overnight or easily.
|
|
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
|
( this
is quoted when one takes another loan to pay off an earlier loan ) taking
from one to give another.
|
|
Spare the rod and spoil the child
|
A child who is not punished and showed the error of his ways will become
unruly.
|
|
Speech is silver, silence is golden
|
Talk may be beneficial, but sometimes acquiescence may be the best option
to take.
|
|
It takes two to make a quarrel
|
Both parties in a quarrel should share the blame or take responsibility
for it; no one can start a quarrel all by himself.
|
|
Strike while the iron is hot
|
Seize a good opportunity as quickly as possible.
|
|
There's no smoke without fire
|
Rumors do not spread unless there is
some element of truth in them.
|
|
Time and tide wait for no one
|
Time is precious, once it
is past no one can go back and claim it thus everyone should be mindful of how his
time is spent.
|
|
To err is human, to forgive divine
|
It is only normal for man to make
mistakes and do wrong, but for one to forgive another for his wrong is
indeed great and gracious act.
|
|
What's done can't be undone
|
In life there are some things once done
or decisions once made cannot be changed; malicious words once uttered or
harmful actions once done cannot be taken back.
|
|
Two heads are better than one
|
It is always better to get the view of
another than to rely entirely on one's own judgment.
|
|
When in Rome do as the Romans do
|
When one is in a new place, country
or situation he must adapt himself to the new manners and customs.
|
|
When the cat is away the mice will play
|
When law enforcers are not present, certain public members will take the opportunity
to break the law
|
|
Absence makes the heart grow fonder | One usually desires another more when he or she is far away. | |
|
A bad workman always blames his tools
|
A careless or unskilled
worker blames bad work on his tools rather than himself.
|
|
A new broom sweeps clean
|
A person newly
appointed is always eager and enthusiastic in his work.
|
|
Don't judge a book by its cover
|
Do not be deceived by
appearances.
|
|
Blood is thicker than water
|
Family ties are stronger than
any other.
|
|
Don't count your chickens before they are
hatched.
|
Do not make plans based
on something that has not happened.
|
|
Don't make a mountain out of a molehill
|
Do not make a big fuss
or issue over something minor or small
|
|
Experience is the best teacher
|
The best way to learn a
job is to do it.
|
|
The last straw that broke the camel's back
|
The final thing that,
when added to a bad or unpleasant situation, causes failure or
ruin.
|
|
Look at the bright side
|
Be optimistic
|
|
Make hay while the sun shines
|
Seize opportunities
|
|
Out of sight, out of mind
|
You will soon forget
friends you do not meet or keep in contact with.
|
|
A leopard cannot change its spots
|
A person's nature cannot
change.
|
|
There are two sides to every question
|
There are always two ways of looking at something | |
Too many cooks spoil the broth
|
Too many people doing the same thing at the same time will not be successful | |
We
never miss the water till the well runs dry
|
You only realize the importance of something when it is gone | |
To put the cart before the horse
|
To do something in an incorrect order | |
Bite off more than one can chew
|
To try to do something one is unable to do or incapable of doing. | |
Half a loaf is better than none
|
It's better to have or receive less than one desires than to have or receive nothing at all. | |
Have an old head on young shoulders
|
Youngsters who possess qualities of wisdom one would only expect to find in experienced older people. | |
Have eyes in the back of one's head
|
An ability to know what is happening not within the scope of one's vision. | |
If it's not one thing it's another
|
The troubles seem to go on and on without end. | |
The sky is the limit
|
There is no upper limit to something | |
A trouble shared is a trouble halved
|
Your troubles seem half as great when you discuss them with someone else | |
A watched pot never boils
|
If you watch or wait for something to get done or to happen it seems to take forever | |
Worship the ground somebody walks on
|
Very much in love with somebody | |
Between a rock and a hard place
|
To be in a difficult situation from which there seems to be no escape | |
Cleanliness is next to Godliness
|
To be clean and tidy is just as important as being spiritually good and religious. | |
Money is the root of all evil
|
Crimes and wickedness are associated with money. | |
Two's company, three's a crowd
|
It is always fun while there are only two people whereas the third person is an unwelcome intrusion. | |
It takes all sorts to make a world | You should not expect everyone to think and act as you do. | |
Jump from the frying pan into the fire
|
To go from a bad position to a worse one. | |
Go from the sublime to the ridiculous
|
Move from one situation which is wonderful or perfect to another which is absurd or awful | |
One swallow doesn't make a summer
|
One success doesn't guarantee complete success | |
Truth is stranger than fiction
|
Real life can be more incredible than anything which can be imagined | |
You can't have your cake and eat it | You must choose between two things as it is impossible to have both at the same time | |
A miss is as good as a mile
|
Something that one already has is better than something that one may not be able to get | |
As you make your bed so must you lie on it
|
You must accept the consequences of your act | |
Cut your coat according to your cloth
|
Live within your income; don't be too ambitious in your plans | |
All's fish that comes the net
|
When something comes
our way we should consider how it might be useful or benefit us.
|
|
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
|
It means that apples
are so nutritious they keep you in the peak of health.
|
|
Be on the safe side
|
To take special
precautions to avoid making a mistake
|
|
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
|
What is beautiful to one person
may not be beautiful to others.
|
|
Beggars can't be choosers
|
Someone in need should
be grateful for what is given to him -- even if it's not what he
wants or expects
|
|
The blind leading the blind
|
A person helping or
advising someone knows as little about the subject as the person
who is being advised.
|
|
The buck stops here
|
It means final decision
or total responsibility for an action
|
|
Burn the candle at both ends
|
Those who are always
busy and seem to get little rest
|
|
Buy a pig in a poke
|
Buy something without examining
it for faults or checking to see if they are really getting what they
believe they have purchased
|
|
Catch as catch can
|
To do anything or use
any means to achieve an aim or reach a goal.
|
|
Children should be seen and not heard
|
To stop a child from
asking questions, talking, or making unnecessary noise.
|
|
Christmas comes but once each year
|
An excuse to indulge in food
and drink and spend money during the Christmas season.
