Parallel & Proverbs
A weekly literary miscellany
Look one up
The Proverb Index
Every proverb the archive has read closely, alphabetically by its English sense — each one in the script it was first written in.
A 4 proverbs
- The accuser shares the very fault he is accusing. The pot calls the kettle black.
- Act while the moment is right; opportunity will not keep. Strike while the iron is hot
- Alone, you cannot make the whole — neither a fire nor a family. Ганц мод гал болохгүй, ганц хүн айл болохгүй.
- The apple doesn't fall far from the apple tree Яблоко от яблони недалеко падает
B 4 proverbs
- Better one bird you have than a hundred you don't. Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando.
- Between saying and doing lies the sea Tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare
- The borrowed drum doesn't beat for long ਮੰਗੇ ਦਾ ਢੋਲ ਬਹੁਤੀ ਦੇਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਵੱਜਦਾ
- Bound together you cannot be broken. Loosed, you are broken one at a time. Ἐὰν μὲν ὁμοφρονῆτε, ἀχείρωτοι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἔσεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ στασιάζητε, εὐάλωτοι.
C 11 proverbs
- Calm is the virtue of the strong La calma è la virtù dei forti
- The candle that shines for others burns itself up. Świeca, co innym świeci, sama się spala.
- A canoe we are all in together. He waka eke noa
- Care for those unlike you; difference of origin is nothing beside a shared frame. Bầu ơi thương lấy bí cùng, tuy rằng khác giống nhưng chung một giàn
- The catastrophe you are imagining is almost certainly not coming — calm your panic and act. Небо не упадёт
- A child is one treasure; raising one well is a thousand. Хүүхэд нэг эрдэнэ, хүмүүжил мянган эрдэнэ
- A child who knows how to wash his hands will dine with the elders Ọmọ tó mọ ọwọ́ rẹ̀ wẹ̀ á bá àgbà jẹun
- The common people. in cuitlapilli in atlapalli
- The counsel of the old is precious — weigh it like gold. Ахмадын сургаал алт.
- Courage shows up only once the danger is safely gone. ጅብ ከሄደ ውሻ ጮኸ።
- The crow doesn't lay white eggs الغراب لا يبيض أبيض
D 11 proverbs
- Danger comes under cover of the storm — stay alert when things are at their worst. Чоно борооноор.
- The devil isn't as scary as he's painted Не так страшен чёрт, как его малюют
- The devil knows more from age than from being the devil. Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo
- Do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy Ama suwa, ama llulla, ama qhilla
- The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on. الكلاب تنبح والقافلة تسير
- Don't appraise the value of what you've been given. A caballo regalado no le mires el diente.
- Don't be so sweet they swallow you, or so bitter they spit you out. لا تكن حلواً فتُبلَع، ولا مرّاً فتُلفَظ
- Don't praise a day until it's over. Mol an lá um thráthnóna
- Drawing water with a bamboo basket: all for nothing. 竹篮打水一场空
- Drop by drop they gather, and then become a sea قطره قطره جمع گردد، وانگهی دریا شود
- A drowning man will clutch at any reed. غریق به هر گیاهی چنگ میزند
E 12 proverbs
- Effort accomplishes; wishing does not — deer don't walk into a sleeping lion's mouth. उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः। न हि सुप्तस्य सिंहस्य प्रविशन्ति मुखे मृगाः॥
- An elder of work is not called a child. Mzee wa kazi haitwi mtoto.
- The empty cart rattles loudest. 빈 수레가 요란하다
- Enjoy what you are given, and never forget whose labor gave it. Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây.
- Even a lie can be an expedient 嘘も方便
- Even monkeys fall from trees 원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다
- Even the master, sometimes, falls asleep at his work. Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus.
- Even the slightest task is lighter when two carry it. 백지장도 맞들면 낫다
- Even the smallest fragment of your homeland holds more meaning than foreign abundance. Своя земля и в горсти мила.
