Proverbs are short and pithy sayings that express some traditionally held truth. They are usually metaphorical and often, for the sake of memorability, alliterative.
1. A cat may look at a king
2. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
3. A change is as good as a rest
4. A dog is a man's best friend
5. A drowning man will clutch at a straw
6. A fish always rots from the head down
7. A fool and his money are soon parted
8. A friend in need is a friend indeed
9. A golden key can open any door
10. A good beginning makes a good ending
11. A good man is hard to find
12. A house divided against itself cannot stand
13. A house is not a home
14. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
15. A leopard cannot change its spots
16. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
17. A little learning is a dangerous thing
18. A little of what you fancy does you good
19. A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client
20. A miss is as good as a mile
21. A new broom sweeps clean
22. A nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse
23. A penny saved is a penny earned
24. A person is known by the company he keeps
25. A picture paints a thousand words
26. A place for everything and everything in its place
27. A poor workman always blames his tools
28. A problem shared is a problem halved
29. A prophet is not recognized in his own land
30. A rising tide lifts all boats
31. A rolling stone gathers no moss
32. A soft answer turneth away wrath
33. A stitch in time saves nine
34. A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly
35. A thing of beauty is a joy forever
36. A trouble shared is a trouble halved
37. A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men
38. A watched pot never boils
39. A woman's place is in the home
40. A woman's work is never done
41. A word to the wise is enough
42. Absence makes the heart grow fonder
43. Absolute power corrupts absolutely
44. Accidents will happen (in the best-regulated families).
45. Actions speak louder than words
46. Adversity makes strange bedfellows
47. After a storm comes a calm
48. All good things come to he who waits
49. All good things must come to an end
50. All is grist that comes to the mill
51. All publicity is good publicity
52. All roads lead to Rome
53. All that glisters is not gold
54. All the world loves a lover
55. All things come to those who wait
56. All things must pass
57. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
58. All you need is love
59. All's fair in love and war
60. All's for the best in the best of all possible worlds
61. All's well that ends well
62. A miss is as good as a mile
63. An apple a day keeps the doctor away
64. An army marches on its stomach
65. An Englishman's home is his castle
66. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
67. Another day, another dollar
68. Any port in a storm
69. April showers bring forth May flowers
70. As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it
71. As you sow so shall you reap
72. Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer
73. Ask no questions and hear no lies
74. Attack is the best form of defence
75. Bad money drives out good
76. Bad news travels fast
77. Barking dogs seldom bite
78. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
79. Beauty is only skin deep
80. Beggars should not be choosers
81. Behind every great man there's a great woman
82. Better late than never
83. Better safe than sorry
84. Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don't
85. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
86. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
87. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt
88. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
89. Big fish eat little fish
90. Birds of a feather flock together
91. Blood is thicker than water
92. Boys will be boys
93. Brevity is the soul of wit
94. Business before pleasure
95. Caesar's wife must be above suspicion
96. Carpe diem (Pluck the day; Seize the day)
97. Charity begins at home
98. Cheats never prosper
99. Children should be seen and not heard
100. Cleanliness is next to godliness
101. Clothes make the man
102. Cold hands, warm heart
103. Comparisons are odious
104. Count your blessings
105. Cowards may die many times before their death
106. Crime doesn't pay
107. Cut your coat to suit your cloth
108. Dead men tell no tales
109. Devil take the hindmost
110. Discretion is the better part of valour
111. Distance lends enchantment to the view
112. Do as I say, not as I do
113. Do as you would be done by
114. Do unto others as you would have them do to you
115. Don't bite the hand that feeds you
116. Don't burn your bridges behind you
117. Don't cast your pearls before swine
118. Don't change horses in midstream
119. Don't count your chickens before they are hatched
120. Don't cross the bridge till you come to it
121. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face
122. Don't keep a dog and bark yourself
123. Don't let the bastards grind you down
124. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
125. Don't meet troubles half-way
126. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
127. Don't put the cart before the horse
128. Don't put new wine into old bottles
129. Don't rock the boat
130. Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar
