Proverbs Flashcards
Any port in a storm
in an emergency, we’ll accept help from anywhere
a bad penny always turns up
our mistakes return to haunt us; also, nasty people have a way of reappearing
brevity is the soul of wit
intelligent speech and writing should aim to use few words, from Hamlet
the chickens have come home to roost
the consequences of earlier actions are making themselves felt
cold hands, warm heart
cold hands indicate affection, possibly because the emotions affect blood circulation
The course of true love never did runs smooth
true love always encounters difficulties, from Midsummer Night’s Dream
There’s no accounting for taste
When it comes to subjective matters, people have wildly different opinions
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose
even things that are good in themselves (the bible) can be twisted to serve bad purposes, from The Merchant of Venice
Discretion is the better part of valor
Caution is preferable to rash bravery, said by Falstaff in King Henry IV, Part I
Do not cast your pearls before swine
do not waste good things on people who will not appreciate them, came from Jesus warning disciples to preach only to receptive audiences
Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face
don’t engage in an act of anger or revenge that will hurt you more than it hurts anyone else
Don’t hide your light under a bushel
Do not conceal your talents or abilities, Jesus is telling believers to not hide their faith
Don’t lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen
it’s foolish to take precautions after the damage is done
Don’t put the cart before the horse
begin at the proper place, do things in their proper order
East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet
the culture of the West (Europe and America) will always be different than the East (Asia)
Feed a cold, starve a fever
eating will help cure a cold, not eating will help cure a fever
Fish or cut bait
make a decision now, stop hesitating; to cut bait is to stop fishing
a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds
a great person does not have to think consistently from one day to the next, from “Self Reliance”
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
foolish people are often reckless, attempting feels that the wise avoid, from “An Essay on Criticism” by Alexander Pope
For want of a nail the kingdom was lost
something of great importance may depend on an apparently trivial detail; longer version is the loss of a nail in a horseshoe leads to the loss of the horse, then rider, then battle, then kingdom
forewarned is forearmed
those who know something is coming are better prepared to face it than those who do not know
Frailty, thy name is woman!
women are weaker than men, from hamlet
From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step
In life, things that are noble and magnificent are never far from things that are trivial and laughable, said by Napoleon
the game is not worth the candle
what we would get from the undertaking is not worth the effort, refers to game of cards in which the stakes are smaller than the cost of burning a candle for light to play the game
Give the devil his due
Admit it when there is some good even in a person you dislike, from Don Quixote
Great oaks from little acorns grow
great things or people often have humble origins
half a loaf is better than none
something is better than nothing
hitch your wagon to a star
aim high, hope for great things, from Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hope springs eternal
people always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity, from “An Essay on Man” by Alexander Pope
If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the mountain
If someone won’t do this for me, I’ll do it myself; or we may find a way to make a difficult situation better if we simply think about it in a different way
If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride
If wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted
In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love
Spring is the season for love, from “Locksley Hall” by Lord Alfred Tennyson
It ain’t a fit night out for man or beast
The night is terrible cold and stormy, from comedian W.C. Fields in the film “The Factual Glass of Beer”
It takes a pear o’ living’ in a house t’ make it home
a house is just a building until we have lived in it long enough for it to feel like “home”, from Edgar A. Guest
It’s never too late to mend
you’re never too old to change your ways, learning is always possible
laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone
people prefer cheerfulness in others to gloominess, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Life is short; art is long
good work takes time to accomplish, from Hippocrates
Little pitchers have big ears
adults must be careful about what they say within hearing of children, refers to the large handles (ears) sometimes attached to small pitchers
Little strokes fell great oaks
limited strength when persistently applied can accomplish great feats, from Benjamin Franklin in “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
Money is the root of all evil
all wrong-doing can be traced to an excessive attachment to material wealth, from Apostle Paul
Make haste slowly
the quickest way to accomplish something is to proceed deliberately
Make hay while the sun shines
Take advantage of favorable circumstances, they may not last
Man does not live by bread alone
People have spiritual as well as physical needs, from Moses to the Israelites in Exodus
Man proposes, God disposes
People can make plans; God determines how things will turn out
marry in haste, repent at leisure
if we marry without thinking about the decision, we will have a lifetime to regret the choice
a miss is as good as a mile
a near miss is still a miss
murder will out
crime or wrongdoing will eventually be discovered and punished
music has charms to soothe a savage beast
