Common Proverbs and Wise Sayings

" A wise teacher's words spur students to action
and emphasize important truths. The collected

sayings of the wise are like guidance from one

Shepherd." Ecclesiastes 12:11

"Pay attention and listen to the sayings

of the wise." Proverbs 22:17

"Here are some further sayings of the wise."
Proverbs 24:23
A bird in the hand, is worth two in the bush. A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. A fool and his money are soon parted. A friend in need, is a friend indeed. A good beginning, makes a good ending. A house divided cannot stand. A house is not a home . A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A man is known by the company he keeps. A man's home is his castle. A penny for your thoughts. A penny saved, is a penny earned. A picture paints a thousand words. A place for everything, and everything in its place. A problem shared, is a problem halved. A stitch in time saves nine. A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men. A watched pot never boils. A woman's place is in the home. A woman's work is never done. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Actions speak louder than words. Advice when most needed, is least heeded. After a storm comes a calm. All good things must come to an end. All roads lead to Rome. All that glitters is not gold. All is well, that ends well. All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A man's home is his castle. An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure. Appearances are deceptive. April showers bring May flowers. As soon as man is born, he begins to die. As you make your bed, so must you lie in it. As you sow, so shall you reap. Ask no questions, and hear no lies. Bad news travels fast. Barking dogs seldom bite. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is only skin-deep. Beggars cannot be choosers. Behind every great man, there's a great woman. Better late, than never. Better safe, than sorry. Better die with honor, than live with shame. Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't know. Better to be alone, than in bad company. Better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. Birds of a feather flock together.

Blood is thicker than water. Boys will be boys. Business before pleasure. Charity begins at home. Children are poor men's riches. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Count your blessings. Crime does not pay. Curiosity killed the cat. Dead men have no friends. Dead men tell no tales. Death closes all doors. Death is the great leveler. Death pays all debts. Diligence is the mother of good fortune. Discretion is the better part of valor. Divide and conquer. Do not wear out your welcome. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Don't burn your bridges behind you. Don't change horses in midstream. Don't cross the bridge until you come to it. Don't count your chickens before they are hatched. Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't go near the water until you learn how to swim. Don't put all yours eggs in one basket. Don't rock the boat. Don't try to walk before you can crawl. Don't upset the apple-cart. Don't wash your dirty linen in public. Early to bed and early to rise, make a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Easier said, than done. Easy come, easy go. Empty vessels make the most noise. Enough is as good as a feast. Enough is enough. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Every family has a skeleton in the closet. Every garden has some weeds. Every man has his faults. Every man has his price. Every man is his own worst enemy. Every picture tells a story. Every stick has two ends. Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die. Experience is the best teacher. Experience is the mother of wisdom. Failing to plan, is planning to fail. Failure teaches success. Faint heart never won fair lady. Familiarity breeds contempt. Fear of death, is worse than death itself. Fight fire with fire. Finders keepers, losers weepers. First come, first served. First things first. First think, and then speak. Fish and guests smell after three days. Flattery will get you nowhere. Fools rush in, where angels fear to tread. Garbage in, garbage out. Give credit where credit is due. Give him an inch, and he'll take a mile. Good fences make good neighbors. Goodness is better than beauty. Gray hairs are death's blossoms. Great minds think alike. Hard work never did anyone any harm. Haste makes waste. He who is master of himself, will soon be master of others. He who knows nothing, doubts nothing. He who marries for money, will earn it. He who plants a tree, plants for posterity. He who plants thorns, must never expect to gather roses. He who seeks trouble, never misses. He who laughs last, laughs longest. He who would climb the ladder, must begin at the bottom. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty. History repeats itself. Home is where the heart is. Honesty is the best policy. If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well. If God had meant us to fly, he'd have given us wings. If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again. If you can't beat them, join them. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is king. In the midst of life, we are in death.

