FAMOUS PROVERBS (SAYINGS) IN YOUR COUNTRY!

Every country has its own proverbs and saying or mere popular sentences well lets share them with eachother!

1. Voor niets gaat de zon op
>The sun rises for free<



2. Als de maan vol is, schijnt zij overal
>When the moon is full, it shines everywhere<



3. Bij hem komt de maan al door de wolken
>His moon is already breaking the clouds<



4. Na regen komt zonneschijn
>After the rain, the sun will shine<



5. Waar de zon schijnt, is de maan niet nodig
>Who needs the moon, when the sun is shining?<



6. Als de hemel valt, krijgen we allemaal een blauwe pet
>If the sky comes down, we'll all be wearing a blue cap<



7. Als de hemel valt, blijft er geen tuinstok staan
>If the sky comes down, not a pole will be left upright<



8. Het regent pijpenstelen
>It's raining pipe-stems<



9. Als alle gekken konden vliegen hadden we een permanente zonsverduistering
>If all fools could fly, the sun would be eclipsed forever<



10. Morgenrood brengt water in de sloot
>Red morning-sky brings water to the ditch<



11. Spijkers op laag water zoeken
>To look for nails at low tide<



12. Hoge bomen vangen veel wind
>High trees catch a lot of wind<



13. Zo de wind waait, waait z'n jasje
>As the wind blows, so does his jacket<



14. Wie boter op zijn hoofd heeft, moet uit de zon blijven
>He who has butter on his head, should stay out of the sun<



15. Hij kan de zon niet in het water zien schijnen
>He cannot see the sun shine in the water<



16. Door de bomen het bos niet meer zien
>Unable to see the forest because of the trees<



17. De beste stuurlui staan aan wal
>The best steersmen are ashore<



18. Het zijn niet de slechtste vruchten waaraan de wespen knagen
>It ain't the worst fruit that is eaten by wasps<



19. Nou breekt mijn klomp
>That breaks my wooden shoe<



20. Als het regent in september, valt kerstmis in december
>If it rains in September, X-mas will be in December<



21. De eerste klap is een daalder waard.
>The first hit is worth a dollar<

(In case you are wondering: daalder' and dollar' are both derived from the German word taler', a coin that originates in the year 1520.)



22. Het sop is de kool niet waard
>The water isn't worth the cabbage<



23. Wie voor een dubbeltje geboren is, wordt nooit een kwartje waard
>He who is born for a dime, will never be worth a quarter<



24. Lekker is slechts een vinger lang
>Tasty is just one finger long<



25. Gebraden duiven vliegen niet
>Roasted doves don't fly<



26. De toekomst is een boek met zeven sloten
>The future is a book with seven locks<



27. Wat baten een kaars en bril als de uil niet ziet en wil
>What's the use of candle and glasses if the owl doesn't want to see<



28. Langs de straat van straks komt men aan het huis van nooit
>Later-street leads directly to the Never-house<



29. Heb je geen paard, gebruik dan een ezel
>If you don't have a horse, use a donkey<



30. Een gek kan meer vragen dan honderd wijzen kunnen beantwoorden
>A fool can ask more than a hundred wise men can answer<



31. De duivel schijt altijd op de grootste hoop
>The devil always shits on the biggest pile<



32. Wat de boer niet kent, dat (vr)eet hij niet
>What the peasant doesn't know, he doesn't eat<



33. Bitter in de mond maakt het hart gezond
>Bitter in the mouth makes the heart healthy<



34. De regen die vandaag valt, valt morgen niet
>The rain that falls today, doesn't fall tomorrow<



35. Hi, ha, hondenlul!
>Untranslatable expression, commonly used at soccer matches to abuse the referee. The last word refers to one of the smaller extremities of a dog...<



36. Het kind met het badwater weggooien
>To throw away the child with the bath water<



37. Waar het hart vol van is, stroomt de mond van over
>What fills the heart, will flow over from the mouth<



38. De zon gaat zinloos onder, morgen moet hij toch weer op
>Sunset is useless, the sun has to rise again in the morning anyway<
(Modern expression by comedian Herman Finkers)



39. Een naaimachine naait, maar een nietmachine niet
>A sewing-machine sews but a stapler staples<
(Mindboggling, eh? The joke is that 'niet' means 'staples', but also 'not'!)



