From the Bible's account of Jesus' last night in Gethsemane. Matthew 26:41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

It’s obvious that when it comes to business vs government regulation the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

1976 May 10, Stanley Modic, “Spirit Is Willing, but . . .”, in Industry Week, Cleveland, Oh., →ISSN, →OCLC; quoted in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 94ᵗʰ Congress, Second Session, volume 122, part 12, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 18 May 1976, →OCLC, page 14337, column 2:

I should have more willpower, but as the saying goes, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Thus, all too often, instead of going to waste, my leftovers go to “waist.”

2019 January 19, Sue Bowman, “Rural Ramblings: Weighing In”, in Lancaster Farming, Northern edition, volume 64, number 16, Ephrata, Pa., →ISSN, →OCLC, page B9, column 1:

We are enjoying the aftermath of an all-grandkid weekend: fatigue, muscle cramps and a blue bucket filled with cicada shells by the back door. We will rebound shortly. Thanksgiving sounds about right. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak—especially when you are outnumbered 11 to two.

2023 September 7, Lori Borgman, “A level playing field between youth, age”, in Lincoln Journal Star, volume 162, number 250, Lincoln, Neb.: Lee Enterprises, →ISSN, →OCLC, page B8, column 4:

the spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak

As much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible. Sometimes extended to jocular or organizational referents.

achieving something is made impossible by frailty

ar-rūḥu tawwāqatu walākinna l-jasadu ḍaʕīfu

الرُوحُ تَوَّاقَةُ وَلٰكِنَّ الجَسَدُ ضَعِيفُ

duchť zajisté hotov jest, ale tělo nemocno

de geest is gewillig, maar het vlees is zwak

la spirito ja estas fervora, sed la karno estas malforta

henki tosin on altis, mutta liha on heikko

l'esprit est prompt, mais la chair est faible

der Geist ist willig, aber das Fleisch ist schwach

lo spirito è pronto, ma la carne è stanca

spiritus quidem promptus est, caro autem infirma

he hihiko te wairua, ko te kikokiko ia he ngoikore

o espírito está pronto, mas a carne é fraca

дух је, истина, вољан, но тијело је слабо

duh je, istina, voljan, no tijelo je slabo

el espíritu está presto, mas la carne enferma

tâm thần thì muốn lắm, mà xác thịt thì yếu đuối


diamonds are a girl's best friend

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-diamonds are a girl's best friend.wav

While love is a luxury, material wealth (particularly jewellery) is more valuable to a girl.


you get what you pay for

You get what you pay for. If you want a lower price, you can go to Motel 6..

1991 October 28, Janice Castro, Richard Woodbury, “The Man Who Fired a Dog To Save a Buck”, in Time, retrieved 2018-11-04:

In commercial transactions, the quality of goods and services increases as the prices increase, i.e., the more one pays, the better the merchandise.

一分錢，一分貨 /一分钱

quality of goods increases as the prices increases

安物買いの銭失い

やすものがいのぜにうしない

колку пари, толку музика (kolku pari, tolku muzika, literally “as much music as there is money”)

ба пулдор кабоб, ба бепул дуди кабоб (ba puldor kabob, ba bepul dud-i kabob, literally “kebab for the one who has money, kebab smoke for the one who doesn't”)

you pays your money and you takes your choice


cast not a clout till May be out

ne'er cast a clout till May be out#English

Alternative form of ne'er cast a clout till May be out.


almost doesn't count

Near success (or near accuracy) is not adequate.


money talks

19th century, from earlier forms such as gold speaks (1666, in full, “Man prates, but gold speaks.”), as translation from Italian by Giovanni Torriano, in Piazza Universale di Proverbi Italiani: or, A Common Place of Italian Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, 179.

He illustrated the fact of money talking in the case of Mrs. Rita Warren who successfully stopped the showing of 1001 Danish Delights in a local Norwell theatre, yet was promptly arrested when attempting the same picketing in front of the more profitable Ben Sack "57" theatre to stop the showing of The Exorcist.

1974 February 9, “Tufts Porno”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 33, page 2:

Money still talks — indeed, thanks in part to the Roberts court, it talks louder than ever. Still, ideas matter too, shaping both how we talk about society and, eventually, what we do.

