List of Danish Proverbs and Sayings

Every little fish expects to become a whale.

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He came time enough who was hung by candlelight.

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He is a man, who acts like a man.

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Age is a sorry travelling companion.

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Danish Proverbs List

Falsehood, like a nettle, stings those who meddle with it.

He who puts by for the night, puts by for the cat.

Danish Proverbs

Give your wife the short knife, and keep the long one for yourself.

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He who would enjoy the fire must bear its smoke.

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It is easy to be generous with another man's money.

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Every one tries to cross the fence where it is lowest.

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He who doesn't open his eyes when he buys must still open his purse to pay.

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He that dallies with his enemy gives him leave to kill him.

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Donkeys only come to the court to carry bags.

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Great lords will have much, and poor folk can give but little.

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A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

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It is safe to lend barley to him who has oats.

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Every one rakes the fire under his own pot.

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What is gotten over the devil's back is spent under his belly.

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One swallow does not make a summer.

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To be a fool at the right time is also an art.

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Before a man learns to hang he is half dead.

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He must be pure who would blame another.

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Every day has its evening.

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What is play to the strong is death to the weak.

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To cut into another's man's ear is like cutting into a felt hat.

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One to one, and two to the devil.

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I would rather see smoke from my own chimney than the fire on another's hearth.

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A single bag of money is stronger than two bags of truth.

Danish Proverbs

One who is afraid of asking questions is ashamed of learning.

Danish Proverbs

It is time enough to take off your hat when you see the man.

Danish Proverbs

To God's council-chamber there is no key.

Danish Proverbs

What is play to the strong is death to the weak.

Danish Proverbs

Every little helps, said the sow, when she snapped at a gnat.

- Danish Sayings

Every one sees his smart coat, no one sees his shrunken belly.

Every tub must stand on its own bottom.

One would rather be bitten by wolves than by sheep.

A full stomach praises Lent.

He must have iron fingers who would flay the devil.

To live long is to suffer long.

What the sober man has in his heart, the drunkard has on his lips.

If a bird knew how poor he was it wouldn't sing so beautifully.

Even doubtful accusations leave a stain behind them.

To wait and be patient soothes many a pang.

Opportunity never knocks twice at any man's door.

A curse will not strike out an eye, unless the fist go with it.

What you cannot say briefly you do not know.

It is too late to learn to swim when the water is up to your lips.

Out of sight out of mind.

Too little and too much spoils everything.

Benefits please like flowers, when they are fresh.

What you learn to your cost you remember long.

A hundred waggonsful of sorrow will not pay a handful of debt.

If God bids thee draw, he will find thee a rope; if he bids thee ride, he will find thee a horse.

Out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Treachery and slander are long lived.

Even a small star shines in the darkness.

When a man is in a sack, he must get out at the mouth or at the bottom.

He must keep a sharp look-out who would speak the truth.

Trust not a skittish horse, nor a great lord, when they shake their heads.

Peace and a well-built house cannot be bought too dearly.

When anger blinds the eyes, truth disappears.

A man's will is his heaven.

When mistrust enters, love departs.

Truth is always homeless.

If it is to be luck, the bull may as well calve as the cow.

When every man gets his own the devil gets nothing.

Truth is God's daughter.

Evil is soon done, but slowly mended.

When fools go to market the huckster gets money.

It is vain to fish without a hook, or learn to read without a book.

Peace must be bought even at a high price.

When friends ask, there is no tomorrow.

Truth's cloak is often lined with lies.

Better a daughter that has been slept on than a son who has been hanged.

When it pours upon the parson, it drops upon the clerk.

He runs heavily who is forced to run.

When joy is in the parlour, sorrow is in the passage.

Two may lie so as to hang a third.

A bad hair cut is two people's shame.

Pheasants are fools if they invite the hawk to dinner.

When one foot stumbles, the other is near falling.

Under white ashes lie often glowing embers.

If the beard meant everything, the goat would preach.

When the belly is full the mind is amongst the maids.

Every fool can find faults that a great many wise men can't remedy.

Physicians rarely take medicine.

When the cat's away the mice will play.

It needs a high wall to keep out fear.

Unworthy offspring brag the most about their worthy descendants.

When the cord is tightest it is nearest snapping.

A small bolt to the house is better than none at all.

Power often goes before talent.

When the feed box is empty, the horses bite each other.

If the best man's faults were written on his forehead, it would make him pull his hat over his eyes.