40. Ikke, ikke en de rest kan stikken
>Me, me, the rest can choke<



41. Toeval is logisch
>Coincidence is logical<
(Quote by the famous Dutch soccer player Johan Cruijff.)



42. Ik bid niet voor bruine bonen!
>I won't say my prayers for 'brown' beans!<
(Phrase from the (fictional) Dutch boy Bartje, from the book by the same name.)



43. De rijkdom kan niet lange staan, hij groeit en krimpt gelijk de maan
>Wealth is a temporary thing: it waxes and wanes like the moon<



44. Een kring om de maan dat zal wel gaan, maar een kring om de zon daar huilen vrouwen en kinderen om.
>A ring around the moon is not too bad, but a ring around the sun makes women and children sad.<



45. Is de maan als een schuit, dan valt er geen regen uit.
>When the moon is a boat, no rain will fall.<



46. Schijnt de zon op nieuwjaar, geeft het een goed appeljaar.
>When the sun shines on New Year's Day, it will be a good apple year.<



47. Niemand ooit zo fijn iets spon, of het kwam aan het licht der zon.
>No one can make a fabric so fine that it won't be exposed to the sun.<



48. Krimpende winden en uitgaande vrouwen zijn niet te vertrouwen.
>Backing winds and pleasure-seeking women are not to be trusted.<



49. Al regende het varkens, je kreeg er geen borstel van.
>Even a rain of pigs doesn't give you a brush.<



50. Leven als een (kik)vorst in Frankrijk.
>To live like a prince (frog) in France.<
(The frog is an addition thought up by late Kina van der Meij and me... it slightly changes the meaning of the proverb.)



51. Wanneer het op de groten regent, drupt het op de kleinen.
>If it rains on the Great, it drips on the little people.<



52. Wie naar de hemel spuwt, spuwt in zijn eigen aangezicht.
>He who spits at heaven, spits in his own face.<



53. Zonder mijn en dijn zou de wereld een hemel zijn.
>Without mine and theirs, the world would be like heaven.<



54. Is de hemel al te blauw, spoedig wordt hij dan weer grauw.
>If the sky is all to blue, it soon will turn to gray again.<



55. De molen gaat niet om met wind die voorbij is.
>The windmill doesn't care for the wind that's gone past.<



56. Waar de dijk het laagst is, loop het eerst het water over.
>Where the dyke is lowest, water runs over it first.<



57. Alle beetjes helpen, zei de mug, en ze piste in de zee.
>Every little bit helps, the mosquito said, just before it pissed into the sea.<



58. Daar verdrinken er meer in een wijnglas dan in de zee.
>More people drown in a wineglass then in the sea.<



59. Als de drank is in de man, is de wijsheid in de kan.
>If booze is in the man, wisdom is in the can.<



60. Een haastig man moet op geen ezel rijden.
>He who is in a hurry, shouldn't be riding a donkey.<



61. Een man met baard, daar is een vrouw bij bewaard.
>A bearded man is a woman provided for.<



62. Indien de baard de wijsheid bracht, zo werd de bok het wijst geacht.
>If a beard were a sign of wisdom, the he-goat would be the wisest<



63. Wie zichzelf niet belangrijk vindt, doet zijn werk niet goed.
>He who doesn't find himself important, isn't doing his job well.<



64. Ik moet niks hebben van kinderen. Kind *zijn* vond ik al erg genoeg.
> I don't like children. *Being* one was bad enough.<
(Quote by one of the characters of writer/artist Wim T. Schippers)

I personally like 57,59 and 53...lol

Sicilian proverbs

A cani tintu catina curta
>To bad dogs, a short chain is placed

Cu mancia fa muddichi
>A person eating must make crumbs

Cu gaddu e senza gaddu, diu fa journa
>God will make the the sun rise with or without the rooster