|
|
Cry over spilled milk
|
It's pointless to get upset or feel regret about a loss or mistake that can't be undone | |
Curiosity killed the cat
|
To warn people not to show too much interest in affairs that don't concern them. | |
Cut
off your nose to spite your face
|
When people are dissatisfied or angry, they sometimes react by doing foolish things that prove harmful to themselves. | |
The devil finds work for idle hands
|
Unless one keeps busy doing useful or constructive things he could be tempted into mischief or evil. | |
The devil has the best tunes
|
To do something unworthy because it gives you pleasure | |
Dog eat dog
|
In competitive situations where each person has his own interests at heart, it is usually the strong and the determined who succeed. | |
An exception to the rule
|
Something does not conform to or agree with a rule | |
Fling/throw mud at someone
|
To say evil or bad things about someone and in doing so, to damage his or her reputation. | |
A fool and his money are soon parted
|
A person who spends his money foolishly will soon be penniless | |
Forgive and forget
|
Excusing or pardoning someone for doing something | |
Give someone enough rope and he will hang
himself
|
If we allow someone to continue in his bad ways he'll eventually bring about his own downfall or ruin. | |
Grin and bear it
|
To put up with discomfort or a bad situation without complaining. | |
He who pays the piper calls the tune
|
The person who pays for something has the right to do as he wants. | |
Hide your light under a bushel
|
Concealing your talents, skills or abilities | |
Hitch one's wagon to a star
|
To Move forward in a way to improve your chances of achieving success. | |
Home is where the heart is
|
No matter where you are, 'home' is where you feel most comfortable and content. | |
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
|
If we could get all the things we wanted just by making a wish, everyone would have all he ever wanted. | |
If you can't lick them, join them | If you cannot defeat an opponent or get him to change his ideas, plans or way of doing things, the best thing is to change your ideas, plans, etc. | |
In for a penny, in for a pound
|
If we decide to do something, we should commit ourselves to it boldly and completely. | |
A job worth doing is a job worth doing well
|
When you do something you should do it as well as you can. | |
Keep the wolf from the door
|
To avoid hunger and poverty | |
Laugh and the world laughs with you
|
When someone is in a happy, cheerful mood, people like being with him. | |
Least said, soonest forgotten | The less we say about it the sooner the incident will be forgotten. | |
A chicken and egg question
|
A mysterious question which can't be answered | |
You can lead a horse to water but you can't
make him drink
|
We can help, show or encourage someone to do something but we can't make him do what he is unwilling or unable to do | |
Life is just a bowl of cherries
|
Life is full of
happiness and pleasure
|
|
Like a bull in a china shop
|
A clumsy or tactless
person
|
|
Lock the stable door after the horse has bolted
|
Once a mistake has been
made or an error committed, it's too late to take precautions to
prevent it from happening.
|
|
The longest day must have an end
|
All difficult jobs or
situations also have an end.
|
|
Losers weepers, finders keepers
|
If someone loses
something, he weeps -- but if someone finds it, he keeps it.
|
|
Love me, love my dog
|
If we want a person's
friendship we must accept him totally, faults and all.
|
|
Many hands make light work
|
Many people sharing a
job or tasks make easier work of it.
|
|
The mountain labors and brings forth a mouse
|
To work hard and long
on a project that turns out to be pretty useless.
|
|
Opportunity only knocks once
|
Seize an opportunity when it
occurs for it may never happen again.
|
|
An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure
|
It is even better to be
cautious and prevent a misfortune or an accident from happening.
|
|
Possession is nine points of the law
|
In disputes over
property ownership, the person in possession of something is
sometimes said to have nine-tenths a chance of winning it in a
legal argument
|
|
Promises are like pie crust
|
Most promises cannot be kept
|
|
Put a quart into a pint pot
|
Doing something that's impossible | |
The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike
|
No matter how good or bad a person, he must still face the everyday problems that confront us all. | |
The
sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children
|
People will be punished for the wrongs committed by their parents, forefathers, or those who have preceded them. | |
Someone's bark is worse than his bite
|
People sometimes bark but in time we learn they're not always as frightening as they seem. | |
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
|
To do something unworthy just because it gives you the pleasure | |
A stitch in time saves nine
|
By taking immediate action we can prevent a fault, damage or trouble from getting worse | |
A straw will show which way the wind blows
|
A small incident can reveal an important event | |
Teach an old dog new tricks
|
It is impossible to change someone's ways or habits, especially if he is old and resists change | |
That's where the shoe pinches
|
That's the source or cause of a problem or an annoyance | |
There are none so blind as those that will not
see
|
People ,who never admit they might be wrong, refuse to listen to the opinions or ideas of anyone | |
There are none so deaf as those who will not
hear
|
People sometimes hear only what they want to hear | |
There's more than one way to skin a cat
|
There is more than one way of getting a job done | |
The thin end of the wedge
|
That something can appear to be small and of no particular importance - yet it can turn out to be the beginning of a major problem. | |
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
|
It means that though something beautiful may not last, the happy memory of it will live forever. | |
Time heals old wounds
|
The passing of time helps us to forget things that have caused us pain or made us unhappy. | |
The truth will out
|
Truth about something will eventually be discovered or made known | |
Turn up like a bad penny
|
Something or someone disliked just won't go away | |
Two wrongs do not make a right | If a person does something to harm or offend us, that's wrong. If we do something to harm them back, that's wrong too. | |
Uneasy is the head that wears the crown
|
Notable or important people are often concerned about losing their positions. | |
Waste not, want not
|
If we're careful and waste nothing we'll never go without things we need. | |
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
|
Most men love to eat so feed your husband well and he will always love you. | |
Wear out one's welcome
|
One is no longer welcome, usually because he has become a nuisance | |
When poverty comes in the door, love flies out the window | As soon as a happily married couple begin having financial problems and the bills pile up their love will disappear. | |
Who keeps company with wolves, will learn to
howl
|
If we associate with bad companions we, too, will become bad | |
You pays your money and you takes your chances
|
A humorous way of saying that we sometimes must trust in luck when buying something. | |
Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them
|
If you are rich and successful, you will attract many friends, but if you should suffer hardship or have misfortune ( adversity ), your friends will quickly depart. |
A constant guest is never welcome
|
We are apt to grow to
dislike friends who visit us too often
|
|
Catch not at the shadow and lose the substance
|
We should not waste
time on trivial aspects of a matter and neglect the essential
matter itself.