Vice is most dangerous when it puts on the garb of virtue.

When the fox preaches to the goose her neck is in danger.

Faint hearts never win fair ladies.

He that bears the cross, blesses himself first.

Praise a fool, and you may make him useful.

Want and necessity break faith and oaths.

A bad tree does not yield good apples.

It takes a good many mice to kill a cat.

Wanton kittens make sober cats.

Praise is the hire of virtue.

Envy does not enter empty houses.

If there are no nightingales one must settle for owls.

We are all well placed, said the cat, when she was seated on the bacon.

Presents make women affable, priests indulgent, and the law crooked.

A bad horse eats as much as a good one.

He that cuts above himself, will get splinters in his eye.

We must bear our cross with patience, said the man when he took his wife on his back.

Every fox looks after his own skin.

Profit is better than fame.

We must sow even after a bad harvest.

It's no disgrace to be poor, but it can be inconvenient.

Better a little in peace and with right, than much with anxiety and strife.

Put your hand quickly to your hat, and slowly in your purse, and you will take no harm.

Weeds never die out.

If you cannot get the bird, get one of its feathers.

A lass that has many wooers often fares the worst.

Rain comes oft after sunshine, and after a dark cloud a clear sky.

Welcome is the best cheer.

Jest with your equals.

Falsehood is the Devil's daughter, and speaks her father's tongue.

What is done cannot be undone.

If you have no money, be polite.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Rats and conquerors must expect no mercy in misfortune.

A smooth tongue is better than smooth locks.

Justice oft leans to the side where the purse pulls.

When the gorse is out of bloom, kissing's out of fashion.

Rest is good after the work is done.

He that deals in dirt has ay foul fingers.

When the head aches all the limbs ache.

Riches are often abused, but never refused.

Keep to the little ones, and the big ones will not bite you.

When the host smiles most blandly he has an eye to the guest's purse.

Empty waggons make most noise.

If you play with the fool at home, he will play with you abroad.

When the master hurts his foot the servants limp.

Keep your nose to the grindstone.

Rust consumes iron, and envy consumes itself.

Always to be sparing is always to be in want.

When the rooks are silent the swans begin to sing.

He that does you a very ill turn will never forgive you.

Secret gifts are openly rewarded.

Eggs and oaths are easily broken.

When the waggon is tilting everybody gives it a shove.

Kind words don't wear out the tongue.

Set a thief to catch a thief.

If you wish a thing done, go; if not, send.

When the word is in the mouth you must caress the sheath.

A dog is a dog whatever his colour.

Shared sorrow is half sorrow.

He that drinks beer, thinks beer.

When there is room in the heart, there is room in the house.

Better an open enemy than a false friend.

Short pleasure often brings long repentance.

Labour has a bitter root, but a sweet taste.

Sickness comes in haste, and goes at leisure.

In still water are the largest fish.

When two enemies blow one horn, the third will have to suffer for it.

Falseness often lurks beneath fair hair.

A bad wife wishes her husband's heel turned homewards, and not his toe.

Sickness is every man's master.

When you go to dance, take heed whom you take by the hand.

Lang tarrying taks a' the thanks awa'.

Sight goes before hearsay.

He that hides is no better than he that steals.

Dull scissors make crooked-mouthed tailors.

Where law lacks, honour should eke it out.

Silver and gold are all men's dears.

One man often talks another off his bench, and seats himself upon it.

Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.

A moneyless man goes fast through the market.

Slander leaves a score behind it.

In the ant's house, the dew is a flood.

Where the carrion is, there the eagles gather.

Favour and gifts disturb justice.

He that inquires much, learns much.

Smoke, rain, and a scolding wife, are three bad things in a house.

Laziness is the devil's pillow.

Where there is discipline there is virtue; where there is peace there is plenty.

A golden key opens every door except that of heaven.

It does not depend upon the dog when the horse shall die.

Sparrows should not dance with cranes, their legs are too short.

Where will is right, law is banished.

Drive not too many ploughs at once, some will make foul work.

Let a dog get at a dish of honey, and he will jump in with both legs.

Speaking silence is better than senseless speech.

While the dogs yelp, the hare flies to the wood.

An evil eye can see no good.

He that is once at sea, must either sail or sink.

Let another man praise thee, not thine own mouth.

Better blow hard than burn yourself.

It is a bad hen that lays her eggs away from the farm.

A drunkard can be a sheep, a monkey or a lion.