Into every life, a little rain must fall. It never rains, but it pours. It is a bold mouse that nestles in the cat's ear. It is an equal failing to trust everybody — and to trust nobody. It's best to be on the safe side. It's better to give, than to receive. It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. It's never too late. It's no use locking the stable door, after the horse has bolted. It's not worth crying over spilt milk. It's the early bird that gets the worm. It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. It takes one to know one. It takes two to tango. Jack of all trades, master of none. Keep your mouth shut, and your ears open. Kill not the goose that lays the golden eggs. Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone. Laughter is the best medicine. Lend your money, and lose your friend. Let bygones be bygones. Let sleeping dogs lie. Let the buyer beware. Let the punishment fit the crime. Life is what you make it. Like father, like son. Like mother, like daughter. Live and learn. Live and let live. Live for today, for tomorrow may never come. Look before you leap. Look on the bright side. Love conquers all. Love is blind. Love makes the world go round. Love sees no faults. Love will find a way. Make hay while the sun shines. Many hands make light work. Marry in haste, repent at leisure. Mind your own business. Mighty oaks, from little acorns grow. Misery loves company. Money doesn't grow on trees. Money isn't everything. Money makes the world go round. Money talks. More haste, less speed. Music has charms to soothe the savage beast. Necessity is the mother of invention. Never judge a book by its cover. Never judge from appearances. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Never put off until tomorrow, what you can do today. Never say die. Never speak ill of the dead. Never too late to learn. Never too late to repent. No man can serve two masters. No man is an island. No man is indispensable. No news is good news. No pain, no gain. No rest for the wicked. No time like the present. Nothing is certain but death and taxes. Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. Nothing succeeds like success. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Oil and water don't mix. Old habits die hard. One good turn deserves another. One man's loss, is another man's gain. One of these days, is none of these days. Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. Opportunity seldom knocks twice. Out of sight, out of mind. Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Patience is a virtue. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Penny wise, pound foolish. Possession is nine tenths of the law. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Practice makes perfect. Practice what you preach. Prevention is better than cure. Pride comes before a fall. Procrastination is the thief of time.

Put your best foot forward. Rats desert a sinking ship. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. Rome wasn't built in a day. Seeing is believing. Silence is golden. Something is better than nothing. Spare the rod, and spoil the child. Speak not of my debts, unless you mean to pay them. Speak when you are spoken to. Still waters run deep. Strike while the iron is hot. Talk is cheap. That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. The Devil finds work for idle hands to do. The best defense, is a good offense. The best of friends must part. The best things in life are free. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. The boy is father to the man . The burnt child dreads the fire. The cobbler always wears the worst shoes. The darkest hour is just before the dawn. The early bird catches the worm. The exception proves the rule. The first step is the hardest. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world. The last straw breaks the camel's back. The longest journey starts with a single step. The love of money is the root of all evil. The more you get, the more you want. The pen is mightier than the sword. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. There are none so blind, as those who will not see. There are two sides to every question. There but for the grace of God, go I. There is a time and a place for everything. There is more than one way to skin a cat. There is safety in numbers. There's a black sheep in every flock. There's always more fish in the sea. There's no fool like an old fool. There's no place like home. There's no time like the present. Things are not always what they seem. Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Those who sleep with dogs, will rise with fleas. Time waits for no man. Time cures all things. Time flies. Time is a great healer. Time is money. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow never comes. To be forewarned, is to be forearmed. To err is human, to forgive divine. To talk without thinking, is to shoot without aiming. Too many cooks spoil the broth. True love never grows old. Truth is stranger than fiction. Two heads are better than one. Two is company, three is a crowd. Two wrongs do not make a right. United we stand, divided we fall. Variety is the spice of life. Virtue is its own reward. Walls have ears. War is death's feast. Waste not, want not. Went in one ear, and out the other. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When the cat's away, the mice will play. Where there's a will, there's a way. Witches and harlots come out at night. Worrying never did anyone any good. You can bring a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink. You can't get blood out of a stone. You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs. You can't make bricks without straw. You can't please everyone. You can't take it with you when you die. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. You can't win them all. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot unscramble eggs. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You don't get something for nothing. Young men may die, old men must die.