|
|
If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall
into the ditch
|
Those without knowledge
should not try to teach the ignorant.
|
|
Kindle not a fire you cannot put out
|
Do not start something you
cannot control or resolve
|
|
Do unto others as you would others do unto you
|
Treat others as you would like them to treat you. | |
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
|
Foolish people tend to act too hastily and do things that wise people would avoid. | |
A contented mind is a perpetual feast
|
Contentment of mind is
the cause of lasting happiness.
|
|
History tends to repeat itself
|
What has happened once is liable to happen again. | |
Cross the stream where it is shallowest
|
Don't make things difficult for yourself; always find the simplest means of achieving your objective. | |
It is useless to flog a dead horse
|
It is no use spending your time and energy on an activity or belief that is already widely rejected or outdated. | |
Every oak must be an acorn | Everything has to have a small beginning. | |
A good name is sooner lost than won
|
It takes a long time to build
up a good reputation which can be easily destroyed by misconduct.
|
|
Do not cross a bridge till you come to it
|
Do not worry about something before it has happened | |
The best fish swim near the bottom
|
The best things are hard to come by | |
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
|
You cannot change a person's real character | |
|
||
It never rains but it pours
|
Events, especially misfortunes, always come together and not one at a time. | |
A house divided against itself cannot stand
|
Discord breaks up families. | |
The darkest hour is that before dawn
|
Even when things seem at their very worst, they may shortly improve. | |
Variety is the spice of life
|
Life becomes very monotonous without some break or change in the daily routine. | |
Do not have too many irons in the fire
|
If we attempt to do too much at once, we shall not do anything properly | |
A light purse makes a heavy heart
|
We cannot be cheerful when we have financial problems. | |
The pen is mightier than the sword
|
The written word is more to be feared than physical violence | |
A nod is as good as a wink
|
A hint or suggestion can be accepted and acted upon without further elaboration. | |
Do not ride the high horse
|
Do not be arrogant | |
Even Homer sometimes nods
|
Even the best of us are liable to make mistakes. | |
There is no place like home
|
Even a simple home is the best place in the world for the people who live in it. | |
A rose by any other name would smell just as
sweet
|
It is not what a thing is called that matters, but what it is. | |
Every flow must have its ebb
|
Life has its ups and downs, neither good fortune nor ill fortune lasts forever. | |
A cat may look at a king
|
Anyone has the right to look at or speak to anyone else without having to worry about status, position, upbringing etc. | |
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link
|
The success of a group or team depends on the full commitment of every member | |
A closed mouth catches no flies
|
It is better not to say anything than to say something that might get you into trouble | |
A drowning man will clutch at a straw
|
A desperate person will do anything to save himself | |
A friend to all is a friend to none
|
A person who makes himself close to everyone probably cannot be trusted by any one | |
A good beginning makes a good ending
|
Something that starts off right will probably succeed all the way and end on the right note | |
A good name is better than riches
|
A good reputation is precious, difficult to earn and cannot be bought | |
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
|
Knowing only a little about something can cause you to distort the truth or overestimate, misunderstand something |
A loaded wagon makes no noise
|
People who are very
rich do not feel the need to speak about their wealthy as they
do not feel threatened in any way
|
|
A man is known by the company he keeps
|
You can tell about a person by observing who he spends time with | |
A man is ruled by his passions
|
Your character, personality, attitude etc can be overtaken by your emotions if they are strong enough | |
A man's home is his castle
|
You feel most secure, free and in control in your own home | |
A pot of milk is ruined by a drop of poison
|
Something bad no matter how small can ruin all your plans, successes etc. | |
A small leak will sink a great ship
|
Small problems are worth the time to fix as they can eventually cause great damage | |
A wise man changes his mind sometimes, a fool
never
|
It is wise to reconsider your plans, ideas, actions in the light of new information rather than to blindly stick to an earlier decision | |
A word spoken is past recalling
|
What has been said cannot be taken back, so think before you speak | |
A word to the wise is enough
|
You need not be long-winded when speaking to intelligent people or those who understand you well | |
Advice most needed is least heeded
|
People tend to ignore or overlook the help or advice they nee the most | |
After a storm, comes a calm
|
Every problem eventually comes to an end, so cheer up | |
All for one and one for all
|
People who are committed to working together for a positive outcome | |
All good things come to an end
|
Every event, no matter how enjoyable, must end at some point | |
All the world loves a lover
|
Everyone loves to see people in love | |
All things come to him who waits
|
You will get what you want if you are willing to wait for it patiently | |
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All's fair in love and war
|
Where powerful emotions are concerned, there can be no firm rules of behavior | |
All's well that ends well
|
A happy ending to a difficult situation can help you forget or disregard the earlier trouble | |
An army marches on its stomach
|
You need to eat for energy to complete your tasks | |
An empty bag will not stand upright
|
Quality comes with effort | |
Appearances are deceptive
|
What looks good may not really be so | |
April showers bring May flowers
|
Unpleasant events can sometimes lead to better things | |
As soon as a man is born, he begins to die
|
Death is the destiny of every man | |
Ask no questions and hear no lies
|
Do not force a person into telling you a lie by forcing him to talk about something he does not want to talk about | |
Avoid evil and it will avoid thee
|
Stay out of trouble, and trouble will not follow you | |
Bad news travels fast
|
People seem to hear bad news very fast | |
Bad is never good until worse happens
|
A bad situation you have been complaining about will suddenly seem a blessing when something worse happens | |
Be careful what you wish for, you might just
get it
|
What you wish for may not really be what is good for you | |
Beauty is only skin-deep
|
Looks are not the most important thing about a person | |
Behind every successful man is a woman
|
A man's strongest and most loyal supporters are usually his mother and/or his wife | |
Better a mouse in the pot than no meat at all
|
To have something, no matter how little or poor in quality, is better than to have nothing at all | |
Do as I saw, and not as I do
|
Do something as you have seen it done although it may be different from your own way of doing it | |
Doctors make the worst patients
|
It is difficult advising people on matters they are supposed to be experts on because they believe they know better | |
