See also English mnemonics.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y

A

• "A poor workman blames his tools."
  • Possible Interpretation: Good workmanship depends no more on the quality of the tools than it does on the way in which they are used, so to blame the tools for bad workmanship is to attempt to excuse one's own lack of skill.
  • Also, in former times, a blacksmith would have made his own tools, so the act of blaming ones tools would rebound on oneself.
  • This wording of this proverb also has the double meaning : " A workman without much money blames the quality of his tools".
• "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
  • Possible Interpretation: A small amount that you have is worth more than a large amount that is uncertain.
• "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
  • Possible Interpretation: We feel more affection for relatives and friends when we are parted from them for given amount of time or distance.
• "A cat may look at a king."
  • Possible Interpretation: This is one of Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. It means: "If a cat may look at a king, I have as much right to take an interest in what you are doing. Are you so important that I can't even look at you?"
• "A chain is no stronger than its weakest link."
  • Possible Interpretation: The strength (usually metaphorical) of a group depends on the individual strength of each of its members.
• "A coward dies a thousand times before his death. The valiant never taste of death but once."
  • From William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
• "A creaking door hangs longest." and "A creaking gate hangs long."
  • Possible Interpretation: Despite its defects, the quality and/or performance of a tested article is more dependable.
• "Actions speak louder than words."
• "Advice when most needed is least heeded."
• "A fool and his money are easily parted."
• "A fox smells its own lair first." and " A fox smells its own stink first."
  • Possible Interpretation: If you are the first person to notice a fault in someone else, might that be because you have the same fault? This proverb is sometimes also used against someone who is claiming that someone else has passed wind, meaning that if you acknowledge a smell, perhaps you are the person who created the smell and are just trying to take the suspicion off yourself.
• "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
• "After a storm comes a calm."
• "After dinner sit a while, after supper walk a mile."
• "A good beginning makes a good ending."
• "A good man in an evil society seems the greatest villain of all."
• "A good surgeon has an eagle's eye, a lion's heart, and a lady's hand."
• "A guilty conscience needs no accuser."
• "A jack of all trades is master of none."
  • Possible Interpretation: Someone who is good at everything has no mastery over any one particular thing.
• "A lie has no legs."
  • Possible Interpretation: You can't get away with a lie, it will always reveal the truth someday
• "A lie can be halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on."
  • Attributed to Winston Churchill. It's easier to turn falsehood loose than correct it everywhere it runs to.
• "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
• "A merry heart makes a long life."
• "A miss is as good as a mile."
• "A penny saved is a penny earned."
  • Attributed to Benjamin Franklin; Poor Richard's Almanac .
• "A person is known by the company he keeps."
• "A picture is worth a thousand words."
• "A pot of milk is ruined by a drop of poison."
• "A rolling stone gathers no moss."
  • Possible Interpretation: A person who does not stay in any one place for very long will not develop roots or meaningful connections with others.
• "A sound mind in a sound body."
  • From the Latin , mens sana in corpore sano.
• "A stitch in time saves nine." This is attributed to Benjamin Franklin under american proverbs.
  • Possible Interpretation: A small problem adressed in time prevents the development of a larger problem.
• "All cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet."
• "All flowers are not in one garland."
• "All frills and no knickers."
• "All good things come to an end."
• "All hat and no cattle."
• "All proverbs be shite."
  • Usage: To inappropriate usage of proverbs.
• "All roads lead to Rome."
• "All's fair in love and war."
• "All's well that ends well."
• "All that glisters is not gold."
  • From William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, act II, scene 7, by William Shakespeare
  • Possible Interpretation: Not everything is what it appears to be.
  • Alternative: "All that glitters is not gold."
• "All things come to he who waits."
  • Alternative version: "Good things come to those who wait."
• "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
• "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
• "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
  • From the Code of Hammurabi and the Bible. Originally meant that punishment could be no more than an eye for an eye.
• "Another man's poison is not necessarily yours."
  • From the Latin proverb: "One man's medicine is another man's poison."
  • Alternative: "One man's trash is another man's treasure."
• "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
• "April showers bring May flowers."
• "Ask and you shall receive."
  • From the Gospel of Matthew
• "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies."
• "Ask no questions and hear no lies."
• "As you make your bed, so you must lie in it."
• "As you sow, so shall you reap."
  • Possible Interpretation: What you do now reflects upon what will happen later.
• "A watched kettle never boils."
  • Alternative: "A watched pot never boils."
• "A woman's work is never done."
  • From a folk rhyme - "A man may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done", meaning that a man's traditional role as breadwinner may keep him occupied from sunup to sundown, but the traditional roles of a woman demand even longer hours of work.
• "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle."
• "A word to the wise is enough" (or "sufficient.")
  • Latin: Verbum sapienti saepet.
• "A word spoken is past recalling."
  • Alternative: "What's done is done."