While the great bells are ringing no one hears the little ones.

Speech is silver, but silence is golden.

A sparrow suffers as much when it breaks its leg as does a Flanders horse.

Wisdom is the least burdensome travelling pack.

He that lies down with the dogs, will get up with fleas.

Let every bird sing its own note.

Few women turn grey because their husband dies.

Stoop, and let it pass; the storm will have its way.

It is a bad well that need water to be carried to it.

Wise care keeps what it has gained.

A barren sow is never kind to pigs.

He that lives upon hope will die fasting.

Straws tell which way the wind blows.

Let him who would reach another a brand, beware that he do not burn his own hand.

Almost kills no man.

With law must the land be built.

It is a great art to laugh at your own misfortune.

Suffering and patience, obedience and application, help the lowly born to honour.

Liberal hands make many friends.

Fine linen often conceals scabby skin.

Woe be to an evil eye.

A beautiful face is admired even when its owner doesn't say anything.

Take care of your geese when the fox preaches.

He that sings himself is the best pleased.

Wolves are often hidden under sheep's clothing.

Life at court is often a short cut to hell.

Don't throw rocks if you live in a house of glass.

It is a lazy bird that will not build its own nest.

Take off your hat quickly but slowly take hold of your purse.

Better cross an angry man than a fasting man.

You can have no more of the fox than his skin.

Fingers were made before forks.

Like plays best with like.

A bird may be ever so small, it always seeks a nest of its own.

You can judge a man by the company he keeps.

He that wants to hang a dog, is sure to find a rope.

If a man has folly in his sleeve, it will be sure to peep out.

Govern a horse with a bit, and a shrew with a stick.

A little dog, a cow without horns, and a short man, are generally proud.

That bench is well adorned that is filled with virtuous women.

Likeness is the mother of love.

It is a wise child that knows its own father.

That is true which all men say.

Fish and guests smell at three days old.

An old error has more friends than a new truth.

You cannot drink and whistle at the same time.

That which has been eaten out of the pot cannot be put into the dish.

Little children, little sorrows; big children, great sorrows.

It is as cheap sitting as standing.

Follow the customs, or fly the country.

That which is stamped a penny will never be a pound.

You cannot have your cake and eat it.

He that you seat upon your shoulder will often try to get upon your head.

Better is the branch that bends, than the branch that breaks.

Little saints also perform miracles.

That which one most forehets soonest comes to pass.

Don't sell the skin till you have caught the fox.

You cannot make a good hunting-horn of a pig's tail.

It is bad for puppies to play with bear-cubs.

Live with wolves, and you learn to howl.

A thief does not willingly see another carry a basket.

The absent are always to blame.

He who builds to every man's advice will have a crooked house.

Love and poverty are hard to conceal.

It is bad to lean against a falling wall.

The air is no less blue because the blind man doesn't see it.

Better make a short circuit than to wet your hose.

You cannot sail as you would, but as the wind blows.

Love has produced some heroes but many idiots too.

For a good dinner and a gentle wife you can afford to wait.

It is best to play with equals.

The best advice is found on the pillow.

A bird never flew on one wing.

Love me little and love me long.

You cannot shear the sheep closer than the skin.

He who comes first to the mill is first served.

The bird once out of hand is hard to recover.

Don't praise the bread that is not out of the oven.

It is better to scrape the cheese than to peel it.

Love's quarrels oft in pleasing concord end.

All who snore are not asleep.

The branch must be bent early that is to make a good crook.

He who does look before him, must take misfortune for his earnings.

You cannot take a cow from a man who has none.

Frequent washing makes not the crow whiter.

The child who gets a stepmother also gets a stepfather.

Luck has much for many, but enough for no one.

A penny in time is as good as a dollar.

It is dear-bought butter that is licked off a woolcomb.

The corn that is taken to a bad mill. will be badly ground.

Luck sometimes visits a fool, but never sits down with him.

Better poor on land than rich at sea.

You have either to suffer a lot or die young.

From children you must expect childish acts.

No man limps because another is hurt.

Luck taps at the door and inquires whether prudence is within.

He who feeds a wolf, strengthens his enemy.

The cow gives good milk, but kicks over the pail.

An unpleasant guest is as welcome as salt to a sore eye.

Lucky at cards, unlucky in love.

It is difficult to spit honey out of a mouth full of gall.

The cow knows not what her tail is worth until she has lost it.