2014 April 25, Paul Krugman, “The Piketty Panic”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

錢可通神 /钱可通神

it is easier to accomplish goals using money

閻魔大王が下す地獄での判決も金次第では軽くもなる

Enma Daiō ga kudasu jigoku de no hanketsu mo kane shidaide wa karuku mo naru


silence is golden

Calque of Latin silentium est aureum (“silence is golden”).

cal

"[I] adore good music, I hate bad, and I despise mediocre. Silence is golden, indeed, compared with poor music."

1877, Charles Reade, chapter 21, in A Woman-Hater:

言わぬが花 (いわぬがはな, iwanu ga hana, literally “not saying is a flower”)

сло́во — серебро́, молча́ние — зо́лото (slóvo — serebró, molčánije — zóloto)

молча́ние — зо́лото (molčánije — zóloto)

's fhearr a bhith sàmhach na droch dhan a ghabhail

am fear a ghléidheas a theangaidh, ghléidhidh e a charaid

But I have spoken long enough. There are times when silence is golden, and one of those times is at hand.

1897, Horatio Alger, chapter 2, in Walter Sherwood's Probation:

I shouldn't lower myself to respond to the personal attacks on me, but silence, as the current scandal plaguing the federal administration shows, isn't golden.

1987 April 4, T.R. Witomski, “witomski responds to readers' response to witomski (letter)”, in Gay Community News, page 6:

Often the best choice is to say nothing.


old habits die hard

Old habits die hard. The stronger beverage of English ale had been so long in use that the old folks could not be induced to relinquish it for a foreign herb.

1884, Arthur Reade, Tea and Tea Drinking, London: S. Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, page 12:

Established habits are difficult to change.

بو طبيع ما يوز عن طبعه

established habits are difficult to change

man kan ikke lære en gammel hund nye kunster

πρώτα βγαίνει η ψυχή και μετά το χούι

próta vgaínei i psychí kai metá to choúi

teaching an old dog to sit is a daunting task

það er erfitt að kenna gömlum hundi að sitja

przyzwyczajenie jest drugą naturą człowieka

привы́чка — втора́я нату́ра (privýčka — vtorája natúra) (a habit is a second nature)

от ста́рой привы́чки тру́дно изба́виться


head

The distinguishing features of a camel, like its humps, plate-shaped feet, habitual spitting, strange shape and poor temperament, can be seen as the sort of deformities that typify the sort of ideas that committees come up with that make projects bad.

a camel is a horse made by a committee (alternative)
a camel is a horse made by committee (alternative)

A camel is a horse designed by a committee, so we hope that this committee will—and I think it will—function appropriately.

1952, Proceedings Regular Meeting, Ohio Valley Transportation Advisory Board, Pacific Northwest Advisory Board, page 24:

And we all know the saying, which is true as well as witty, that a camel is a horse that was designed by a committee.

1964, Peter and the Commissar, Allan Sherman and the Boston Pops

If a camel is a horse designed by a committee, what is a materials policy statement prepared by seven study teams?

1975, The Professional Geographer: The Journal of the Association of American Geographers, volume 27, page 132:

Whoever concluded that a camel is a horse designed by a committee could have similar thoughts about taxicabs.

1976, Popular Science, v.209 1976 Jul-Dec:

"A camel," it has been said, "is a horse designed by committee." This might sound like a telling example of the terrible deficiencies of committee decisions, but it is really much too mild an indictment.

1998, The Possibility of Social Choice, Nobel Lecture, Amartya Sen

"This is a presidential address, Andrea, not a camel (...) A camel! A horse built by committee!" (Toby Ziegler)

2002,The West Wing, episode Night Five, original airdate February 6th, 2002

To quote another ancient proverb, "A camel is a horse designed by a committee." Life or Something Like It is the movie designed by the camel.

2004, Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2005, Roger Ebert, Andrews McMeel Publishing, →ISBN, page 388:

"You know what they say about committees, a camel is a horse designed by a committee - Honorable Mayor Lawrence Werther, Mayor of the Incorporated Village of Mineola, New York.

