Proverbs1 Flashcards
(126 cards)
1
Q
Persons, places or things become dearer to us when they are absent.
A
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
2
Q
People are more impressed when we sincerely live what we teach.
A
Actions speak louder than words
3
Q
The motto of the Three Musketeers written by Alexandre Dumas.
A
All for one and one for all
4
Q
All paths lead to the center of things.
A
All roads lead to Rome. Literally true during the Roman empire where all roads radiated from Rome.
5
Q
Things that appear to have value on the surface may be worthless.
A
All that glitters is not gold
6
Q
A person who never takes time off from work becomes boring and bored.
A
All work and no play make Jack a dull boy
7
Q
People in love and soldiers in war are not bound by fair play. Typically used when two people vie for the love of a third person.
A
All’s fair in love and war
8
Q
Problems that occur along the way don’t matter as long as the outcome is happy.
A
All’s well that ends well. The title for one of William Shakespeare’s plays.
9
Q
When in an emergency, people will accept help from any source, even enemies.
A
Any port in a storm
10
Q
Eating healthy food keeps us from needing extreme medicine.
A
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
11
Q
Some unpleasant occurrences bring better things.
A
April showers bring may flowers
12
Q
To be effective, an army relies on good and plentiful food. Attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte.
A
An army marches on its stomach
13
Q
People are quick to talk about the misfortune of others.
A
Bad news travels fast
14
Q
Our mistakes return to haunt us. Nasty people have a way of reappearing.
A
A bad penny always turns up
15
Q
This person makes many threats but doesn’t follow through with them.
A
His bark is worse than his bite
16
Q
Physical beauty is only superficial and not as important as a person’s intellectual, emotional and spiritual qualities.
A
Beauty is only skin deep
17
Q
Our success or failure depends on how we use the tools given to us, not the tools themselves.
A
The bad workman always blames his tools. A good workman takes care of his tools.
18
Q
People who depend on the generosity of others are in no position to dictate what is given.
A
Beggars can’t be choosers
19
Q
No matter how much friends care for each other, they cannot be together always.
A
The best friends must part
20
Q
The best things in life are free
A
Money can’t buy the most important things in life
21
Q
No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong.
A
The best laid-plans of mice and men often go awry. A line from “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/ Gang aft a-gley.” Gang aft a-gley means “go oft astray” in Scottish Vernacular.
22
Q
It is better to do something after it was supposed to have been done than not at all.
A
Better late than never
23
Q
It is better to act cautiously beforehand than to suffer afterwards.
A
Better safe than sorry
24
Q
Do not trust enemies who bring presents- they could be playing a trick.
A
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. Adapted from the words of Laocoon in the story of the Trojan Horse.
25
The more powerful and successful people are, the more they suffer when they experience defeat and disaster.
The bigger they come, the harder they fall
26
People are attracted to others who are like them.
Birds of a feather flock together
27
Our loyalty to our family is strong no matter how we may feel about them.
Blood is thicker than water
28
Children can be expected to act in a childish way. Often applied to men who act childish.
Boys will be boys
29
Intelligent speech and writing should aim at using few words.
Brevity is the soul of wit. Comes from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
30
The person ultimately responsible in an organization.
The buck stops here. Other people can pass the buck, but I can't pass the buck to anyone else. Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk that read "the buck stops here."
31
We must take care of our responsibilities before enjoying ourselves.
Business before pleasure
32
Latin for "Seize the day." Take advantage of present opportunities. A sentiment found in Classical and English literature.
Carpe Diem
33
The consequences of earlier actions are now being felt.
The chickens have come home to roost
34
Clean living is a good virtue.
Cleanliness is next to godliness
35
Even a near miss is still a miss.
Close, but no Cigar. Probably originated with carnival contests where a cigar was the prize for hitting targets.
36
Cold hands indicate affection, possibly because the emotions affect blood circulation.
Cold hands, warm heart
37
True love always encounters difficulties.
The course of true love never did run smooth. Comes from the play A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare.
38
Being inquisitive about other people's affairs may get you into trouble.
Curiosity killed the cat. Apparently first appeared in an O. Henry story.
39
Latin for there's no disputing about taste
De gustibus non est disputandum (day goos-ti-boos nohn est dis-poo-than-dem). Quoted in Dostoevsky's The Brother's Karamazov. From Latin, means "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes."