You may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

Do not put in more warp than you can weave.

Make use of the sun while it shines.

The crust is part of the loaf.

A drunken night makes a cloudy morning.

Gifts should be handed, not thrown.

The foot of the owner is the best manure for his land.

Many a cow stands in the meadow and looks wistfully at the common.

A tottering man must lean upon a staff.

The day is never so holy that the pot refuses to boil.

You may cook in small pots aw well as in large ones.

He who feels himself scabby, let him scratch.

Let a horse drink when he will, not what he will.

He is young enough who has health, and he is rich enough who has no debts.

Better suffer for the truth than prosper in a falsehood.

The dearer the child, the sharper must be the rod.

Many a man is a good friend but a bad neighbour.

It is a poor horse that is not worth his oats.

It is discreditable to fly from a living enemy, or to abuse a dead one.

Give a thing, and take a thing, to wear the devil's gold ring.

The dog will not get free by biting his chain.

Many a one would like to lay his own shame on another man's back.

Do not judge the dog by his hairs.

He who has a glass roof on his own house, must not throw stones at others.

You may force a man to shut his eyes, but not to sleep.

A blind crow may sometimes find a grain of wheat.

The drunken man's joy is often the sober man's sorrow.

Many a thing whispered into one ear is heard over the whole town.

Go often to the house of a friend; for weeds soon choke up the unused path.

You may gain by fair words what may fail you by angry ones.

All keys hang not at one woman's girdle.

The earthen pan gains nothing by contact with the copper pot.

He who has bad neighbours is fain to praise himself.

Many have too much, but none have enough.

The eye of the master makes the horse fat.

A good neighbour is better than a brother far off.

He who has no falcon must hunt with an owl.

You may light another's candle at your own without loss.

Do as others do, and few will mock you.

The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living.

God cometh with leaden feet, but striketh with iron hands.

It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it.

The fire doesn't care about the owner of the coat that is burning.

Better the world should know you as a sinner than God know you as a hypocrite.

You may often feel that heavily on your back which you took lightly on your conscience.

He who hunts two hares from one bush, is not likely to catch either.

The fire is welcome within, when icicles hang without.

Many love to praise right and do wrong.

Another man's horse and your own whip can do a great deal.

It is easy to bid the devil be your guest, but difficult to get rid of him.

He who strikes another on the neck, does not strike far from the head.

Don't throw away dirty water before you have more clean water.

Should the heavens fall, many pipkins will be broken.

Despise not a small wound, a poor kinsman, or an humble enemy.

The flitch hangs never so high but a dog will look out for the bone.

You may preach ever so long to the wolf, he will nevertheless call for the lamb before night.

He who is afraid to ask is ashamed of learning.

Many small streams make a large river.

The forest has ears, and field has eyes.

A man conducts himself abroad as he has been taught at home.

It is easy to poke another man's fire.

The goose goes so often into the kitchen, till at last she sticks to the spit.

You may speak with your gold and make other tongues silent.

Might and courage require wit in their suite.

God gives little folks small gifts.

Better to be a free bird than a captive king.

A friend's frown is better than a fool's smile.

He who is far from home, is near to harm.

A wise falcon hides his talons.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

It is easy to swim, when another holds up your head.

The hen flies not far unless the cock flies with her.

Mine and thine are the sources of all quarrels.

You must be strong to pull a rope against a stronger.

However high a bird may soar, it seeks its food on earth.

Deceit and treachery make no man rich.

That may be soon done, which brings long repentance.

The herb patience does not grow in every man's garden.

It is folly to sing twice to a deaf man.

Misfortune seldom comes alone to the house.

The horse must go to the manger, and not the manger to the horse.

Art finds its food everywhere.

He who is scared by words, has no heart for deeds.

God never sends mouths but he sends meat.

You must have good luck to catch hares with a drum.

It is good to be priest at Easter, child in Lent, peasant at Christmas, and foal in harvest-time.

Money is more eloquent that a dozen members of parliament.

Never advise anyone to go to war or to marry.

The issue of all contention is uncertain.

A poor man has few acquaintances.

He who laughs last, laughs best.

A fair skin often covers a crooked mind.

The man loves with his head, the woman thinks with her heart.

You must judge a maiden at the kneading trough, and not in a dance.

Age makes many a man whiter, but not better.

Gold is gold, though it be in a rogue's purse.

More flies are caught with a drop of honey than with a barrel of vinegar.

Better twice measured than once wrong.

