List of Danish Proverbs and Sayings
Danish Sayings of the Day
There are three bad neighbours: great rivers, great lords, and great roads.
Danish Proverbs
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. - Danish Sayings |
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. |
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Danish Proverbs List |
Every little fish expects to become a whale. Danish Proverbs Download |
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. |
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. Danish Proverbs |
Every tub must stand on its own bottom. - Danish Sayings |
One would rather be bitten by wolves than by sheep. Danish Sayings |
A full stomach praises Lent. Danish Sayings in English |
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. |
He came time enough who was hung by candlelight. |
He is a man, who acts like a man. |
Age is a sorry travelling companion. |
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. |
Give your wife the short knife, and keep the long one for yourself. |
He who would enjoy the fire must bear its smoke. |
It is easy to be generous with another man's money. |
Every one tries to cross the fence where it is lowest. |
He who doesn't open his eyes when he buys must still open his purse to pay. |
He that dallies with his enemy gives him leave to kill him. |
Donkeys only come to the court to carry bags. |
Great lords will have much, and poor folk can give but little. |
A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. |
It is safe to lend barley to him who has oats. |
Every one rakes the fire under his own pot. |
What is gotten over the devil's back is spent under his belly. |
One swallow does not make a summer. |
To be a fool at the right time is also an art. |
Before a man learns to hang he is half dead. |
He must be pure who would blame another. |
Every day has its evening. |
What is play to the strong is death to the weak. |
To cut into another's man's ear is like cutting into a felt hat. |
One to one, and two to the devil. |
I would rather see smoke from my own chimney than the fire on another's hearth. |
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. |
Lords and fools speak freely. |
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. |
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. |
A man must keep his mouth open a long while before a roast pigeon files into it. |
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. |
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