B

• "Barking dogs seldom bite."
• "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it."
• "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
• "Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes straight to the bone."
• "Beauty may open doors but only virtue enters."
• "Beer before liquor, you'll never be sicker, but liquor before beer and you're in the clear."
• "Beggars can't be choosers."
• "Better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
• "Better late than never."
• "Better safe than sorry."
• "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't."
• "Birds of a feather flock together."
• "Bitter pills may have blessed effects."
• "Blood is thicker than water."
• "Blood will out."
  • This has a parallel in Chaucer, Murder will out.
• "Boys will be boys."
  • Already a Latin proverb: Sunt pueri pueri, pueri puerilia tractant. "Boys will be boys and play boyish games."
• "Brain is better than brawn."
• "Bread is the staff of life."
• "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper."
• "Butter is gold in the morning, silver at noon, lead at night."

C

• "Cast pearls before swine." To waste something of value on those who won't or can't appreciate it.
• "Chance favors the prepared mind."
• "Cider on beer, never fear; beer upon cider, makes a bad rider."
• "Close but no cigar."
• "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades."
• "Clothes make(th) the man."
  • The opposite form also exists, "Clothes don't make the man."
• "Common sense ain't common."
• "Cowards die many times, but a brave man only dies once."
• "Cross the stream where it is the shallowest."
• "Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought it back"
• "Cut your coat according to your cloth."

D

• "Desperate diseases must have desperate cures."
  • Similar to "Desperate times call for desparate measures."
• "Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies."
• "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
• "Different sores must have different salves."
• "Different strokes for different folks."
• "Diseases come on horseback, but steal away on foot."
• "Do as you would be done by."
• "Do unto others as you would have done to you."
• "Doctors make the worst patients."
• "Don't burn your bridges before they're crossed."
• "Don't burn your bridges behind you."
• "Don't change horses in midstream."
• "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched."
• "Don't cross a bridge until you come to it."
• "Don't cry over spilt milk."
• "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face."
• "Don't have too many irons in the fire."
• "Don't make a mountain out of a molehill."
• "Don't mend what ain't broken."
• "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."
• "Don't put the cart before the horse."
• "Don't shut the barn door after the horse is gone."
• "Don't shut the gate after the horse has bolted."
• "Don't spit into the wind."
• "Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater."
• "Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom."
• "Do or die."

E

• "Early bird gets the worm."
  • Corollary, cynical: "Early worm gets the bird."
• "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
  • Corollary, cynical: Early to rise and early to bed makes a man healthy, wealthy and dead, attributed to Terry Pratchett
• "Eat to live, don't live to eat."
• "Eat when you're hungry, and drink when you're dry."
• "East or West, home is best."
• "Education is a subversive activity."
• "Empty barrels make the most sound."
  • Similar to "Empty vessels make the most noise."
  • Possible interpretation: The person who has nothing to say, often speaks most.
• "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while."
• "Even a worm will turn."
• "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."
• "Every cloud has a silver lining."
• "Every day is a new beginning."
• "Every disease will have its course."
• "Every dog has its day."
• "Every man has a price."
• "Every rule has its exception."
• "Everything comes to him who waits."
• "Everything's eventual."
• "Every why has a wherefore."

