Top African Proverbs
“A king’s child is a slave elsewhere.”
“What forgets is the ax, but the tree that has been axed will never forget.”
“It is no shame at all to work for money.”
“A loose tooth will not rest until it’s pulled out.”
“He who digs too deep for a fish may come out with a snake.”
“The path is made by walking.”
A bird that flies off the Earth and lands on an anthill is still on the ground.”
“Only a fool tests the depth of a river with no feet.”
“Examine what is said, not who is speaking.”
“If you want to know the end, look at the beginning.”
“Knowledge is a garden. …
Top Australian Proverbs
“None are so deaf as those who would not hear.”
“Once bitten, twice shy.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
“A bad worker blames his tools.”
“In the planting season, visitors come singly, and in harvest time they come in crowds.”
“Half a loaf is better than none.”
“The bigger the hat, the smaller the property.”
“Don’t blow your own trumpet.”
“A Platypus is a duck designed by a committee.”
“A bad worker blames his tools.”
Top Egyptia Proverbs
“Suffering in search of truth gives true meaning to the truth.” —Muata Ashby
“People bring about their own undoing through their tongues.” —Egyptian Proverbs
“One does not run to reach success, One does not move to spoil it.” —Muata Ashby
“The only thing that is humiliating is helplessness.” —Unknown
“If you are wise, look after your house; love your wife without alloy.” —Unknown
“A contented mind is a hidden treasure, and trouble findeth it not.” —Akhenaton
“A borrowed coat does not keep one warm.” —Egyptian Proverbs
“Pride and dignity would belong to women if only men would leave them alone.” —Unknown
“A beautiful thing is never perfect.” —Unknown
“The best and shortest road towards knowledge of truth is Nature.” —Egyptian Proverbs
“Fear does not prevent death. It prevents life.” —Naguib Mahfouz
Top Bulgarian Proverbs
“Tell me who your friends are, so I can tell you who you are.”
“The wolf has a thick neck because he does his job on his own.”
“Measure thrice, cut once.”
“Help yourself to help God help you.”
Top Chinese Proverbs
“If you’re poor, change and you’ll succeed.”
“Big fish eat small fish.”
“No one knows a son better than the father.”
“No shame in asking questions, even to people of lower status.”
Top Croatian Proverbs
“The way it came is the way it will go.”
“All that’s well lasts short.”
“When the willow bears grapes’: When pigs fly.”
“Man devises, God determines’: The best laid plans of mice and men.”
“‘Hurry slowly’: More speed, less haste.”
‘Without hardship there is no knowledge’: No pain, no gain.”
“Whoever is first gets the girl’: First come, first served.”
‘Bake it, then say it’: Think before you speak.”
“Behind God’s legs’: In the middle of nowhere.”
“We were talking about the wolf, and now it’s at the door’: Speak of the devil”.
Top Dutch Proverbs
“An old rat won’t go into the trap.”
“When the shepherd strays, the sheep stray”.
“Were everyone to sweep in front of his own house, every street would be clean.”
“Soon ripe, soon rotten; soon wise, soon foolish.”
“One sprinkles the most sugar where the tart is burnt.”
“There are more thieves than are hanged.”
“When two quarrel both are in the wrong.”
“Stroke your dog, and he’ll spoil your clothes.”
“Cost goes before the profit.”
“Do not wake sleeping dogs.”
“Every little pot has a fitting lid.”
“Think before acting; and whilst acting, still think.”
Top English Proverbs
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
“The pen is mightier than the sword.”
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
“No man is an island.”
“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
“Better late than never.”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“Many hands make light work.”
“Strike while the iron is hot.”
“Honesty is the best policy.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Top German Proverbs
Du siehst den Wald lauter Bäumen nicht. Literally: you don’t see the forest for all the trees. …
Erst denken, dann handeln. Literally: first think, then act. …
Kümmere dich nicht um ungelegte Eier. Literally: don’t care/worry about the unlaid eggs. …
Wer ernten will, muss säen
Literally: whoever wants to harvest will
Anfangen ist leicht, Beharren ist Kunst
…. to start is easy, to persist is art
Aus Schaden wird man klug
… through detriment/disadvantage one becomes smart
Übung macht den Meister
….practice makes the master
Jeder sollte vor seiner eigenen Tür kehren
… everyone should sweep their own door
Er hat Haare auf den Zähnen
…He has hair on the teeth
Top Hungarian Proverbs
A nagy hal megeszi a kishalat.
Literal Translation: Big fish eat the small fish.
A hazug embert hamarabb utolérik, mint a sánta kutyát.
Literal Translation: They catch the man who lies sooner than the limping dog.
Az idő minden sebet begyógyít.
Literal Translation: Time heals all wounds
Ki mint vet, úgy arat.
Literal Translation: He who sows reaps.
Aki mer, az nyer.
Literal Translation: He who dares, wins
Ha nincs ló, jó a szamár is.
Literal Translation: If there is no horse, a donkey will do as well.
Ki tudja, mit hoz a holnap.
Literal Translation: Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
A szerelem vak.
Literal Translation: Love is blind.
Top Russian Proverbs
“Draw not your bow till your arrow is fixed.”
“When the rich make war, it’s the poor that die.”
“When the cat is away, the mice will play.”
“Many hands make light work.”
“Be swift to hear, slow to speak.”