2011, January 5, 2011 Mineola, NY Village Meeting. original airdate January 5, 2011

Too many people on one project can spoil it by having conflicting or inexperienced ideas.

kameli on komitean suunnittelema hevonen

뱃사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다

baetsagong-i maneumyeon baega saneuro ganda


wherever you go, there you are

(colloquial) One cannot run from one's problems indefinitely.


it's never too late to mend

One is never too old to change one's ways; learning is always possible.

亡羊补牢

one is never too old to change one's ways

век живи́ — век учи́сь (vek živí — vek učísʹ)


seeing is believing

They said their product will be ready for shipment in two months and we could even "take that to the bank", but we’ve heard that before. Seeing is believing.

There is nothing like Matter of Fact; Seeing is Believing.

1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “How Lewis Baboon Came to Visit John Bull, and What Pass’d between Them”, in Lewis Baboon Turned Honest, and John Bull Politician. Being the Fourth Part of Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], London: […] John Morphew, […], →OCLC, page 21:

Seeing is believing, says the proverb. Though, of all our senses, the eyes are the most easily deceived, we believe them in preference to any other evidence.

1848, J. C., A. W. Hare, Guesses at Truth, second edition, page 497:

(idiomatic) One needs to see something in order to believe it; visible facts cannot be denied.

الحكي مش متل الشوف

one needs to see something to believe it

百聞は一見に如かず

ひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかず

lúčše odín raz uvídetʹ, čem sto raz uslýšatʹ

лу́чше оди́н раз уви́деть, чем сто раз услы́шать

уви́деть — э́то зна́чит пове́рить (uvídetʹ — éto znáčit povéritʹ)

b' fheàrr leam fhaicinn na a chluinntinn

(idiomatic) One is skeptical regarding a claim.


murder will out

The phrase murder will out, literally "murder will become public", appears as far back as Geoffrey Chaucer's works. The phrase is often linked to the superstition that a murderer's presence near the corpse will be indicated by fresh bleeding.

紙包不住火 /纸包不住火 (zhǐ bāo bùzhù huǒ, literally “fire cannot be wrapped up in paper”)

ши́ла в мешке́ не утаи́шь (šíla v mešké ne utaíšʹ, literally “you can't hide an awl in a sack”)

(idiomatic) Secrets or hidden crimes will eventually be exposed or discovered; nothing that is secret can remain a secret forever.


en-proverb

English translation of French plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

uder

Superficial change is not movement, as is indicated by the saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

1952, “Freedom and Movement—Necessities for Community Well-Being”, in Community Service News, volume 10, number 3, page 65:

There must be some continuity with the past, “or else the world is a madhouse.” Hence, the more things change, the more they stay the same; the more things stay the same, the more they change.

1994, Delwin Brown, Boundaries of Our Habitations: Tradition and Theological Construction, State University of New York Press, →ISBN, page 65:

On the other hand, the founders would certainly find a familiar state-centric and decentralized institutional approach to problem solving that is incapable of addressing the kinds of life-threatening global challenges increasingly and routinely confronting humanity. As the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

2009, Thomas G. Weiss, What’s Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix it, Polity, →ISBN, page 3:

Turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.

A change of heart must accompany experience before lasting change occurs.

萬事變化越大，越不會變化, 万事变化越大 /万事变化越大，越不会变化

change is constant, unavoidable and a fact of life

万事变化越大，越不会变化

wànshì biànhuà yuè dà, yuè bù huì biànhuà

hoe meer alles verandert, hoe meer het hetzelfde blijft

mitä enemmän asiat muuttuvat, sitä enemmän ne pysyvät ennallaan

je mehr sich verändert, desto mehr bleibt sich gleich

je mehr sich alles ändert, desto mehr bleibt alles gleich

im bardziej się wszystko zmienia, tym bardziej jest tak samo

quanto mais as coisas mudam, mais elas ficam iguais

cuanto mientras más cambian las cosas, más permanecen iguales


revenge is a dish best served cold

Earliest known metaphorical reference to revenge as food in English is “And then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say”, from an 1846 translation of Eugène Sue's Mathilde: Mémoires d'une Jeune Femme. The passage suggests that it was an existing expression. Similar proverbs are known as early as the 17th century with “Reuenge is not good in cold bloud” in a translation of Don Quixote.
The phrase exists in various Romance languages: Italian la vendetta è un piatto che va servito freddo, Spanish la venganza es un plato que se sirve frío, French la vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid. In French, it's commonly used since at least the 19th century.
In English, many variations are attested but the exact phrase revenge is a dish best served cold may originate from the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

cog

He was no coward, but it had suddenly struck him that the present was a very ill-chosen time for a row with his younger relative, however successful might be the issue. Such violence should not go unpunished, but vengeance is a dish that can be eaten cold.

