Proverbs compiled by Richard Ennis
A bad excuse is better than none
A barking dog never bites
A burden of one's own choice is not felt
A change is as good as a rest
A friend in need is a friend indeed
A friend to all is a friend to none
A hut is a palace to the poor man (Irish)
A joke a day keeps the doctor away
A man is known by his company
A man's own opinion is never wrong (Italian)
Absence is a foe to love
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Actions speak louder than words
After joy comes sorrow
All doors open to courtesy
All fame brings envy
All is fair in love and war
Always a calm before a storm
An eye for an eye . . .
Beauty is a good letter of introduction
Beauty is as beauty does
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Beauty is only skin deep
Beggars can't be choosers
Better late than never
Better to be alone than in bad company
Better to be born lucky than rich
Chains of gold are stronger than chains of iron
Charity begins at home
Clothes make the man
Curiosity killed the cat
Difficulty makes desire
Discretion is the better part of valor
Don't rock the boat
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise
Error is always in haste
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every error has its excuse (Polish)
Every man is an island (Thomas Wolfe)
Everybody likes his own likeness
Facts speak louder than words
Familiarity breeds contempt
Familiarity breeds content
Fear is stronger than love
Fish and company stink in three days
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
Fortune favors fools
Full bellies make empty skulls
Good fences make good neighbors
Good news travels fast
Haste makes waste
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
He is an ill companion that has a good memory
He that has no enemies has no friends
He that once deceives is ever suspected
He that will cheat you at play, will cheat you any way
He who follows the crowd has many companions (German)
He who hesitates is lost
He who lives by the sword dies by the sword
He who never fails will never grow rich
He who saves for a rainy day dies in the sunshine
Honesty is the best policy
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst
If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with (Stephan
Stills)
Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
It takes two to tango
It's better to be safe than sorry
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone
Let a smile be your umbrella
Like father, like son
Look before you leap
Love is blind
Many hands make light the work
Misery loves company
No man is an island (John Donne)
No man is a hero to his valet
No news is good news
Nobody likes a bully
Nothing is so unbelievable that oratory cannot make it acceptable (Cicero)
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Old shoes are easiest
Once bitten (or burnt), twice shy
Opportunity waits for no man
Opposites attract
Out of sight, out of mind
Praise the child and you make love to the mother
Quick to believe is quickly deceived
Saying and doing are two things
Seeing is believing
Send a boy where he wants to go and you'll see his best pace (African)
Slow help is no help
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Sport is sweetest when no spectators
Success is its own reward
The beauty of the man is in his intelligence, and the intelligence of
the woman is in her beauty (Moroccan)
The bigger they are, the harder they fall
The butterfly often forgets it was a caterpillar (Swedish)
The early bird gets the worm
The finest flower will soonest fade
The golden age never was the present age
The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill
The nail that stands out gets pounded down (Japanese)
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
The surest way to make enemies is to have too many friends
There is flattery in friendship
There is honor among thieves
There is strength in numbers
There's always plenty of help when it's not wanted
Thick as thieves
Those who say they care least, care most
Time flies when you're having fun
Time heals all wounds
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Turn about is fair play
Turn the other cheek
Two heads are better than one
Two's company, three's a crowd
Variety is the spice of life
What costs little is little esteemed
What goes around comes around
What we do willingly is easy
When someone has you where they want you, they won't want you
When the cat's away, the mice will play
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
You are what you eat
You are known by the company you keep
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone
You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours
These proverbs were compiled by Richard Ennis, Wilfrid Laurier University,
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3C5
I obtained them from
Suzi Shapiro's web page
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