F

• "Faith will move mountains."
  • Based on a Christian New Testament passage.
• "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady."
• "Familiarity breeds contempt."
• "Fine feathers make fine birds."
• "Fine words butter no parsnips."
• "First come, first served."
• "First deserve then desire."
• "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
• "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread ."
• "Forbidden fruit is the sweetest."
  • Possibly based on the biblical story of Adam and Eve
• "Forewarned is forearmed."
• "Fresh pork and new wine kill a man before his time."
• "Fretting cares make grey hairs."
• "Friend to all is a friend to none."
• "Friend in need is a friend indeed

G

• "Garbage in, garbage out."
• "Give and take is fair play."
• "Give a dog a bad name and hang him."
• "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
  • Corollary, humorous: "Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day; set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life", attributed to Terry Pratchett, Jingo. Also, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day."
• "Give the Devil his due."
• "God blesses a drunk."
• "God cures and the physician takes the fee."
• "Good eating deserves good drinking."
• "Good fences make good neighbors."
  • From the Robert Frost poem 'Mending Wall'.
• "Good men are scarce."
• "Good wine needs no bush."
• "Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ."
• "Great oaks from little acorns grow."

H

• "Hair of the dog that bit you."
• "Half a loaf is better than none."
• "Handsome is as handsome does."
• "Hang a thief when he's young, and he'll no' steal when he's old."
• "Happy wife, happy life."
• "Hard cases make bad law."
• "Hard words break no bones."
• "Haste makes waste."
• "Hawks will not pick out hawks' eyes."
• "Health is better than wealth."
• "Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned."
  • From The Mourning Bride, act i, scene i, by William Congreve.
• "Heaven protects children, sailors and drunken men."
• "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
  • Paraphrased from The Mourning Bride, act i, scene i, by William Congreve.
• "Help a lame dog over a stile."
• "He that lives too fast, goes to his grave too soon."
• "He that will steal an egg will steal an ox."
• "He who hesitates is lost."
• "He who laughs last laughs best."
• "He who laughs last laughs longest."
  • Corollary, cynical: "He who laughs last didn't get the joke."
• "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword."
  • From the Christian New Testament
• "He who pays the piper calls the tune."
  • To be able to contol the details of a situation by virtue of being the one who bears the cost or provides for others.
• "He who sleeps forgets his hunger."
• "He's all hat and no cattle."
  • Purely bluster and no substance.
• "Hindsight is 20/20."
• "His bark is worse than his bite."
• "History repeats itself."
• "Home is where the heart is."
• "Home is where you hang your hat."
• "Honesty is the best policy."
• "Honey catches more flies than vinegar."
• "Hope for the best, expect the worst."
  • Alternate version: "Pray for the best, prepare for the worst."
• "Hunger is the best spice."
• "Hunger is the best sauce."
• "Hunger makes good kitchen."

I

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up, it's no good being pig-headed.

• "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
• "If at first you don't succeed, redefine success"
• "If at first you don't succeed, give up skydiving"
• "If at first you don't succeed, well, you're about average"
• "If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing well."
• "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."
• "If the cap fits, wear it."
• "If the shoe fits, wear it."
• "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."
• "If you buy cheaply, you pay dearly."
• "If you can't beat them, join them."
• "If you can't be good, be careful."
• "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."
• "If you don’t love yourself with passion, you’ll love others with it. Passion is conserved."
• "If you keep your mouth shut, you won't put your foot in it."
• "If you want a thing done well, do it yourself."
• "If you're in a hole, stop digging."
• "In for a penny, in for a pound."
  • Alternate version: "In for a dime, in for a dollar."
• "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."
• "In the end, a man's motives are second to his accomplishments."
• "It's a good horse that never stumbles."
• "It never rains, but it pours."
• "It's a long lane that has no turning."
• "It's an ill wind that blows no good."
• "It's better to give than to receive."
• "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
• "It's easy to be wise after the event."
• "It's never too late to mend."
• "It's not over till it's over."
  • or, "It ain't over till it's over."
• "It's no use crying over spilt milk."
• "It's often a person's mouth broke their nose."
• "It's the early bird that gets the worm."
• "It's the empty can that makes the most noise."
• "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease."
• "It pays to pay attention."
• "It takes all sorts to make a world."
  • or, "It takes all sorts to make the world go round."
  • also, "It takes all kinds to make the world go round."
• "It takes two to make a quarrel."
• "It takes two to tango."
• "It takes two to lie, one to lie and one to listen."

J

• "Jack is as good as his master."
• "Jack of all trades, master of none."
• "Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today."
• "Jove but laughs at lover's perjury."
• "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

K

• "Keep a thing seven years and you will always find a use for it."
• "Keep no more cats that catch mice."
• "Kill two birds with one stone."
  • Possible Interpretation: Refers to doing two things at once, or multi-tasking.
  • Possible Interpretation: Accomplishing two things with a single action.
• "Knock and the door will be opened unto you."