Tinemu d'occhiu u scurpiuni e u sirpenti, ma nunni vardamu du millipedi
>We keep an eye on the scorpion and the serpent, but we do not watch the millipede

U pesci fet d'a testa
>Fish start smelling from the head

Nun si po' aviri la carni senz' ossu
>You can't have meat without the bone

Nenti mi ratta a manu comu i me unga
>Nothing scratches my hand like my own nails

I palori nimici fannu ridiri chiddi di l'amici fanni chianciri
>The words of enemies make you laugh, but those of friends can make you cry

Non essiri duci sinno tu mancianu, non essiri amaru sinno ti futanu
>Do not be sweet lest you be eaten, do not be too sour, lest you be shunned

Camina chi pantofuli finu a quannu non hai i scarpi
>Walk with your slippers until you find your shoes

Beniamino, quei proverbi sono meravigliosi.

Here are a few Piemontese proverbs.

Na cativa lavandera a treuva mai na bon-a pera.
A bad laundress never finds a good stone.

Massé la gent e gavé la fiòca: doi mesté ch'a servo a gnente.
Killing people and putting out snow are two useless jobs.

Ògni uss a l'ha sò tabuss.
Each door has its own door-knocker (?)

A l'é méj n'aso viv che 'n dotor mòrt.
It is better an alive donkey than a dead doctor.

Për gnente gnanca ij can a bogio la coa.
For nothing, not even the dog wags its tail.

Chi bél a veul ëvnì, quaicòs a l'ha da sufrì.
Who wants to become beautiful has to suffer something.

Se a fiòca an sla feuja, l'invern a dà pòca neuja.
If it snows on the leaf, the winter will not be a problem.

Méj frusté scarpe che linseuj.
It is better to waste shoes than sheets. (It is better to stand and walk then to be ill in bed.)

Chi a deurm con ij can as àussa con le pùles.
He who sleeps with dogs wakes up with fleas.

Sovens chi a l'ha da dé a ciama.
Often, he who owns things (that he can give) asks for things from others.

I love the Sicilian ones. I lived in Rome for a while and used to laugh my pants off about their proverbs, but I don't remember anymore.


Here's some Frisian from the northern Netherlands

earlik duorret it langst
(honesty lasts the longest)

De klean meitsje de man
(clothes make the man)

As de foks dominy is, mei de boer syn guozzen wol neigean.
(If the fox preaches, then beware your geese)

Moaie lju komme jûns let.
(the best guests always come later)

Deade hûnen bite net
(Dead dogs don't bite.)

Here's a legal Latin one:

Volenti non fit iniuria
Those who consent cannot be injured

Here's a Dantean one (from the Vth Canto)

Nessun maggior dolore che ricordarsi del tempo felice ne la miseria.
(No greater pain than to remember happiness in the midst of misery)