131. Don't throw pearls to swine
132. Don't teach your Grandma to suck eggs
133. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water
134. Don't try to walk before you can crawl
135. Don't upset the apple-cart
136. Don't wash your dirty linen in public
137. Doubt is the beginning not the end of wisdom
138. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
139. East is east, and west is west
140. East, west, home's best
141. Easy come, easy go
142. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die
143. Empty vessels make the most noise
144. Enough is as good as a feast
145. Enough is enough
146. Even a worm will turn
147. Every cloud has a silver lining
148. Every dog has its day
149. Every Jack has his Jill
150. Every little helps
151. Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost
152. Every man has his price
153. Every picture tells a story
154. Every stick has two ends
155. Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die
156. Everything comes to him who waits
157. Failing to plan is planning to fail
158. Faint heart never won fair lady
159. Fair exchange is no robbery
160. Faith will move mountains
161. Familiarity breeds contempt
162. Feed a cold and starve a fever
163. Fight fire with fire
164. Finders keepers, losers weepers
165. Fine words butter no parsnips
166. First come, first served
167. First impressions are the most lasting
168. First things first
169. Fish always stink from the head down
170. Fish and guests smell after three days
171. Flattery will get you nowhere
172. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
173. For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost
174. Forewarned is forearmed
175. Forgive and forget
176. Fortune favours the brave
177. From the sublime to the ridiculous is only one step
178. Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains
179. Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration
180. Give a dog a bad name and hang him
181. Give a man rope enough and he will hang himself
182. Give credit where credit is due
183. God helps those who help themselves
184. Good fences make good neighbours
185. Good talk saves the food
186. Good things come to those who wait
187. Great minds think alike
188. Half a loaf is better than no bread
189. Handsome is as handsome does
190. Hard cases make bad law
191. Hard work never did anyone any harm
192. Haste makes waste
193. He that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing
194. He who can does, he who cannot, teaches
195. He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day
196. He who hesitates is lost
197. He who laughs last laughs longest
198. He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword
199. He who pays the piper calls the tune
200. He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon
201. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
202. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty
203. History repeats itself
204. Home is where the heart is
205. Honesty is the best policy
206. Hope springs eternal
207. Horses for courses
208. If anything can go wrong, it will
209. If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well
210. If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again
211. If God had meant us to fly he'd have given us wings
212. If ifs and ands were pots and pans there'd be no work for tinkers
213. If it ain't broke, don't fix it
214. If life deals you lemons, make lemonade
215. If the cap fits, wear it
216. If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain
217. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
218. If you can't be good, be careful
219. If you can't beat em, join em
220. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen
221. If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas
222. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
223. If you want a thing done well, do it yourself
224. Ignorance is bliss
225. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
226. In for a penny, in for a pound
227. In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king
228. In the midst of life we are in death
229. Into every life a little rain must fall
230. It ain't over till the fat lady sings
231. It goes without saying
232. It is best to be on the safe side
233. It is better to give than to receive
234. It is easy to be wise after the event
235. It never rains but it pours
236. It takes a thief to catch a thief
237. It takes all sorts to make a world
238. It takes one to know one
239. It takes two to tango
240. It's all grist to the mill
241. It's an ill wind that blows no one any good
242. It's better to give than to receive
243. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
244. It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness
245. It's better to travel hopefully than to arrive
246. It's never too late
247. It's no use crying over spilt milk
248. It's no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted
249. It's the early bird that catches the worm
250. It's the empty can that makes the most noise
251. It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease
252. Jack of all trades, master of none
253. Judge not, that ye be not judged
254. Keep your chin up
255. Keep your powder dry
256. Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone
257. Laughter is the best medicine
258. Least said, soonest mended
259. Less is more
260. Let bygones be bygones
261. Let not the sun go down on your wrath
262. Let sleeping dogs lie
263. Let the buyer beware
264. Let the dead bury the dead
265. Let the punishment fit the crime
266. Let well alone
267. Life begins at forty
268. Life is just a bowl of cherries
269. Life is what you make it
270. Life's not all beer and skittles
271. Lightning never strikes twice in the same place
272. Like father, like son
273. Little pitchers have big ears
274. Little strokes fell great oaks
275. Little things please little minds
276. Live for today for tomorrow never comes
277. Look before you leap
278. Love is blind
279. Love makes the world go round
280. Love thy neighbour as thyself
281. Love will find a way
282. Make hay while the sun shines
283. Make love not war
284. Man does not live by bread alone
285. Manners maketh man
286. Many a little makes a mickle
287. Many a mickle makes a muckle
288. Many a true word is spoken in jest
289. Many hands make light work
290. March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb
291. March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers
292. Marriages are made in heaven
293. Marry in haste, repent at leisure
294. Might is right
295. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
296. Misery loves company
297. Moderation in all things
298. Monday's child is fair of face,
299. Tuesday's child is full of grace,
300. Wednesday's child is full of woe,
301. Thursday's child has far to go,
302. Friday's child is loving and giving,
303. Saturday's child works hard for its living,
304. And a child that's born on the Sabbath day
305. Is fair and wise and good and gay.
306. Money doesn't grow on trees
307. Money is the root of all evil
308. Money isn't everything
309. Money makes the world go round
310. Money talks
311. More haste, less speed
312. Music has charms to soothe the savage breast
313. Nature abhors a vacuum
314. Necessity is the mother of invention
315. Needs must when the devil drives
316. Ne'er cast a clout till May be out
317. Never give a sucker an even break
318. Never go to bed on an argument
319. Never judge a book by its cover
320. Never let the sun go down on your anger
321. Never look a gift horse in the mouth
322. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today
323. Never speak ill of the dead
324. Never tell tales out of school
325. Nine tailors make a man
326. No man can serve two masters
327. No man is an island
328. No names, no pack-drill
329. No news is good news
330. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent
331. No pain, no gain
332. No rest for the wicked
333. Nothing is certain but death and taxes
334. Nothing succeeds like success
335. Nothing venture, nothing gain
336. Oil and water don't mix
337. Old soldiers never die, they just fade away
338. Once a thief, always a thief
339. Once bitten, twice shy
340. One good turn deserves another
341. One half of the world does not know how the other half lives
342. One hand washes the other
343. One man's meat is another man's poison
344. One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb
345. One law for the rich and another for the poor
346. One swallow does not make a summer
347. One volunteer is worth ten pressed men
348. One year's seeding makes seven years weeding
349. Only fools and horses work
350. Opportunity never knocks twice at any man's door
351. Out of sight, out of mind
352. Parsley seed goes nine times to the Devil
353. Patience is a virtue
354. Pearls of wisdom
355. Penny wise and pound foolish
356. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
357. Physician, heal thyself
358. Possession is nine points of the law
359. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely
360. Practice makes perfect
361. Practice what you preach
362. Prevention is better than cure
363. Pride goes before a fall
364. Procrastination is the thief of time
365. Put your best foot forward
366. Rain before seven, fine before eleven
367. Red sky at night shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning
368. Revenge is a dish best served cold
369. Revenge is sweet
370. Rob Peter to pay Paul
371. Rome wasn't built in a day
372. See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you'll have all day
373. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
374. Seeing is believing
375. Seek and ye shall find
376. Set a thief to catch a thief
377. Share and share alike
378. Shrouds have no pockets
379. Silence is golden
380. Slow but sure
381. Softly, softly, catchee monkey
382. Spare the rod and spoil the child
383. Speak as you find
384. Speak softly and carry a big stick
385. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
386. Still waters run deep
387. Strike while the iron is hot
388. Stupid is as stupid does
389. Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan
390. Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves
391. Talk is cheap
392. Talk of the Devil, and he is bound to appear
393. Tell the truth and shame the Devil
394. That which does not kill us makes us stronger
395. The age of miracles is past
396. The apple never falls far from the tree
397. The best defence is a good offence
398. The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley
399. The best things in life are free