- Every creature belongs to where it came from; the homeland draws its own back. Шувуу үүртээ, хүн нутагтаа.
- Every encounter happens only once — treat it as unrepeatable. 一期一会
- Every jungle has a snake ព្រៃណាមានពស់
F 10 proverbs
- A fall into a ditch makes you wiser. 吃一塹，長一智
- Fear sees ghosts in the tamarind tree ভয় পেলে ভূত দেখে
- Fear the still water; the quiet one runs deepest น้ำนิ่งไหลลึก
- The first of all the arts is eloquence Өнер алды — қызыл тіл
- The fish rots from the head Το ψάρι βρομάει από το κεφάλι
- A friend at court beats a coin in your pocket. Is fhearr caraid 's a chùirt na crùn 's an sporran
- Friends are known in trouble. Друзья познаются в беде.
- The frog at the bottom of the well 井底之蛙
- The frog that wanted to be shod like a horse Жаба тражила да је поткују
- From your mouth to God's ear. פֿון דײַן מויל אין גאָטס אויערן אַרײַן
G 10 proverbs
- The gentle surgeon leaves a festering wound. Zachte heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden
- Given long enough, time forgets everything Aldi luzeak guztia ahaztu
- Given time, the thing with no legs grows the legs to walk on. ቀስ በቀስ እንቁላል በእግሩ ይሄዳል
- A good horse responds to one whip; a good person responds to one word Сайн морь нэг ташуурын зайтай, сайн хүн нэг үгийн зайтай
- Good medicine is bitter to the mouth. 良薬は口に苦し
- A great show of effort, and out comes nothing much. Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.
- A great undertaking starts wherever you happen to be standing. 千里之行，始於足下。
- Great works take time; do not measure the labour against an hour. Rome ne fu pas faite toute en un jour.
- A guest in the house is God in the house. Gość w dom, Bóg w dom
- The guest is the servant of the host Misafir ev sahibinin kuludur
H 10 proverbs
- The habit doesn't make the monk L'habit ne fait pas le moine
- A half-filled pot splashes as it goes अधजल गगरी छलकत जाय
- A half-truth is a whole lie. אַ האַלבער אמת איז אַ גאַנצער ליגן
- Haste is from the Devil. العجلة من الشيطان
- He who pays the piper calls the tune He who pays the piper calls the tune.
- The heart sees what the eyes don't. O coração vê o que os olhos não veem
- Help that comes too late is no help at all Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?
- Hospitality unfolds across the three cups; rushing it forfeits it. الكأس الأولى مرّة كالحياة، والثانية حلوة كالحبّ، والثالثة لطيفة كالموت
- However long the night, dawn will break. Komai nisan dare, gari zai waye
- Hurry hurry has no blessing Haraka haraka haina baraka
I 6 proverbs
- If you don't enter the tiger's den, how will you get the tiger's cubs? 不入虎穴，焉得虎子
- In its mother's eye, the monkey is a gazelle القرد في عين أمه غزال
- In the same boat, we get across together. 同舟共济
- It is the quiet one, moving with purpose, who achieves. Simba mwenda kimya ndiye mla nyama.
- It's a small world. El mundo es un pañuelo
- It's easier to give birth than to worry about it. 案ずるより産むが易し
K 2 proverbs
L 6 proverbs
- The land outranks the people who live on it; they serve it, not the other way around. He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauwā ke kanaka
- Let the camel's nose in, and the camel follows إذا أدخلت الجمل أنفه إلى الخيمة فقد دخل كله
- Life at the in-laws' is a dog's life. 시집살이 개집살이
- Life is in speech; death is in speech. I ka ʻōlelo nō ke ola, i ka ʻōlelo nō ka make
- Like rain on a buffalo's back — it runs right off. దున్నపోతు మీద వాన కురిసినట్టు
- Look at the small steady worker, and learn what wisdom looks like. לֵךְ־אֶל־נְמָלָה עָצֵל; רְאֵה דְרָכֶיהָ וַחֲכָם.