Ami de plusieurs, ami de nul. Friend of many, friend of none.
À chaque jour suffit sa peine. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
À cœur vaillant rien d'impossible. Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera. Heaven helps those who help themselves.
À la guerre comme à la guerre. With the war as with the war (one must take things as they come).
À l'impossible nul n'est tenu. No one is expected to achieve the impossible.
Après la pluie le beau temps. After rain, beautiful weather (every cloud has a silver lining).
À tout seigneur tout honneur. Honour to whom honour is due.
Au royaume des aveugles les borgnes sont rois. In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed are king.
Aux grands maux les grands remèdes. Desperate ills demand desperate measures.
Bien mal acquis ne profite jamais. Ill-gotten gains seldom prosper.
Ce que femme veut, Dieu le veut. A woman's will is God's will.
C'est bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet. It's six of one and half a dozen of the other.
C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron. By dint of forging one becomes a blacksmith (practice makes perfect).
C'est la goutte qui fait déborder le vase. It's the drop that makes the vase overflow (it's the last straw that breaks the camel's back).
Chacun voit midi à sa porte. Everyone sees noon at his door (to each his own).
Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop. Chase away the natural and it returns at a gallop (a leopard cannot change its spots).
Des goûts et des couleurs, on ne discute pas. One shouldn't argue about tastes or colours (there's no accounting for tastes).
Dis-moi qui tu hantes, je te dirai qui tu es. Tell me who you haunt and I will tell you who you are (a man is known by the company he keeps).
Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra. Do your duty, come what may.
Filer a l'anglaise. Let out the English way (to take a French leave).
Honni soit qui mal y pense. Shameful be they who thinks badly of it (evil be to him who evil thinks).
Il faut de tout pour faire un monde. It takes all sorts to make a world.
Il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu. There's no smoke without fire.
Il n'y a pas de petit profit. A penny saved is a penny earned.
Il n'y a pas de sot métier. Every trade has its value.
Il n'y a que la vérité qui blesse. : Only the truth wounds.
Impossible n'est pas français. Impossible is not French; French do not consider things impossible. (there is no such word as "can't").
Laver son linge sale en famille. Don't air your dirty laundry in public.
L'argent n'a pas d'odeur. Money has no smell (money is money, wherever it comes from).
L'homme est un loup pour l'homme. Mankind is a wolf for mankind (brother will turn on brother).
La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien. Better is the enemy of good (let well alone).
Les absents ont toujours tort. Absentees are always wrong.
Les bons comptes font les bons amis. Good accounts make good friends (short reckonings make long friends).
Les chiens ne font pas des chats. Dogs don't make cats (like breeds like).
Les cordonniers sont les plus mal chaussés. The cobbler's children go barefoot.
Les grands esprits se rencontrent. Great spirits meet one another (great minds think alike).
L'espoir fait vivre. Where there's life, there's hope.
L'exactitude est la politesse des rois. Punctuality is the politeness of kings.
L'exception confirme la règle. It's the exception that proves the rule.
L'oisiveté est mère de tous les vices. Idleness is the root of all evils.
Mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné. Better be alone than in bad company.
Mieux vaut tenir que courir. Better hold than run (a bird in hand is worth two in a bush).
Nécessité fait loi. Need makes law (beggars can't be choosers).
On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser des œufs. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
On ne peut avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre. You can't have both the butter and the butter money (you can't have your cake and eat it).
On ne prête qu'aux riches. One lends only to the rich (only the rich get richer).
On n'est jamais si bien servi que par soi-même. If you want something done right, do it yourself.

On revient toujours à ses premiers amours. One always returns to his first loves.
Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse. A rollling stone gathers no moss.
Prendre le taureau par les cornes. Take the bull by the horns.
Plaie d'argent n'est pas mortelle. A money wound isn't a mortal (money isn't everything).
Prudence est mère de sûreté. Caution is the mother of safety (discretion is the better part of valour).
Quand le chat n'est pas là les souris dansent. While the cat's away the mice will play.
Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire. Once the wine is drawn, it must be drunk (in for a penny, in for a pound).
Quand on parle du loup on en voit la queue. Talk of the wolf and you'll see his tail (talk of the Devil and he will appear).
Qui a bu boira. Who has drunk, will drink (once a drunkard, always a drunkard).
Qui cherche trouve. Seek and ye shall find.
Qui dort dîne. He who sleeps forgets his hunger.
Qu'importe le flacon, pourvu qu'on ait l'ivresse ! What difference does it make what the means are?
Qui ne risque rien n'a rien. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Qui sème le vent récolte la tempête. As you sow, so you shall reap.
Qui se ressemble s'assemble. Birds of a feather flock together.
Qui vivra verra. Time will tell.
Qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf. He that will steal an egg will steal an ox.
Rira bien qui rira le dernier. He who laughs last laughs best.
Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait. If youth but knew, if old age but could (youth is wasted on the young).
Souvent femme varie, bien fol qui s'y fie. Woman is fickle, man beware !
Tel père, tel fils. Like father, like son.
Tel qui rit vendredi, dimanche pleurera. Laugh on Friday, cry on Sunday (sing before breakfast, cry before night).
Toute peine mérite salaire. Every job deserves a wage (the labourer is worthy of his hire).
Une fois n'est pas coutume. Just this once will not hurt.
Une place pour chaque chose et chaque chose a sa place. A place for everything and everything in its place.
Un homme averti en vaut deux. Forewarned is forearmed.
Un malheur ne vient jamais seul. Misfortune never comes alone (it never rains but it pours)
Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras. A bird in hand is worth two in a bush.
Ventre affamé n'a pas d'oreilles. The hungry belly has no ears (words are wasted on a starving man).
Vouloir, c'est pouvoir. Where there's a will there's a way.