Don't go near the water until you learn how to
swim
|
Do not try to do something before you have learnt how to do it or before you are ready for it | |
Don't mend what isn't broken
|
Do not change things that are working fine as they are | |
Don't shut the barn door after the horse is
gone
|
prepare for emergencies and eventualities before they happen | |
Don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs
|
Do not be presumptuous and teach an experienced person how things should be done |
Better be safe than sorry
|
It is wise to take
precautions rather than be upset that you did not prepare for an
eventuality after something has happened
|
|
Better the devil you know than the devil you
don't know
|
the problems you are facing at present may not be as bad as those in the place you are planning to move to | |
Better to be alone than in bad company
|
It is better to be by yourself than to be with people who are a bad influence | |
Better to die with honor than live with shame
|
It is more honorable to do the right thing even if you will be punished or have to die for it than to live as a coward or a liar | |
Bitter pills may have blessed effects
|
Something may be unpleasant or painful, but it can help you in the long run | |
Books and friends should be few but good
|
You do not need to have too many friends or read too many books in order to live a balanced, fulfilled and complete life as long as the friends and books you do have are full of substance | |
Boys will be boys
|
Often applied to men who act childishly | |
Brain is better than brawn
|
Intelligence is more valuable than physical strength | |
Bread always falls buttered-side down
|
Of two possibilities, it often seems that the more negative one will occur | |
Brevity is the soul of wit
|
When you want to sound clever, it is better to be brief rather than long-winded | |
Business before pleasure
|
It is better to finish your work before you have a good time | |
By timely mending save much spending
|
Fix a problem as soon as you discover it to save money, expense, worry, etc having to deal with it later when it has become a bigger problem | |
Chance favors the prepared mind
|
You should always be prepared to act so that when opportunities present themselves, you are ready to seize them | |
Cheapest is dearest
|
Some items may save you money because they are cheap, but their quality may be poor, and this may cost you a lot of money in repairs and getting replacements later | |
Clothes make the man
|
The way you dress tells people something about you, and can influence their opinion of you | |
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Comparisons are odious
|
It is bad to compare people to one another | |
Confessed faults are half-mended
|
When you own up to a fault, mistake or wrongdoing, you are halfway to changing into a better person | |
Courtesy costs nothing
|
Politeness should be a way of life for everyone | |
Cowards die many deaths
|
A coward is afraid of everything, and therefore, faces every problem or challenge with great fear | |
Crime does not pay
|
However much you may earn or make as a criminal, a life of crime does not pay because the law will catch up with you eventually | |
Curses are like chickens, they come home to
roost
|
Curses you place on others may find their fulfilment in you, so it is best not to curse anyone | |
Danger and delight grow on the same stalk
|
Some pleasures will lead you to danger | |
Death is the great leveler
|
Death, which comes to everyone without discrimination, makes everyone equal | |
Deeds are fruits, words are but leaves
|
Taking action is far better than just talking about problems or negative situations | |
Desperate times call for desperate measures
|
Sometimes, a situation is so urgent or unexpected that you have to resort to doing things you normally would not | |
Different strokes for different talks
|
You need different plans or strategies in managing different people as people are different in personality and temperament | |
Diligence is the mother of good fortune
|
Working hard will bring you riches and success | |
Distance lends enchantment to the view
|
When you are free of a problem or far away from troublesome people, you begin to feel that things were not so bad after all | |
Divide and rule
|
A method of ruling or managing people where you separate them into different groups to make sure they do not join forces against you | |
East or West, home is best
|
You feel safest, most comfortable and most at peace in your own home | |
Even a broken/stopped clock is right twice a
day
|
No one is ever wrong all the time | |
Even a dog can distinguish between being
stumbled over and being kicked
|
Do not let people bully you, but be alert to when you are being taken advantage of | |
Every ass loves to hear himself bray
|
Conceited people love to boast about their achievements | |
Every bird loves to listen to himself sing
|
People who know they are good at something tend to boast about their ability | |
Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard
|
Every family has their secrets | |
Every man has his faults
|
No one is perfect |
Every man has his price
|
If you offer someone enough money, he will be willing to do anything for you | |
Every man is his own worst enemy
|
A lot of people tend to hurt their own chance at success because of negative-mindedness, fear, ignorance, unresolved issues | |
Every man must carry his own cross
|
Everyone has to carry his burden or responsibilities in life | |
Every picture tells a story
|
Every situation has an explanation | |
Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one
wants to die
|
Everyone wants to enjoy success, but few are willing to work hard or take the risks involved in achieving it | |
Example is better than precept
|
It is better to show by example than to advise, order or tell people to be upright | |
Experience is the mother of wisdom
|
You become wiser as you gain more experience in life | |
Facts are stubborn things
|
You cannot change the facts of a case | |
Failure teaches success
|
People can learn from their failures and mistakes | |
Faith will move mountains
|
Miracles will happen when you believe that they will | |
Familiarity breeds contempt
|
People tend to lose respect for people they are close to or in close company with all the time | |
Fear is stronger than love
|
Fear is often a stronger emotion or motivation than even love | |
Fear of death is worse than death itself
|
Fear is often a crippling emotion because it is so powerful | |
Fine feathers make fine birds
|
You can pretend to be rich, famous etc. by dressing the part | |
Fine words butter no parsnips
|
Just talking about something is not going to get the job done | |
|
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First deserve, then desire
|
Before you begin to hope about possessing something, make sure you are qualified for it | |
First things first
|
Do the more urgent and important things first | |
First think, and then speak
|
Think about what you are going to say before you speak | |
Flattery brings friends, truth enemies
|
People like to hear good things said about them although they may not be the truth | |
Fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice,
shame on me
|
You should be alert to people trying to get the better of you | |
Fretting cares make grey hairs
|
Worrying is a negative activity that can age you prematurely | |
Garbage in, garbage out
|
If the information or input you provide is wrong, the end result will also be below par or flawed | |