40
Things that are inherently good can be used for evil purposes.
The devil can site scripture for his purpose. Comes from the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.
41
Even the biggest projects depend on the smallest components.
The devil is in the details. The opposite proverb would be God is in the details, often attributed to the architect Le Corbusier.
42
Caution is preferable to rash bravery.
Discretion is the better part of valor. Said by Falstaff in King Henry the Fourth, part one, by William Shakespeare.
43
Do not waste good things on people who won't appreciate them.
Don't cast your pearls before swine. Adapted from the saying by Christ.
44
Treat other people with the concern and kindness you would like them to show towards you.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Often called the golden rule.
45
A dog is more faithful than other animals and most men.
A dog is a man's best friend.
46
Don't assume you'll get the things you want until you have them.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
47
It doesn't do any good to be unhappy about something that's already happened or can't be helped.
Don't cry over spilt milk.
48
Don't engage in an act of revenge that will hurt you more than others.
Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.
49
Don't react to a situation too early.
Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. An order allegedly made by William Prescott at the battle of Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary war.
50
Don't surrender: a favorite motto of the United States Navy.
Don't give up the ship. Dying words of commander James Lawrence during the war of 1812.
51
Don't hide your talents or abilities.
Don't hide your light under a bushel. A teaching of Christ encouraging Christians to not hide their faith.
52
Don't judge something based on its appearance.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
53
It's foolish to take precautions after the damage has been done.
Don't lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen.
54
Don't question the value of a gift.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Refers to the practice of evaluating the age of a horse by looking at their teeth. Also the source of the expression "long in the tooth" meaning old.
55
Don't put all your prospects or resources into one place, or you could lose everything.
Don't put all your eggs into one basket.
56
Begin at the proper place; do things in their proper order.
Don't put the cart before the horse.
57
When discarding things, don't throw away that which is valuable with the trash.
Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.
58
To achieve our goals, its best to have an early start.
The early bird gets the worm.
59
A saying taken from Poor Richard's Almanack by Benjamin Franklin.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
60
Western culture will always be different from Eastern culture.
East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. A part of The Ballad of East and West, a poem by Rudyard Kipling.
61
Things easily obtained may just as easily be lost.
Easy come, easy go. Often used after something is lost.
62
We should enjoy our lives as much as possible, because it will be over soon.
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Based on Isaiah 22:13.
63
Every misfortune has its positives.
Every cloud has silver lining.
64
Even the lowest person has a moment of glory
Every dog has his day.
65
A statement by Andy Warhol.
Everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes. Warhol actually wrote, "in the future everyone will be world famous for fifteen minutes."
66
Life teaches more effectively than books or school.
Experience is the best teacher.
67
The more we know people, the more likely we are to find faults with them.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
68
The two remedies to stop a cold and a fever.
Feed a cold; starve a fever.
69
A person who finds something can keep it and others have no right to it.
Finders keepers, losers weepers. A proverb of dubious ethical merit.
70
Make a decision now; stop hesitating.
Fish or cut bait. To cut bait is to stop fishing.
71
Someone who is out of their normal environment or range of activities.
Fish out of water.
72
Foolish people don't know how to keep their money.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
73
A great person doesn't have to think consistently from one day to the next.
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. Comes from "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
74
Foolish people are often reckless, attempting feats that the wise avoid.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. From "an essay on criticism" by Alexander pope.
75
Something of great importance may depend on a trivial detail.
For want of a nail the kingdom was lost. Comes from a proverb by Benjamin Franklin. "A little neglect may breed great mischief.... For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, for the want of a shoe the horse was lost, for the want of a horse the rider was lost, for the want of a rider the battle was lost, for the want of a battle the kingdom was lost---and all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
76
Those who know something is coming are better prepared to face it.
Forewarned is forearmed.
77
Women are weaker than men.
Frailty, thy name is woman! From Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
78
A friend who helps out when we are in trouble is a true friend.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
79
Things that are noble and magnificent are never far from things that are trivial and laughable.
From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step. Attributed to both Napoleon and Talleyrand.
80
What we would get from this undertaking is not worth the effort we would have to put into it.
The game is not worth the candle. Alludes to a game of cards in which the stakes are smaller than the cost of burning a candle by which to play it.