Music has the power to enchant even the roughest of people. Comes from “The Mourning Bride” play by William Congreve
Necessity is the mother of invention
A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem. Comes from “Republic” by Plato
Never give a sucker an even break
Don’t hesitate to take advantage of a fool. Served as the title for a film by W.C. Fields
A new broom sweeps clean
New leadership injects energy
No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people
People can easily be persuaded to accept the most inferior ideas or useless products; comes from H.L. Mencken
Nothing succeeds like success
Success breeds more success
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
If you don’t risk anything, you won’t gain anything
Nothing will come of nothing
You will gain nothing if you invest nothing, from King Lear, he says this to Cordelia that she will gain no favors from him if she does not flatter him
Old soldiers never die; they only fade away
line from a popular song among soldiers in Britain during WW I, quoted by General Douglas MacArthur when he was relieved from the Korean War
Once bitten, twice shy
An injury makes a person wary of its cause
One good turn deserves another
A kindness is properly met with another kindness
One man’s meat is another man’s poison
What is good for one person may be bad for another
The one who pays the piper calls the tune
The person who hires another determines the services to be rendered
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
A little precaution before a crisis occurs is preferable to a lot of fixing up afterward
Poets are born, not made
Poets, like all true artists possess talent that cannot be taught
Politics makes strange bedfellows
Political interest can bring together people who otherwise have little in common, from “The Tempest”, said by someone who is shipwrecked and seeks shelter beside a sleeping monster
Procrastination is the thief of time
Putting things off robs us of the opportunity to accomplish something
The proof of the pudding is in the eating
Actual use is the best test, from Don Quixote
A rolling stone gathers no moss
people pay a price for being always on the move because they have no roots in a specific place; or people who keep moving avoid picking up responsibilities and cares
Sic transit gloria mundi (Thus passes away the glory of the world)
worldly things do not last
a soft answer turneth away wrath
a gentle reply to someone who is angry will pacify that person, from the Book of Proverbs
Still waters run deep
A person’s calm exterior often conceals great depths of character, just as the deepest streams can have the smoothest surfaces
A stich in time saves nine
A little preventative maintenance can eliminate the need for major repairs later
Stone walls do not a prison make
External constraints cannot imprison someone whose spirit and thoughts are free. From “To Althea: From Prison” poem by Richard Lovelace
There’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip
Between the time we decide to do something and the time we do it, things often go wrong
There’s no fool like an old fool
The most extreme fools are people whose age should have made them wise
Time and tide wait for no man
The processes of nature continue, no matter how much we might like them to stop.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
When too many people work together on a project, the result is inferior
Turnabout is fair play
You had your turn; now it’s only fair that I should have mine
Walls have ears
We may be overheard without our knowing it
Waste not, want not
If we don’t waste what we have, we’ll still have it in the future and will not lack (want) it.
We have met the enemy, and they are us
Evil or upsetting forces exist within, not without. Comes from “Pogo” comic strip by Walt Kelly
Well begun is half done
A good beginning almost assures success
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander
What is good for a man is equally good for a woman
When the cat’s away, the mice will play
When a person of authority is away those under the person’s rule will enjoy their freedom
Where are the snows of yesteryear?
Why does life fade so quickly? Comes from French poet Francois Villon
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
If you want something badly enough, you can find the means to get it
While there’s life, there’s hope
Never give up
The wish is father of the deed
Desire leads to action
A woman’s work is never done
A woman must often work longer hours than a man
A word to the wise is sufficient
Intelligent people can take hints, they don’t have to have it spelled out in great length
The worm turns
One’s luck or fortune changes
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Our fantasies/myths are important, and often hey are spiritually if not literally true. Said in 1897 newspaper editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church replying to a girl named Virginia who said her friends told her there was no Santa Claus
You cannot serve God and mammon
Being virtuous is not compatible with being greedy (mammon means money)
You can’t go home again
You can’t recover the past, the title of a Thomas Wolfe novel
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
the things people want are often incompatible
You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear
It is impossible to make something excellent from poor material
You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs
We must give up or destroy something to gain something
You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip
You can only get from people what they are willing or able to give
You can’t take it with you
We all must leave worldly wealth behind when we die, title of a comedy by playwrights Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman about an unconventional family fiercely opposed to materialistic values
You can’t unscramble an egg
Some processes are irreversible