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;
teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
|
It is better to teach people how to be independent by teaching them how to do things for themselves than to do everything for them | |
Give and take is fair play
|
You should be willing to give in partly to others if you want them to give in partly to you | |
Give credit where credit is due
|
Appreciate someone for the good work he ahs done | |
Give him an inch and he'll want a yard
|
Some people always take advantage of favor that is shown them | |
Good fences make good neighbors
|
Respect people's privacy and their territory | |
Good wine needs no bush
|
Products of good quality do not need a lot of advertising, as their quality alone shows their worth | |
Goodness is better than beauty
|
Inner beauty is more valuable than outer beauty | |
Grasp all, lose all
|
If you are too greedy and try to grab everything you see, you might lose that and everything you have too | |
Green leaves and brown leaves fall from the
same tree
|
Everyone has a common beginning, and therefore, no one is above another | |
Happy wife, happy life
|
If you have a happy or good life partner, you will be happy and contented | |
Hard words break no bones
|
Ignore insults as they cannot physically harm you, and will only harm you emotionally if you let them | |
Haste makes waste
|
Things that are done in a hurry are usually done sloppily, and may contain careless mistakes | |
He is rich who owes nothing
|
A person who owes no one a debt is free of worry, and therefore, rich, in a sense | |
He is the best general who makes the fewest
mistakes
|
A good leader rarely makes mistakes | |
He knows most who speaks last
|
The one who waits to listen to what others have to say before speaking has a better understanding of a situation | |
He that goes a-borrowing, goes a -sorrowing
|
Do not make borrowing a habit as you will suffer for it in the end | |
He that is master of himself, will soon be
master of masters
|
Self-discipline will help you achieve greatness | |
He that knows nothing, doubts nothing
|
An ignorant person usually raises no questions because he is not aware that problems exist | |
He that plants thorns must never expect to
gather roses
|
If you do evil, do not expect good to come to you | |
He who dares, wins
|
You can only win or succeed if you are willing to take risks | |
He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail
|
lack of preparation will cause you to lose or fail | |
He who hesitates is lost
|
You will lose opportunities if you are indecisive and not fast enough to grab them | |
He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does
not know
|
It is an ironic situation when someone who should speak up does not while the person who should not, does | |
He who likes borrowing dislikes paying
|
People who tend to borrow often are usually slow in settling debts | |
He who lives too fast, goes to his grave too
soon
|
If you do not allow yourself to rest once in a while when you lead a fast-paced life, you will suffer from stress, burnt out and illness | |
He who sleeps forgets his hunger
|
sleeping is a good way to forget you are hungry, especially when there is no food for you and you have no money to buy any | |
He who serves two masters must lie to one
|
You cannot effectively or fully serve two people as your attention, loyalty, commitment etc. will be split between the two | |
He who stands for nothing will fall for
everything
|
A person with no principles or opinions of his own will tend to go along with anything anyone tells him, and can, therefore, be easily cheated | |
He who sups with the devil has need of a long
spoon
|
If you keep company with or work for dangerous or evil people, you will need to be very careful | |
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He who will steal an egg will steal an ox
|
A person who steals small things is likely to steal big things too | |
Health is better than wealth
|
It is better to be healthy than rich, as without a healthy body you can do nothing, and cannot enjoy your wealth | |
History repeats itself
|
People tend to repeat mistakes made by others over the generations, not learning from them | |
Honey catches more flies than vinegar
|
Use the right incentives to motivate people to do something | |
Hope for the best, expect the worst
|
Never lose hope, but be prepared with an alternative if things do not go as planned | |
Hope is life
|
To live is to always be hopeful | |
Hope is the last thing that we lose
|
People are by nature hopeful, and must always be so because when we lose hope, we lose the will to live | |
Hope springs eternal
|
Hope is something that never dies, and people should never lose hope | |
Hunger is the best spice
|
When you are really hungry, everything tastes good, and you eat up everything placed in front of you | |
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again
|
Never stop trying to succeed at something | |
If the shoe fits, wear it
|
If something said about you is true, you should accept it. | |
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
|
It is easy to wish for things, but wishes do not often come true | |
If you buy cheaply, you pay dearly
|
Cheap goods are usually not the best in terms of quality | |
If you buy quality, you only cry once
|
Items of good quality may be expensive, but they will last you a long time | |
If you can't take the heat, get out of the
kitchen
|
If you cannot handle something, give it up | |
If you don't buy a ticket, you can't win the
raffle
|
If you do not take the risk, you cannot expect success | |
If you don't have anything nice to say, don't
say anything at all
|
Avoid being negative | |
If you keep your mouth shut, you won't put your
foot in it
|
Keep quiet, and you will say nothing wrong | |
If you want a thing done right, do it yourself
|
Do not rely on others to complete your work for you | |
If you were born to be shot, you'll never be
hanged
|
You cannot escape your fate | |
If you're in a hole, stop digging
|
Do not create more trouble for yourself when you are already facing some | |
Ignorance is bliss
|
You can be happy when you do not know there are problems around you | |
Ignorance of the law excuses no man
|
Not knowing what you did was wrong does not excuse you from suffering the penalty | |
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
|
When someone copies what you do, it means they really admire you or the way you do things | |
It is best to be on the safe side
|
Play safe, and be prepared for the worst to happen | |
It takes two to tango
|
It takes two individuals to do certain things | |
It's a blessing in disguise
|
When an opportunity arrives through a crisis etc. | |
It's better to give than to receive
|
Giving is more blessed than receiving | |
It's better to have loved and lost than never
to have loved at all
|
Do not be afraid to fall in love | |
Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam
today
|
What you early hope for does not seem to be happening | |
A journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step
|
To progress at anything, you first need to get started | |
Judge not, lest ye be judged
|
Do not judge others as you are not perfect yourself, so be merciful in the hope that others will show you mercy one day | |
Keep no more cats than will catch mice
|
Do not acquire more than what you need | |
Keep your friends close, and your enemies
closer
|