The master derives from his art.

He who lets another sit on his shoulder will soon have him on his head.

Death does not blow a trumpet.

You must knock a long while against an alder-bush before you get a swarm of bees out of it.

More than enough is too much.

Hope is an egg, of which one man gets the yolk, another the white, and a third the shell.

The millstone that lies undermost also helps to grind.

It is good to sleep in a whole skin.

Much noise and little wool, said the devil, when he was shearing the sow.

Good counsel is no better than bad counsel, if it be not taken in time.

The more by law, the less by right.

You must lose a fly, to catch a trout.

It is hard to live in Rome and strive against the Pope.

A blind pigeon may sometimes find a grain of wheat.

He who builds according to every man's advise will have a crooked house.

He who loves sorrow, will always find something to mourn over.

The more knave, the better luck.

National customs are national honours.

You must walk a long while behind a wild goose before you find an ostrich feather.

As a man dresses so is he esteemed.

He who rides the horse is his master.

A bold attempt is half success.

The morning hour has gold in its mouth.

It is hard to pay for bread that has already been eaten.

Need makes the old wife trot.

The mouse may find a hole, be the room ever so full of cats.

Great lords have long hands, but they do not reach to heaven.

A fool is like all other men as long as he remains silent.

Young people must be taught, old ones be honoured.

The new is always liked, though the old is often better.

Never let fools see half-finished work.

It is hard to track the path the ship follows in the ocean.

Cunning has little honour.

He who sows inequity shall reap shame.

The nobler the blood, the less the pride.

Better weak beer than an empty cask.

New brooms sweep clean.

The old branch breaks when it is bent.

Had it not been for an if, the old woman would have bitten a wolf.

A woman may be ever so old, if she take fire she will jump.

New songs are liked the best.

The one you love you punish.

He who sows peas on the highway does not get all the pods into his barn.

No answer is also an answer.

All are not hunters that blow the horn.

The owl thinks her children the fairest.

It is no use hiding from a friend what is known to an enemy.

He who rises early will gather wisdom.

A burnt child fears the fire, and a bitten child fears a dog.

The pike grows big on small fry.

Happiness and glass break easily.

Your friendship is your needs answered.

No man is so tall that he need never stretch, and none so small that he need never stoop.

Correction is good when administered in time.

The poor man seeks only a crumb, then finds he still hungers.

He who stands high is seen from afar.

No man looks for another in a sack, unless he has been there him himself.

Between saying and doing there is a great distance.

The poor man's corm always grows thin.

It is not easy to guard the hen that lays her eggs abroad.

As the master is, so are his men.

The pot calls the kettle black.

No matter how high a bird can fly, it still has to look for food on the ground.

Happy is he who knows his follies in his youth.

A green Christmas makes a fat churchyard.

Where a man never goes, there his head will never be washed.

The priest to his book, the peasant to his plough.

He drives a good waggonful into his farm who gets a good wife.

No one can see into another further than his teeth.

The raven is fair when the rook is not by.

It is not easy to sting a bear with a straw.

Between saying and doing there is a great distance.

The road to a friend's house is never long.

No one gets into trouble without his own help.

He who takes the child by the hand, takes the mother by the heart.

Children are the riches of the poor.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

He who waits for dead men's shoes, may have to go long barefoot.

A child's sorrow is short-lived.

It is best to trust to two anchors.

Earnestness and sport go well together.

No one is so tall that he never needs to stretch, and no one is so short that he never needs to stoop.

He has command of the sack who is seated on it.

The scraping hen will get something; the crouching hen nothing.

After pleasant scratching comes unpleasant smarting.

The shirt is nearer to the body than the coat.

No one knows what a day may bring forth.

It is not every hog that the crow will ride.

The shoemakers children go barefoot.

A young man idle, an old man needy.

He is a poor Smith who is afraid of sparks.

Big words seldom accompany good deeds.

One word beforehand is better than ten afterwards.

The sky is not the less blue because the blind man does not see it.

He who was born to pennies, will never be master of dollars.

You may shut your doors against a thief, but not against a liar.

No one so hard upon the poor as the pauper who has got into power.

The sow prefers the mire.

As the virtue in the tree, such is the fruit.

It is not for nothing that the devil lays himself down in the ditch.

Children are a poor man's wealth.

The still swine eat the mash. the wind ones run past it.

He is most cheated who cheats himself.

Not every wood will make wooden shoes.