M 7 proverbs
- Make haste slowly Festina lente
- A meal coaxed from a village by the appearance of needing nothing more than a stone. Soupe au caillou.
- Measure seven times, cut once Семь раз отмерь, один раз отрежь
- Mountains don't meet — but people do. الجبل لا يلتقي بالجبل، ولكن الإنسان يلتقي بالإنسان
- Mountains don't meet — but people do. Гора с горой не сходится, а человек с человеком сойдётся
- Mountains don't meet — but people do. Βουνό με βουνό δε σμίγει, μα άνθρωπος μ' άνθρωπο σμίγει
- Move like the chameleon — one eye forward, one eye behind. Ataovy dian-tana
N 11 proverbs
- The nail that sticks out gets hammered down 出る杭は打たれる
- Necessity is the mother of invention. Mater artium necessitas.
- The newcomer's eyes catch what familiarity has made invisible. Onye ọbịa ahụ ihe ụmụ ụlọ adịghị ahụ.
- No garden survives without a gardener باغ بیباغبان نمیماند
- No matter how far you travel, you are pulled back to where you began. 落叶归根
- No one needs to teach a child that God exists. Obi nkyerɛ akwadaa Nyame
- No roof is rained on forever Denga silimveredwa nthawi zonse
- No single source holds all wisdom — learn from many. ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi.
- Not my circus, not my monkeys. Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy
- Nothing — neither joy nor suffering — lasts. این نیز بگذرد
- Number and letter are the two eyes of every living soul. எண்என்ப ஏனை எழுத்துஎன்ப இவ்விரண்டும் கண்என்ப வாழும் உயிர்க்கு
O 7 proverbs
- An old horse knows the way. Хөгшин морь зам мэднэ
- Once burned, you become afraid even of what cannot hurt you. Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide.
- One hand cannot clap. يد واحدة لا تصفق
- One man alone is not a warrior. Один в поле не воин
- The one who asks questions doesn't lose his way. Ɔberebere ɔbɛhunu
- The one whose presence eases you the way a tear eases a burning eye. قُرَّةُ العَيْن
- Only the grave will straighten the hunchback. Горбатого могила исправит
P 7 proverbs
- Patience and perseverance will transform even the most uncomfortable situation. 石の上にも三年
- Persistent effort, however small, will one day produce its result. Có công mài sắt, có ngày nên kim.
- The pig is teaching Minerva. Sus Minervam docet
- Power is on loan from circumstance — when the tide turns, the eaten become the eaters. ទឹកឡើងត្រីស៊ីស្រមោច ទឹកស្រកស្រមោចស៊ីត្រី។
- A proverb is the horse that carries speech Òwe l'ẹṣin ọ̀rọ̀; ọ̀rọ̀ l'ẹṣin òwe. Bí ọ̀rọ̀ bá sọnù, òwe ni a fi ń wá a.
- Proverbs are what make speech go down — the relish that carries meaning. Ilu bu mmanu eji eri okwu
- Push into an affair no one summoned you to, and whatever you meet there is your own doing. Bí ẹlẹ́bọ ò bá pe ẹni, àṣefín ò yẹni.
R 2 proverbs
S 14 proverbs
- Save the straw — its time will come. Sakla samanı, gelir zamanı
- The seasoned one finds the way back when the young have lost it. 老馬識途
- Share the burdens and share the ease. Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing
- The shrimp that falls asleep is carried away by the current Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente
- Slow and steady wins the race. Βραδέως ἀλλὰ βεβαίως
- The slower you go, the farther you'll get Тише едешь — дальше будешь
- Speak of him, and there he is. Lupus in fabula.
- Speech is silver, silence is gold Reden ist Silber, Schweigen ist Gold
- Spilled water is hard to take back. 覆水难收
- Still waters hide devils — beware the calm one. В тихом омуте черти водятся
- Stony ground answers to labor, not to supplication. A rocky vineyard does not need a prayer, but a pick ax.