Keep track of what your enemies are up to for your own protection | |
Kill not the goose that laid the golden egg
|
Do not be so foolish as to destroy the source of your good fortune out of pride, greed, anger etc | |
Kill two birds with one stone
|
Complete two tasks with one action | |
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Kindness begets kindness
|
When you are kind to people, they will be kind to you in return | |
Knowledge is power
|
The more you learn, the greater influence you have over others | |
Laugh and grow fat
|
Laughter creates a sense of well-being and happiness | |
Laughter is the best medicine
|
being cheerful is good for your total well-being | |
Laughter is the shortest distance between two
people
|
Laughter is the best way to break the ice between strangers or enemies | |
Learn to walk before you run
|
Do not rush into things before you are ready | |
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone
|
You qualify to judge someone only if you yourself are faultless | |
Let the buyer beware
|
Always be aware of what you are getting yourself into | |
Let us go hand in hand, not one before another
|
Face problems together in unity, and not alone or in a spirit of enmity | |
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place
|
The same misfortune will probably not occur again in the same place or to the same people | |
Like cures like
|
People who have been through something are usually able to help others with the same problem | |
Little boys should be seen and not heard
|
Children should not interrupt when adults are talking | |
Little by little and bit by bit
|
If you persevere at something, you will gradually accomplish it | |
Little enemies and little wounds must not be
despised
|
Do not ignore people you have angered or hurt, however small the slight or injury, as they can harm you one day if they choose to bear a grudge | |
Little strokes feel great oaks
|
Continuous effort, however small the mount, will help you achieve your greatest dreams and ambitions | |
Little things please little minds
|
Childish people are thrilled by childish, petty things | |
Live and learn
|
Learn as much as you can from life | |
Live and let live
|
Get on with your own affairs and let other get on with theirs | |
Long absent, soon forgotten
|
If you are away for too long, people may forget you | |
Look after the pence, and the pounds will look
after themselves
|
Take care of the details and the bigger issues will be solved | |
Look on the bright side
|
Be positive |
Look on the sunny side of life
|
Be positive in life | |
Loose lips sink ships
|
People who talk too much may give away important secrets that could harm themselves or others | |
Love conquers all
|
Love motivates people to make things work | |
Love covers a multitude of sins
|
When you treat people with love, compassion, kindness, forebearing etc. you make up for a lot of your own faults because it is right to love people | |
Love makes the world go round
|
Love is the important thing in life that makes life meaningful | |
Love sees no faults
|
Real love does not take into account the flaws of a person | |
Love will find a way
|
Love motivates people to look for solutions to all problems | |
Man cannot live by bread alone
|
It takes more than food to complete your life | |
Marry in haste, repent at leisure
|
Do not rush into marriage because if you marry the wrong person, you will spend the rest of your life regretting it | |
Measure twice, cut once
|
Consider your options carefully in order to make a good decision | |
( The ) meek shall inherit the earth
|
The humble and the downtrodden but not the proud or the mighty will be rewarded with the best at the end of time | |
Mirrors do everything we do, but they cannot
think for themselves
|
man-made devices have their limits, and cannot do everything humans can | |
Misery loves company
|
unhappy people seem to like to make others unhappy too | |
Money cannot buy happiness
|
You cannot buy joy, peace, contentment etc | |
Money isn't everything
|
Riches cannot solve all your problems or bring you joy, peace, contentment etc. | |
|
||
Money makes the world go round
|
People work hard and go through a lot of pain just to earn more money as if it is what keeps them going | |
Monkey see, monkey do
|
People without minds of their own tend to blindly do and say what others do and say | |
More haste, less speed
|
The more you hurry, the slower you seem to progress because hurrying causes you to make mistakes | |
Nature, time and patience are three great
physicians
|
The goodness of nature, time and being patient can bring healing | |
Never do things in halves
|
Always complete a job as perfectly as you can | |
Never fall out with your bread and butter
|
Do not quarrel with the people who pay you your salary or with your customers | |
Never give advice unless asked
|
Do not assume that people need your help or that you have all the answers to help them, it is better to wait until you are asked for help | |
Never let the right hand know what the left
hand is doing
|
Be discreet in all you do, do not tell others your deeds, especially your good deeds | |
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do
today
|
Do not delay doing tasks and assignments | |
Never say die
|
Never give up | |
never say never
|
Always leave room for change | |
Never speak ill of the dead
|
Do not talk badly about the departed | |
( It is ) never too late to repent
|
It is never too late to say you are sorry, and to change your ways | |
( One is ) never too old to learn
|
There is no age limit to acquiring knowledge | |
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you
|
Do not go looking for trouble | |
( A ) nimble sixpence is better than a slow
shilling
|
A capable person, even if he is slow or not well qualified, is more valuable than an inefficient person who may be highly qualified | |
No man can serve two masters
|
You can only be faithful to one boss, leader etc | |
No man is an island
|
Everyone needs the companionship of others | |
No man is content with his lot
|
Most people seem to be dissatisfied with what they have, and want other things | |
No man is indispensable
|
No man is so useful to others that people cannot do without him | |
No money, no justice
|
In a corrupt legal system, you can bribe lawyers and judges to win a case for you | |
No pain, no gain
|
You must be ready to make sacrifices to get what you want badly | |
No revenge is more honorable than the one not
taken lips sink ships
|
However tempted you may be to retaliate, try not to because revenge is a negative pursuit | |
No rose is without a thorn
|
Nothing on earth is perfect | |
No time like the present
|
Now is the best time to do something | |
Nothing comes free
|
Unfortunately, everything in life has a price attached to it | |
Nothing succeeds like success
|
When a person starts being successful, he is likely to continue being successful | |
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
|
One must take risks in order to succeed at anything | |
Old habits die hard
|
It is difficult to change a long-time habit | |
One good turn deserves another
|
Always be ready to show kindness to people who have been kind to you | |
One man's junk is another man's
treasure
|
People have different tastes, preferences, perceptions of the same thing | |
one man's loss is another man's gain
|
What is a disadvantage to one person can be an advantage to another | |
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom
fighter
|
There are always two sides to an argument and two perspectives to consider | |
Opportunity seldom knocks twice
|
You must be ready to grab an opportunity when it comes your way | |
Patience is a virtue
|
Patience is an advantage and a good trait to nurture in yourself | |
Politics makes a strange bedfellows
|
In politics, people who have always been opponents often work together at different times for their own interests | |
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Poverty is no crime
|
The poor should not be despised | |
Practise what you preach
|
Do what you advise others to do | |
Pride comes before a fall
|
An extremely proud person runs the risk of being humbled in front of everyone | |
Procrastination is the thief of time
|
To delay doing your work only wastes your time | |
Put a beggar on horseback, and he will ride to
the devil
|
Sometimes, giving a person more than he needs or knows what to do with does not help him but instead, encourages him to go overboard | |
( The ) race is to the swift
|
People who are able to overcome life's troubles quickly or do things quickly have the advantage over others | |
Rats desert a sinking ship
|
When things go wrong in an organization, people tend to abandon it | |
Repeating a life doesn't make it true
|
Saying something is true when it is not just because you would like to believe it is so does not change the facts | |
Revenge is a dish best served cold
|
Revenge works well when the target least expects it | |
Revenge is sweet
|
Some people feel good to be able to get back at someone who has hurt them | |
Same meat, different gravy
|
The same thing presented differently | |
Scratch something and you'll find a something
|
When you know a person better, you will realize that he is not all he seems to be | |
See which way the wind is blowing
|
Test how things stand | |
Seek and ye shall find
|
When you set out to look for the truth with all your heart, you will find it | |
Self trust is the first secret of success
|
You need to believe in your abilities first of all in order to succeed in life | |
Set a thief to catch a thief
|
Use the skill and experience of one wrongdoer to catch another | |
Silence gives consent
|
If you do not protest, object or say anything in response to a proposal, plan etc. it means you are agreeable to it | |
Six of one and half a dozen of the other
|
The same or nearly the same in one case as in the other | |
Slow and steady wins the race
|
Do things at your own pace and ability, and you will succeed in time | |
Smile, and the world smiles with you; cry, and
you cry alone
|
People are usually ready to share in your happiness but not in your sadness | |
Something is better than nothing
|
Be thankful that you do have something, and do not complain about how little you have | |
Speak of the devil and he's sure to appear
|
What you say when you are talking of someone, and he appears | |
Speak when you are spoken to
|
Respond when you are asked a question | |
Starve a cold, feed a fever
|
The best way to treat a cold is to skip a meal or two; the best way to treat fever is to have a light meal | |
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words
will never hurt me
|
The unkind words of small-minded people should not upset or depress you | |
Stolen fruit is the sweetest
|
Things that are forbidden to you seem to be the most exciting or tempting | |
Success is a journey, not a destination
|
The most treasured part of an achievement is the experience and lessons you learn in the process | |
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof
|
Do not be troubled about the problems you may face tomorrow, as you have enough to contend with today | |
Take care of the pence, and the pounds will
take care of themselves
|
Pay attention to the details and the larger issues will work out well enough | |
Talk is cheap
|
Talk that is not backed up with action is useless | |
Tell the truth and shame the devil
|
Tell the truth at all times | |
The acorn never falls far from the tree
|
Children tend to resemble their parents | |
The best laid schemes of mice and men often
fail
|
No matter how well planned, your arrangements can go wrong because you do not control all events and cannot see into the future | |
The best of friends must part
|
Even good friends sometimes need to part, if only for a while | |
The best things come in small packages
|
Expensive things which are considered among the best things, can come in small packages | |
The best things in life are free
|
The most important things in life such as love, kindness, generosity etc. are free | |
|
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The bigger they are, the harder they fall
|
The bigger a problem the greater its impact | |
The calm comes before the storm
|
There is usually peace before disaster strikes | |
The child is father to the man
|
Your experiences as a child mould you as an adult | |
The cure is worse than the disease
|
Some solutions seem worse than the problem | |
The customer is always right
|
The guiding principle of the service industry is that the customer must be satisfied, so never upset or contradict a customer | |
The darkest hour is that before the dawn
|
Relief or victory comes just after the worst phase of a bad situation | |
The eyes are the window of the soul
|
A person's eyes express his true feelings, thoughts etc | |
The fat is in the fire
|
It is too late to do anything about a situation | |
The first step is the hardest
|
Starting is often the most difficult part of doing a job | |
The first step to health is to know that we are
sick
|
You have to be willing to admit there is a problem before you can change yourself, a bad situation etc | |
The head and feet keep warm, the rest will take
no harm
|
If you take care of the important matters, everything else will fall into place | |
The journey is the reward
|
The most valuable, fulfilling and exciting part of achieving something is the work and effort put into the endeavour | |
The least said, the soonest mended
|
The less you say during a quarrel, the greater chance there is for you to patch up later | |
The longest mile is the last mile home
|
The nearer you are to your destination, the further away from you it seems | |
The more acquaintance, the more danger
|
The more casual friends you have, the greater the possibility that you will be led astray, betrayed etc | |
The more one knows, the less one believes
|
The more information you have about something, the more unsure or suspicious you can become of it | |
The more things change, the more they stay the
same
|
Some changes are only outward, the actual problems remain the same | |
The more you get, the more you want
|
The more you have, the more you want to have because greed grows in you | |
The more you know, the more you know you don't
know
|
The more knowledge you acquire, the more aware you are of how little you know about life | |
The nail that sticks out gets pounded
|
People who stand out in a group because they are different or because they raise questions, issues are quickly pressured into conforming with the rest of the group | |
The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat
|
The closer you get to your goal or objective, the more thrilled or excited you get | |
The only free cheese is in the mouse trap
|
Be careful when people offer you something for nothing, as they may be trying to trap or cheat you | |
The only stupid question is the one that is not
asked
|