81
Great accomplishments depend not so much on ingenuity as on hard work.
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. A quote by the American inventor Thomas Edison.
82
A person will bring about their own misfortune if given the opportunity.
Give him enough rope and he'll hang himself.
83
Admit it when there is some good in a person one dislikes.
Give the devil his due. Appears in Don Quixote.
84
God will not come to the aid of those who refuse to try; we must exert ourselves if we want to succeed.
God helps those who help themselves.
85
Good neighbors respect one another's property.
Good fences make good neighbors. Appears in the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost.
86
Dependable, trustworthy help is not easy to get.
A good man is hard to find.
87
People are never satisfied with their own situation; they always think others have it better.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
88
Great things or people often have humble origins.
Great oaks from little acorns grow.
89
Something is better than nothing at all.
Half a loaf is better than none.
90
A person who spends too much time deliberating about what to do loses the chance to act altogether.
He who hesitates is lost.
91
Acting too quickly may actually slow things down.
Haste makes waste.
92
One may laugh now, thinking they have won, but they may not prevail in the end.
He who laughs last, laughs the best.
93
No one is angrier than a woman who has been rejected in love.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. A line from the play The Mourning Bride by William Congreve.
94
What is present or important now may be absent or irrelevant in the future.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
95
Aim high; hope for great things.
Hitch your wagon to a star. Appears in works by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
96
Honesty is more effective than dishonest scheming.
Honesty is the best policy. Appears in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.
97
People always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity.
Hope springs eternal. Comes from An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope.
98
Keep trying.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
99
If someone won't do this for me, than I'll do it myself. We may be able make a difficult situation easier by thinking about it differently.
If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the mountain.
100
If something belongs or pertains to you, accept it.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
101
If wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted.
If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
102
Don’t take on a job if you’re unwilling to face its pressures.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. A favorite saying by Harry S. Truman.
103
Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it.
Ignorance is bliss. Resembles “what you don’t know can’t hurt you.” Comes from a passage from On a Distant Prospect of Eton College by Thomas Gray.
104
To imitate someone is to pay them an unintended compliment.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The first half of a quote by Oscar Wilde. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."
105
Spring is the season for love.
In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. Comes from the poem Locksley Hall by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
106
Death and taxes are the only things we can be sure of.
In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. Comes from a letter by Benjamin Franklin.
107
The night is terribly cold and stormy.
It ain’t a fit night out for man or beast. Comes from the film The Fatal Glass of Beer.
108
A house is just a building until we have lived in it long enough for it to feel like home.
It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it home. Comes from a poem by Edgar A. Guest.
109
Only a thief knows how a thief thinks and acts.
It takes a thief to catch a thief.
110
Certain activities cannot be done alone.
It takes two to tango.
111
Don’t give up too early as there may be a chance to succeed.
It’s never over till it’s over.
112
You’re never to old to change your ways.
It’s never too late to mend.
113
Reaching a goal is less important than giving our best effort.
It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.
114
The more one knows, the more one will be able to control events.
Knowledge is power. Found in the works of Francis Bacon.
115
People prefer cheerfulness in others to gloom.
Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone. Written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
116
If things are going tolerably well, leave them alone or you may make them worse.
Leave well enough alone.
117
We cannot change our basic nature.
The leopard cannot change its spots. Comes from the book of Jeremiah.
118
Let past offenses stay in the past. Don’t let them ruin the present.
Let bygones be bygones.
119
Do not stir a problem that has been quiet for some time.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
120
A saying that shows insensitivity to the realities of life for the unfortunate.
Let them eat cake. Comes from Confessions by Rousseau.
121
Let’s face difficulties when they come and not uselessly worry about them.
Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.
122
Good work takes a long time to accomplish.
Life is short; art is long. First attributed to Hippocrates.
123
Misfortune does not occur twice in the same way to the same person.
Lighting never strikes twice in the same place. Lighting actually can strike in the same place twice.
124
People who only know a little do not understand how little they know and are prone to make mistakes.
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
125
Adults must be careful about what they say within the hearing of children.
Little pitchers have big ears. Refers to the large handles or ears attached to small vessels.
126
Limited strength, when persistently applied, can accomplish great feats.
Little strokes fell great oaks. From Poor Richard's Almanack by Benjamin Franklin.