A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap.

The stone that everybody spits upon will be wet at the last.

He who will not prosper in his sleep will not prosper when awake.

Nothing is so new but it has happened before.

Blacksmith's children are not afraid of sparks.

It is easy to manage when fortune favors.

The tree is sure to be pruned before it reaches the skies.

The strongest among the weak is the one who doesn't forget his weaknesses.

Hope and strive is the way to thrive.

A man has two ears and one mouth; he therefore should listen more than he talks.

The teeth of the puppy are growing, while the old dog is gnawing bones.

It is folly to take a thorn out of another's foot and put it into your own.

Old birds are not caught with chaff.

He who would buy sausage of a dog must give him bacon in exchange.

The tooth often bites the tongue, and yet they keep together.

Children and drunken men speak the truth.

The upright never grow rich in a hurry.

A foul mouth must be provided with a strong back.

Old friends and old wine are best.

The used plough shines, standing water stinks.

He is nearest to God who has the fewest wants.

Old mistakes need more friends than new truths.

The watch-dog does not get sweet milk unless there be drowned mice in it.

Ask advice of your equals, help of your superiors.

He who would eat the kernel, must crack the nut.

Old sins cast long shadows.

Every man carries an enemy in his own bosom.

The wet branch burns better than the dry stone.

A cross-grained woman and a snappish dog take care of the house.

It is not the surplice that makes parson or clerk.

Act honestly, and answer boldly.

The year has a wide mouth and a big belly.

Old swine have hard snouts, old oxen hard horns.

Break one link and the whole chain falls apart.

There are many days in the year, and still more meals.

He who would have good cabbage, must pay its price.

There are three bad neighbours: great rivers, great lords, and great roads.

Advice after the mischief is like medicine after death.

He is not yet born who can please everybody.

Every light hath its shadow.

One beggar likes not that another has two wallets.

He who would make a fool of himself will find many to like him.

A royal heart is often hid under a tattered cloak.

There is honor among thieves.

He is not a bad driver who knows how to turn.

One bite brings another.

There is no fire without smoke.

Bad is never good until worse happens.

Wisdom rides upon the ruins of folly.

He who would seek revenge must be on his own guard.

A head is not to be cut off because it is scabby.

There is no need to fasten a bell to a fool, he is sure to tell his own tale.

One Englishman can beat three Frenchmen.

It needs a light spirit to bear a heavy fate.

Buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest.

He will never get into the wood who starts at every bush.

A man must keep his mouth open a long while before a roast pigeon files into it.

Strangers' meat is the greatest treat.

There is nothing new under the sun.

One fool may ask more questions than ten wise men can answer.

Every man has his lot, and a wide world before him.

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

One hand full of money is stronger than two hands full of truth.

Adam got a hoe, and Eve got a spinning-wheel, and thence come all our nobles.

There's many a slip, 'Twixt the cup and the lip.

Help is good everywhere, except in the porridge-bowl.

Care, and not fine stables, make a good horse.

They must stand high who would see their own destiny.

One ill weed mars a whole pot of pottage.

It is pleasant driving when there is no danger of upsetting.

Every man must carry his own sack to the mill.

Things never go so well that someone should have no fear, nor so bad that someone should have no hope.

Better to have something yourself, than to beg of your sister.

One man is not bad because another is good.

Hold your dog in readiness before you start the hare.

A short cut is often a wrong cut.

Many a man labours for the day he will never live to see.

Though the bird may fly over your head, let it not make its nest in your hair.

One mangy sheep spoils a whole flock.

He knows best where the shoe pinches who wears it.

Though your enemy is the size of an ant, look upon him as an elephant.

Beauty is a fading flower.

One piece of good advice is better than a bag full.

He who would drive another over three dikes must climb over two himself.

Throw not the child out with the bath.

Honour the old, teach the young.

Every man likes his own praise best.

It is easy to find the rod when another finds the bottom.

Flowers are the pledges of fruit.

The is worthy of sweets, who has tasted bitters.

Every fool thinks he is clever enough.

No one falls low unless he attempt to climb high.

Do not wade where you can see no bottom.

Fire and straw soon make a flame.

Might have gone further and have fared worse.

God sends men cold according to their clothes.

Thundershowers and great men's favour are always partial.

Every man thinks his own geese swans.

He must be a clever host that would take the devil into his hostelry.

One scabbed sheep will mar a whole flock.

To a friend's house the road is never long.