L

• "Laughter is the best medicine."
• "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."
• "Learn to walk before you run."
• "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
• "Let sleeping dogs lie." (Cf. Agatha Christie's Sleeping Murder .)
• "Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas."
• "Like cures like."
  • Not necessarily true or approved by the Food and Drugs Administration.
• "Like father like son."
• "Like water off a duck's back."
• "Little by little and bit by bit."
• "Little enemies and little wounds must not be despised."
• "Liquor before beer and you're in the clear. Beer before liquor and you'll never be sicker."
• "Long absent, soon forgotten."
• "Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves."
• "Look before you leap."
• "Love is blind."

M

• "Make hay while the sun shines."
• "Make love not war."
• "Man with four balls can't walk."
  • Reference to baseball and its anatomical incorrectness.
• "Many hands make light work."
• Many a little make a mickle
• "Misery loves company."
• "Money for old rope."
  • In the days of wooden-hulled sailing ships, ropes that were worn could be sold for use as calking (pressed between the planks and often covered with tar to prevent seepage), or as filling for fenders , and so the ship's owner was paid even for old rope. These days, we also call this a freebie .
• "Money makes the mare go."
• "Money makes the world go around."
• "Money talks."
  • Possible Interpretation: Here "talks" means "carries weight," in the sense that it is influential.
• "Money talks, bullshit walks."
• "More haste, less speed."

N

• "Nature abhors a vacuum."
• "Nature, time, and patience are three great physicians."
• "Necessity is the mother of all invention."
• "Ne'er cast a clout till May be out."
• "Never, Never... allow anyone to persuade you to suspend your common sense."
• "Never put off till (until) tomorrow what you can do today."
• "Never do today what you can put off till (until) tomorrow ."
  • "It was probably a waste of time anyway."
• "Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you."
• "New brooms sweep clear."
• "New broom sweeps clean."
• "Noblesse oblige."
  • French expression: To be a member of the nobility carries obligations to care for the lower classes.
• "No cows, no cares."
• "No gain without pain."
• "No man can serve two masters."
  • Christian New Testament
• "No man is content with his lot."
• "No news is good news."
• "No pain, no gain."
• "No pain, no injury."
• "No time to waste like the present."
• "Nor pot to piss in." (variant of "neither a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out.")
• "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
• "Nothing succeeds like success."

O

• "Once bitten, twice shy."
• "One doctor makes work for another."
• "One good turn deserves another."
• "One man's trash is another man's treasure."
• "Out of sight, out of mind."

P

• "Paddle your own canoe."
• "Pain is only weakness leaving the body."
• "Patience is a virtue."
• "Penny wise, pound foolish."
• "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
• "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
• "Practice makes perfect."
• "Pray to God, but row towards the shore."
• "Prevention is better than cure."
• "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
  • Proverbs 16:17-19
• "Penny saved is a penny earned."
• "Pudding before praise."
• "Procrastination is the thief of time."
• "Put your faith in God, but keep your powder dry."
  • Refers to gunpowder; in the early days of firearms, powder was loaded into the gun before each shot. Wet powder won't fire.

R

• "Rats desert a sinking ship."
• "Red sky at night: shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning: shepherd's warning."
  • Alternative: "Red sky at night: sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning: sailor take warning."
• "Rolling stone gathers no moss."
• "Rome wasn't built in a day."
• "Rules are made to be broken."

S

• "Say it ain't so."
• "Seek and ye shall find."
  • Christian New Testament
• "Sex is like war, both are exciting but neither informative."
• "Smile, and the world smiles with you. Cry, and you cry alone."
• "Starve a fever, feed a cold."
• "Still waters are the deepest."
  • Possible Interpretation: Quiet people are often thoughtful.
• "Still waters run deep."
• "Strike while the iron is hot."
  • Seize the moment. Take the opportunity now; don't waste it.