- A straight tree does not fear dying upright Cây ngay không sợ chết đứng
- Strike while the iron is hot. 趁热打铁
- Strike while the iron is hot. Kuj železo, dokud je žhavé
T 16 proverbs
- Take the present; don't bank on a future you can't count on. Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero
- They that sow in tears shall reap in joy הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ
- The thing held so dear that the holder appears reflected in it. אִישׁוֹן עֵינוֹ
- Those who spend themselves in service to others are consumed by that very service. Świeca, co innym świeci, sama się spala.
- Those with the least inside speak the loudest. Empty vessels make the most noise.
- Tie your camel, then trust in God. اعقلها وتوكّل
- A tiger at home, a mouse outside Гэртээ бар, гадаа хулгана
- To bear with those who insult you — as the earth bears those who dig it — is the highest of virtues. அகழ்வாரைத் தாங்கும் நிலம்போலத் தம்மை இகழ்வார்ப் பொறுத்தல் தலை.
- To labor at what cannot, by its nature, come to anything. Cribro aquam haurire
- To teach a crocodile to swim. สอนจระเข้ให้ว่ายน้ำ
- Together we are strong; alone, each is weak. Олуул бол хүчтэй.
- Together we are strong; apart we are weak. Umoja ni nguvu, utengano ni udhaifu
- The tongue has no bone Dilin kemiği yoktur
- The truth jabs you where you can least look away. Prawda w oczy kole
- Two captains sink the ship. İki kaptan bir gemiyi batırır.
- Two paths confuse the hyena Nzira mbiri dzinokanganisa bere
U 2 proverbs
W 21 proverbs
- We have eaten salt together; we are bound. ملح وعيش
- We plan; the universe finds us amusing. מענטש טראַכט, גאָט לאַכט
- We speak of the wolf, and he's already in the fold За вълка говорим, а той в кошарата
- We walk backwards into the future, our eyes fixed on the past. Ka mua, ka muri.
- What goes around comes around. What goes around comes around
- What has proven itself through time is worth more than the untested new. Хуучин цагаан эсгий шинэ хар эсгийгээс дээр.
- What is formed in the child is fixed in the adult. Багын зан ясанд шингэнэ.
- What is genuinely good reveals itself despite any barrier placed before it. عطر گل پنهان نمیشود
- What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata
- What shaped you in hardship is not something you can put aside. Чоно нутгаа мартдаггүй.
- What strength cannot do, repetition can. Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo
- What we don't know, we magnify. Omne ignotum pro magnifico est
- Whatever you say, something is listening — and what listens depends on when you speak. 낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다.
- When many people share a task, the task becomes light. Many hands make light work.
- When spider webs unite, they can tie a lion ሸረሪቶች ሲተባበሩ አንበሳ ያስሩ
- When the old man at the frontier lost his horse — how could anyone know it wasn't a blessing? 塞翁失馬，焉知非福
- Where there is no comparison, even the least becomes the greatest. Адгийн ноён албатдаа баатар.
- Whoever would lead must make himself the crossing A fo ben, bid bont
- Wisdom comes through suffering. πάθει μάθος
- The world makes no trouble. Small men manufacture their own. 天下本无事，庸人自扰之
- The wound of the tongue is worse than the wound of the sword. زخم زبان از زخم شمشیر بدتر است.
Y 5 proverbs
- The years' merit beats the turtle's shell. 亀の甲より年の功
- You cannot step into the same river twice. ποταμοῖσι τοῖσιν αὐτοῖσιν ἐμβαίνουσιν ἕτερα καὶ ἕτερα ὕδατα ἐπιρρεῖ
- You reach only as far as you have prepared yourself to reach. He lawaiʻa no ke kai hohonu, he loa ke aho
- The young can do what the old cannot, and the old what the young cannot — so each needs the other. Ọwọ́ ọmọdé ò tó pẹpẹ, t'àgbàlagbà ò wọ kèǹgbè.
- Your life is in your own hands — meet it with your own effort. T'áá hwó ají t'éego.