400. The bigger they are, the harder they fall
401. The bottom line is the bottom line
402. The boy is father to the man
403. The bread always falls buttered side down
404. The child is the father of the man
405. The cobbler always wears the worst shoes
406. The course of true love never did run smooth
407. The customer is always right
408. The darkest hour is just before the dawn
409. The devil finds work for idle hands to do
410. The devil looks after his own
411. The early bird catches the worm
412. The end justifies the means
413. The exception which proves the rule
414. The female of the species is more deadly than the male
415. The fruit does not fall far from the tree
416. The good die young
417. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
418. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
419. The husband is always the last to know
420. The labourer is worthy of his hire
421. The law is an ass
422. The leopard does not change his spots
423. The longest journey starts with a single step
424. The more the merrier
425. The more things change, the more they stay the same
426. The only good Indian is a dead Indian
427. The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings
428. The pen is mightier than sword
429. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance
430. The proof of the pudding is in the eating
431. The road to hell is paved with good intentions
432. The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot
433. The squeaking wheel gets the grease
434. The truth will out
435. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
436. There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream
437. There are none so blind as those, that will not see
438. There are two sides to every question
439. There but for the grace of God, go I
440. There's a time and a place for everything
441. There's an exception to every rule
442. There's always more fish in the sea
443. There's honour among thieves
444. There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle
445. There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip
446. There's more than one way to skin a cat
447. There's no accounting for tastes
448. There's no fool like an old fool
449. There's no place like home
450. There's no smoke without fire
451. There's no such thing as a free lunch
452. There's no such thing as bad publicity
453. There's no time like the present
454. There's none so blind as those who will not see
455. There's none so deaf as those who will not hear
456. There's nowt so queer as folk
457. There's one born every minute
458. There's safety in numbers
459. They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind
460. Third time lucky
461. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
462. Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
463. Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas
464. Time and tide wait for no man
465. Time flies
466. Time is a great healer
467. Time is money
468. Time will tell
469. 'tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all
470. To err is human; to forgive divine
471. To every thing there is a season
472. To the victor go the spoils
473. To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive
474. Tomorrow is another day
475. Tomorrow never comes
476. Too many cooks spoil the broth
477. Truth is stranger than fiction
478. Truth will out
479. Two blacks don't make a white
480. Two heads are better than one
481. Two is company, but three's a crowd
482. Two wrongs don't make a right
483. Variety is the spice of life
484. Virtue is its own reward
485. Walls have ears
486. Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs
487. Waste not want not
488. What can't be cured must be endured
489. What goes up must come down
490. What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts
491. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
492. When in Rome, do as the Romans do
493. When the cat's away the mice will play
494. When the going gets tough, the tough get going
495. When the oak is before the ash, then you will only get a splash; when the ash is before the oak, then you may expect a soak
496. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over
497. Where there's a will there's a way
498. Where there's muck there's brass
499. While there's life there's hope
500. Whom the Gods love die young
501. Why keep a dog and bark yourself?
502. Women and children first
503. Wonders will never cease
504. Work expands so as to fill the time available
505. Worrying never did anyone any good
506. You are never too old to learn
507. You are what you eat
508. You can have too much of a good thing
509. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
510. You can't have your cake and eat it
511. You can't get blood out of a stone
512. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear
513. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
514. You can't make bricks without straw
515. You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
516. You can't teach an old dog new tricks
517. You can't tell a book by looking at its cover
518. You can't win them all
519. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
520. You pays your money and you takes your choice
521. Youth is wasted on the young
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