1892, James Payn, A Modern Dick Whittington; or, A Patron of Letters, volume 1, page 222:

Time had brought me revenge on Lionel, and as the Italian proverb says, revenge is a dish which people of taste prefer to eat cold.

1949, Robert Hamer, John Dighton, Kind Hearts and Coronets, spoken by Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price):

Don Corleone nodded. “Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold,” he said.

1969, Mario Puzo, The Godfather, New York, page 404:

Of course! We are one big, happy fleet! Ah, Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold?

1982, Jack B. Sowards, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, spoken by Khan (Ricardo Montalbán):

Revenge should not be rushed, because it must be calculated coolly and/or because it is most satisfying when delayed.

Eugène Sue
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

la venjança és un plat que se serveix fred

十年不晚 (jūnzǐ bàochóu, shí nián bù wǎn, literally “when a nobleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late”)

but translations from French/English are understood

i ekdíkisi eínai éna piáto pou trógetai krýo

η εκδίκηση είναι ένα πιάτο που τρώγεται κρύο

ada hujan ada panas, ada hari boleh balas

răzbunarea este un fel de mâncare care este servit la rece

Mestʹ - eto bljudo, kotoroje podajut xolodnym

Месть - это блюдо, которое подают холодным


to err is human

كُلّ اِبْن آدَم خَطَّاء

lit: every Adam's son errs much / meaning.: all Adam's descendants err much

誤るのが人間である

あやまるのがにんげんである


kids will be kids

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-kids will be kids.wav

(informal) Children cannot be expected to act like adults.


if pigs had wings they would fly

(colloquial) Expresses skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.

if wishes were horses, beggars would ride


there's many a slip twixt cup and lip

/ðɛəz ˌmɛni‿ə ˈslɪp twɪkst ˌkʌp‿n̩ ˈlɪp/

/ðɛəɹz ˌmɛni‿ə ˈslɪp twɪkst ˌkʌp‿n̩ ˈlɪp/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-there's many a slip twixt cup and lip.wav

The Dutch humanist Erasmus (c. 1466 – 1536), in his collection of proverbs called Adagia, noted that the Carthaginian grammarian Sulpicius Apollinaris (fl. 2nd century C.E.) recorded two proverbs, one in Greek and the other in Latin, with the same meaning: πολλὰ μεταξὺ πέλει κύλικος καὶ χείλεος ἄκρου (pollà metaxù pélei kúlikos kaì kheíleos ákrou, literally “much takes place between the (wine) cup and the upper lip”) and multa cadunt inter calice[m], supremaq[ue] labra (literally “many things fall between the chalice, and the upper lips”). The earliest English version of the expression recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is Richard Taverner’s 1539 translation of Erasmus’s work: see the quotation.
The proverb refers to the possibility of a drink being spilled from a cup while it is being raised to the lips and before it can be drunk.

nb...

To which is also Added a Fifth Imperfect 􂀿Thousand􂁀.

Many thynges fall betwene the cuppe and the mouth.

[1539, Erasmus, translated by Richard Taverner, Proverbes or Adagies with Newe Addicions Gathered out of the Chiliades of Erasmus […], London: […] Ricardum Bances, →OCLC, folios xv, recto – xv, verso:

[Y]et conſidering that many things fall betwéene the cup and the lip, that in one luckie houre more rare things come to paſſe, thẽ [then; i.e., than] ſome-times in ſeauen yeare, […] there is no doubt but that they both will liue well in marriage, who loued ſo well before their matching: […]

[[1578], Iohn Lylly [i.e., John Lyly], “Thine or Not His Owne, Philautus”, in Euphues. The Anatomy of Wyt. […], London: […] [Thomas East] for Gabriell Cawood, […], →OCLC, folio 129, recto:

But thus you ſee th' old Adage verified, / Multa cadunt inter—you can gueſs the reſt. / Many things fall betvveen the Cup and Lip: / And though they touch, you are not ſure to drink.