Here are some in Swedish:

Bäst att smida medan järnet är varmt
Best to strike while the iron is hot

Den som gräver en grop åt andra faller ofta själv däri
He who digs a hole for others to fall into often falls in it himself

Ett gott skratt förlänger livet
A good laughter prolongs your life

Den väntar på något gott väntar aldrig för länge
He who waits for something good never waits too long

Det som göms i snö kommer fram i tö
That which is hidden in snow reveals itself in thaw

Hungern är bästa kryddan
Hunger is the best spice

Man måste lära sig krypa innan man kan gå
One has to learn to crawl before one can walk

Man ska inte köpa grisen i säcken
One should not buy the pig in the sack

Mycket får man höra innan öronen faller av
One has to hear a lot before ones ears fall off

Kärt barn har många namn
A dear child has many names

Nära skjuter ingen hare
Close shoots no hare

Skenet bedrar
Appearance deceives

Även små grytor har öron
Small pots also have ears

Man har inte roligare än vad man gör sig själv
One does not have more fun than one tries to have (rough bad translation)

Occitan proverbs :

Per èstre urous, n' ès que de s'en creire.
To be happy, it is enough to think you are.

Calquecop le pa que be quand las denses s'en soun anandos.
Sometimes the bread arrives after the teeth have gone.

Ten le gendre lèns è le tiu femouriè proche.
Keep your son-in-law at a distance and your manure close at hand.

Fennos, libres è chabals se prèston pas.
Wives, books and horses should not be lent.

Ibal mès un repetit à la padeno qu'uno auco que bolo à la sereno.
Better a wren in the pan than a goose in the sky.

Qui beu amarguent pot pos escupi dous.
Who drinks bitter cannot spit sweet.

Fenno morto, capél nou.
Dead wife: new hat.

Tres carêmas e tres vendémias per an, tugarien ases e capelans
Three lents and three grape harvests a year will kill the asses and the priests.

Lo sen ven pas avant l'edat.
The sense never comes before it acts.

Que se fa feda, lo lop la manja.
He who is made sheep, the wolf eats.

Cada pichot aucèl a son pichot coratge.
Every little bird has a little courage.

Cada aucel trapa son nis bel.
Every bird finds his beautiful nest.

A vaca grassa, vedel foiros.
To a fat cow, a diarrhoetic calf.

Los cats fan pas de chins.
Cats do not make dogs.

Las femnas fan e desfan los ostals.
Women make and destroy homes.

Una filha, brava filha, dos filhas, pron de filhas, tres filhas, amb la maire, quante torment per lo paire.
One daughter, good daughter, two daughters, enough daughters, three daughters, with the mother, what agony for the father!

Al mariaje e a la mòrt, la diabla fa sos esfòrcs.
To marriage and death, the devil does his deeds.

Qual es fòl quand nais, toda la vida s'en patis.
A fool at birth is a fool his whole life.

La polidiá porta pas pan a casa.
Beauty does not bring bread to the house.

Pòs virar ton cuol al vent, pòs pas lo virar al temps.
You can turn your bottom to the wind, you cannot turn it to time.

Wow! You'd never guess that Occitan is an endangered language what with all the Occitan speakers in this forum ;-)

Here's one from Canada:

Never pee into the wind.

Fennos, libres è chabals se prèston pas.
Wives, books and horses should not be lent.

Feminists would be enraged! :-P