The more questions you ask, the more you learn, so do not be shy or afraid to ask questions | |
The proof of the pudding is in the eating
|
How good something is can only be verified by evaluating it | |
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
|
A persons' good intentions are not enough to guarantee success | |
The start of a journey should never be mistaken
for success
|
Do not assume you have succeeded at something when you have only just started on it | |
The truth is in the wine
|
People speak more freely when they are drunk, often revealing secrets | |
The truth hurts
|
Hearing the truth can sometimes be painful, especially when you have been believing something else for a long time | |
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the
attribute of the strong
|
Only a morally strong person is able to forgive people who have hurt him | |
The wish is father to the thought
|
Often, you think about and eventually act upon what you wish for | |
There are no endings, only new
beginnings
|
Do not think of an ending as the end of something but as the beginning of a new cycle or phase | |
There are no small parts, only small actors
|
A good actor is able to make any role interesting and realistic, no matter how insignificant it may be | |
There only only twenty-four hours in a day
|
Time is a limited resource, so use it wisely | |
There is a time and a place for everything
|
Act according to the occasion | |
There is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip
|
Anything can go wrong at any time before a matter is settled | |
There is many at a true word that is spoken in
jest
|
A remark, such as something about a person's character, that is said jokingly, is often true to some extent | |
|
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There is no fool like an old fool
|
When an older person acts silly, he appears really ridiculous because at his age, he is expected to be wise and sensible | |
There no honor among thieves
|
You cannot trust a thief | |
There is no point arguing with the barrel of a
gun
|
It is pointless trying to argue with a very angry or violent person | |
There is no such thing as a free lunch
|
Nothing comes free | |
Thee is no venom like that of the tongue
|
The cruel things people sometimes say to one another can hurt more than the deadliest poison can | |
There is nothing new under the sun
|
There is nothing in the world that has not been seen, heard, discovered, experienced before | |
There is one law for the rich, and another for
the poor
|
When the law is unjust and does not treat people fairly, but considers their wealth and status before deciding to help them | |
There is safety in numbers
|
You are safer when others are around | |
They who dance must pay the fiddler
|
You must be ready to accept the consequences of your actions | |
Think before you speak
|
Think before you say anything so that you do not say something foolish or hurtful | |
Those who live in glass houses should not throw
stones
|
People with obvious faults should not criticse the faults of others because they are themselves targets for criticism | |
Time cures all things
|
With time, people are likely to forgive and forget hurts | |
Time flies
|
Time seems to move very fast when you are having fun or doing something urgent | |
Time is a great healer
|
Time allows people to forgive and forget past hurts, injuries and loss as memories fade, and people become wiser and more mature | |
Time is money
|
Time is valuable, especially to business people, and should not be wasted | |
Time the deed to the need
|
Offer help when it is needed, and not when it is convenient for you | |
To understand all is to forgive all
|
When you know why a person behaves in a certain way, you can forgive him what he does and says | |
Tomorrow is another day
|
Tomorrow is a new day which gives you the opportunity to start over | |
Tomorrow never comes
|
If you do not do something today you will probably not do it the next day either | |
Try not to become a man of success but a man of
value
|
Good character and moral strength are more valuable than material success | |
Two things prolong your life: a quiet heart and
a loving wife
|
Inner peace and a reliable life partner are a blessing to anyone | |
Unity is strength
|
Unity brings strength to a team | |
United we stand, divided we fall
|
Unity bring strength to a team | |
Virtue is its own reward
|
You should not expect payment for doing things that you should do or for acting in a morally correct way | |
Walls have ears, shoes have tongues
|
Be careful what you say and who you speak to | |
We never miss the water till the well is dry
|
People do not notice or appreciate an advantage, strength until they suddenly etc lose it | |
What goes around, comes around
|
How you treat people is how you will eventually be treated | |
What goes up must come down
|
Things will return to their natural state eventually | |
What is learnt in the cradle lasts to the tomb
|
Everything you learn in life stays with you till you die | |
What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the
gander
|
What is good for one person ought to be good enough for anyone else | |
What you lose on the swings you gain on
the roundabouts
|
The disadvantages you suffer in one area are equaled or cancelled by the advantages you win in others | |
What you sow is what you reap
|
You have to face the consequences of your actions | |
When one sows the wind one reaps the whirlwind
|
When you live too fast-paced or dangerous a life, be prepared for trouble or danger | |
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
|
Often, when things become difficult, people who seemed strong o who promised to help you leave you because they cannot take the pressure | |
Wilful waste makes woeful want
|
Do not waste anything thoughtlessly because you may need it later | |
Winning isn't everything
|
Success is not everything, what you learn in the process of becoming successful is more important | |
|
||
You can't have things both ways
|
You cannot avoid making a choice in some situations | |
You can't make an omelette without breaking the
eggs
|
You have to sacrifice something in order to gain something else | |
You can't please everyone
|
You cannot make everyone happy at the same time -- someone is going to be unhappy with your actions | |
You can't shoe a running horse
|
If you want help, or if you are in trouble, you will need to stop and ask for help | |
You could go a lot further and fare a lot worse
|
You are better off now because things could have been worse for you | |
You need to bait the hook to catch the fish
|
You need to prepare the necessary materials or items before you can actually get something done | |
You will never know till you have tried it
|
You have to experience something yourself before you know what it is all about | |
You win some, you lose some
|
In life, you have to expect to win and lose | |
Youth and age will never agree
|
The young and the old do not always see eye to eye | |
A leopard doesn't change its spots
|
An unpleasant or irritable person does not change easily | |
As the twig is bent so the tree is inclined
|
A child shows some resemblance to his parents | |
Forewarned is forearmed
|
We can prepare for something if we know beforehand the dangers and risks involved | |
Misery makes strange bedfellows
|
When unhappy people make friend with others they would not usually befried | |
উপরের প্রবাদবাক্যগুলো অর্থ সহ মুখস্ত থাকতে হবে।
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