T

• "Talk is cheap."
• "Talk of the devil - and the devil appears."
• "The best things in life are free."
• "The coat makes the man."
• "The cure is worse than the disease."
• "The early bird gets the worm."
• "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
• "The end justifies the means."
  • This may be attributed to Niccolo Machiavelli .
• "The first step to health is to know that we are sick."
• "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."
  • Possible Interpretation: One is never content with what one has. When one satisfies a want, it merely makes one aware of another. And so it goes on.
• "The head and feet keep warm, the rest will take no harm."
• "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
• "The only stupid question is the one that is not asked."
• "The opera ain't over until the fat lady sings."
• "The pen is mightier than the sword."
• "The pitcher goes so often to the well that it comes home broken at last."
• "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
• "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
  • Earlier variants of this proverb are recorded as "Hell is paved with good intentions." recorded as early as 1670, and an even earlier variant by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux "Hell is full of good intentions or desires."
• "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
  • Gospel of Matthew 26:41
• "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
• "The start of a journey should never be mistaken for success."
• "The third time someone tries to put a saddle on you, you should admit you're a horse."
• "The value of ANYTHING is determined by the agreement of only two people.
• "The wish is father to the thought."
• "There are no small parts, only small actors."
• "There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians."
• "There's always a calm before a storm."
• "There's always a deep breath before a plunge."
• "There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip."
• "There's more than one way to skin a cat."
• "There's no accounting for taste."
  • From the Latin , de gustibus non est disputandum.
• "There's no arguing with the barrel of a gun."
• "There's no time like the present."
• "Think before you speak."
• "Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
• "Time flies when you're having a good time."
• "Time is money."
  • This may be attributed to Franklin.
• "This too, shall pass."
• "To each his own."
• "To err is human; to forgive is divine."
• "To kill two birds with one stone."
• "Tomorrow is another day."
• "Too many cooks spoil the broth."
• "Trouble shared is trouble halved."
• "Truth is stranger than fiction."
• "Two's company, three's a crowd."
• "Two heads are better than one."
• "Two in the pink, One in the stink."
• "Two things prolong your life: A quiet heart and a loving wife."
• "Two wrongs don't make a right."
• "Treat them mean, keep them keen."

U

• "Up a creek without a paddle."
  • Alternative version: "Up shit creek without a paddle."

V

• "Variety is the spice of life."

W

• "When the cat's away, does your pussy play?"
• "Waste not, want not."
• "We all make mistakes."
• "We are all in this together."
• "We must take the bad with the good."
• "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."
• "What goes around comes around."
  • You will eventually have to face the consequences of your actions towards others as people tend to behave toward you as you have behaved toward others.
• "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."
  • Possible Interpretation: If something is good for one person, it is good for everyone;
  • Alternative: "What's good for the goose is good for the gander."
• "When in Rome do as the Romans do."
• "When the cat's away, the mice will play."
• "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
• "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."
• "Where one door shuts, another opens."
• "Where there's a will there's a way."
• "While the cat is away, the mice will play."
• "While there's life, there's hope."
• "Whiskey on beer, never fear. Beer on whiskey, mighty risky."
• "Who keeps company with the wolves, will learn to howl."
• "Whom we love best, to them we can say the least."
• "Why have a dog and bark yourself?"
  • Asked of a leader who performs the work himself instead of distributing equally amongst his workers or subordinates.
• "Why pay for the cow when the milk is free?"
  • Why make a commitment when the benefits are available without the obligation? Commonly applied to sexual favors where "paying for the cow" refers to (a promise of) marriage.
• "Wide ears and short tongue are the best."
• "Winners never cheat and cheaters never win."
• "Without sleep, no health."
• "Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere"

Y

• "You are responsible for you."
• "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
• "You can lead (take) a horse to water but you can't make it drink."
  • See also Dorothy_Parker: "You can lead a horticulture, but you cannot make her think."
• "You can't have it both ways."
• "You can't have your cake and eat it too."
  • Possible Interpretation: You cannot enjoy two mutually-exclusive benefits of the same situation.
• "You can't judge a book by its cover."
• "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs."
• "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
• "You can't milk a cow with your hands in your pants."
• "You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds."
• "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
• "You can't teach grandma to suck eggs."
• "You can't teach grandpa to suck eggs." What does it mean?
• "You can't tell a book by its cover."
• "You have to crawl before you can walk."
• "You'll always miss 100% of the [basketball] shots you don't take."
• "You need to bait the hook to catch the fish."
• "You never know what you've got till it's gone."
• "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours."
• "You will not rise to the occasion, you will default to the level of your training"
• "You lose some... and you win some... and some you don't even bother to play".
• "You can't grease a "pig" so many times that he can't be greased one more time."

See also: List of proverbs.