Proverbs
Proverbs are wise sayings that are often used to convey a subtle message. Below are some commonly
used proverbs.
A list of common proverbs.
Proverb
1 Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
2 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
3 A burnt child dreads the fire.
4. A drowning man will clutch at a stick.
5. A fool and his money are soon parted.
6. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
7. A hungry man is an angry man.
8. All that glitters is not gold.
9. A miss is as good as a mile.
10. An idle mind is the devils workshop.
11. A penny saved is a penny gained.
12. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
13. A small leak will sink a great ship.
14. Barking dogs seldom bite.
15. Beggars cannot be choosers.
16. Birds of a feather flock together.
17. Cut your coat according to your cloth.
18. Dont put all your eggs in one basket.
1
Meaning
When you are away from someone you love, you
love them even more.
Its better to keep what you have than to risk
losing it by searching for something better.
A bad experience will make people stay away from
certain things.
One grabs the slightest chance when all hope is
slipping away.
A foolish person usually spends money carelessly.
Someone who helps you when you are in trouble.
One who does not get what he needs is a
frustrated person and will be provoked to rage or
anger easily.
Appearances can be deceptive or can fool you.
Almost having done something is the same as not
having done it at all, since in both cases the thing
does not get done.
When you work you avoid temptation.
By economising a person can save up.
If a person keeps on moving from place to place,
they gain neither friends nor possessions.
A small flaw will spell disaster for great things.
Those who make the loud threats seldom carry
them out.
If someone gives something you asked for, you
should not complain about what you get.
People of the same sort /type/kind are usually
found together.
Only buy things that you have sufficient/enough
money to pay for.
One should not risk everything he has in a single
venture/business/work.
 Proverb
19. Dont cut your nose off to spite your face.
20. Empty vessel makes the most noise.
21. Every cloud has a silver lining.
22. Fire is a good servant but a bad master.
23. Stolen fruit tastes the sweetest.
24. Fortune knocks once at every mans door.
25. Great minds think alike.
26. Half a loaf is better than none.
27. Honesty is the best policy.
28. Hunger is the best sauce.
29. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
30. Knowledge is power.
31. Let bygones be bygones.
32. Let sleeping dogs lie.
33. Look before you leap.
34. Make hay while the sun shines.
35. Many hands make light work.
36. Necessity is the mother of invention.
37. None are so blind as those who will not see.
38. No news is good news.
39. One mans meat is another mans poison.
2
Meaning
Dont engage in an act of anger or revenge that
will hurt you more than it hurts anyone else.
The least intelligent people are often the most
talkative or noisy.
There is a positive or hopeful side to every
unpleasant or sad situation.
Fire, like many other manmade tool or device, will
serve men well only when it is controlled and used
wisely.
What is forbidden is the most tempting.
Everyone gets one good chance in a lifetime.
People with great minds think like each other.
You should be grateful for something, even if its
not as much as you wanted.
You should always tell the truth, even when it
seems as if it would be useful to tell a lie.
Everything tastes especially good when you are
hungry because you are so eager to eat it.
Copying someone is flattering because it shows
that you want to be like that person.
The more you know the more you can control.
Lets forgive and forget past quarrels.
One should not disturb a situation as it would
result in trouble and complications.
Consider possible consequences/results before
taking actions.
Take advantage of a brief opportunity while it is
still there.
Sharing work makes work easier.
The need for something forces people to find a
way of obtaining or getting it.
People who refuse to accept facts presented them.
If the news is bad, we would hear of it. Since we
have heard nothing, we can assume all is well.
People dont always like the same thing.
 Proverb
40. Prevention is better than cure.
41. Rome was not built in a day.
Meaning
It is easier to prevent something from happening
than to repair the damage or cure the disease or
sickness later.
Something that you say which means that it takes
a long time to do an important job.