[1633 (first performance), Ben Jonson, “A Tale of a Tub. A Comedy […]”, in The Works of Beniamin Jonson, […] (Third Folio), London: […] Thomas Hodgkin, for H[enry] Herringman, E. Brewster, T. Bassett, R[ichard] Chiswell, M. Wotton, G. Conyers, published 1692, →OCLC, Act III, scene vii, page 521:

Aye, ſir, if the devil don't ſtep betvveen the cup and the lip, as he uſes to do.

[1777 February 24 (first performance), Richard Brinsley Sheridan, A Trip to Scarborough. A Comedy. […], London: […] G. Wilkie, […], published 1781, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 18:

Multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra. […] There is many a slip between the cup and the lip.

1797, Thomas Browne, “Ancæus”, in A New Classical Dictionary for the Use of Schools, […], London: […] G[eorge] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […]; and E[lizabeth] Newbery, […], →OCLC, signature D, recto, column 1:

He forgot the old adage— / “There's many a slip / ’Twixt the cup and lip;” / and fancied himself so secure of the hand of Bertha, that after her declaration of the abhorrence in which she held her cousin, he gaily quaffed a cup of wine to his health, and actually made some approaches to intimacy, by drawing his settle nearer to him.

1826 August, B. J., “Henwood”, in The Literary Lounger, London: [Ibbetson and Palmer for] Lupton Relfe, […]; W. Sams, […]; Kerr and Ashmead, […]; and Sampson Low, […], →OCLC, page 353:

That "there is many a slip between the cup and the lip" is a proverb somewhat musty; but it pithily indicates the sudden mutations to which poor humanity is liable.

1835, [Catharine Sedgwick], chapter XXIX, in The Linwoods; or, “Sixty Years since” in America. […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 139:

[W]e sent and purchased bread and meat, but the eyes of Argus were necessary to prevent too frequent verification of the proverb, "many a slip 'twixt cup and lip." Even after our bit of meat was in the pot with the rice and we were superintending its cooking, some dexterous Chinese thief would whip it out with his chopsticks, if our eye strayed from it one moment.

1836, James F. O’Connell, chapter XVIII, in A Residence of Eleven Years in New Holland and the Caroline Islands: Being the Adventures of James F. O’Connell. […], Boston, Mass.: B. B. Mussey, →OCLC, page 246:

[…] Peter took occasion, from the horse casting its shoe, to make a few apropos moral observations, in the manner of the Rev. Mr Wiggie, on the uncertainties which it is every man's lot to encounter in the weariful pilgrimage of human life. "There is many a slip 'tween the cup and the lip," said Peter.

1839, Mansie Wauch [pseudonym; David Macbeth Moir], “The June Jaunt”, in The Life of Mansie Wauch, Tailor in Dalkeith. […], new edition, Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons; London: Thomas Cadell, →OCLC, page 270:

There's many a slip between the cup and the lip! Who knows what may happen, Mr. Huxter, or who will sit in Parliament for Clavering next session?

1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, “Mr. and Mrs. Sam. Huxter”, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume II, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 332:

She had heard of girls who would not speak of their love, arguing to themselves cannily that there may be many a slip between the cup and the lip.

1862 September – 1864 April, Anthony Trollope, “Mrs. Dale’s Little Party”, in The Small House at Allington. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published April 1864, →OCLC, page 87:

And now Robin's heart began to laugh aloud, for he thought that his danger had gone by, and that his nostrils would soon snuff the spicy air of the woodlands once again. But there is many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip, and this Robin was to find.

1883, Howard Pyle, “The Chase of Robin Hood”, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC, part seventh, page 240:

Losing no time in London I reached Birmingham on the evening of Sunday the 5th, and found my friend Hall quite sure of my election by the governors of the school on the recommendation of his friend Jeune. But then began a whole series of slips between the cup and lip! […] [A] part of the board wished, on financial grounds, to defer the election of a new master for a while.

1887, Thomas Adolphus Trollope, chapter XII, in What I Remember […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley and Son […], →OCLC, page 256:

With the blessings of my elders, I started for Bombay. This was my first journey from Rajkot to Bombay. My brother accompanied me. But there is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip. There were difficulties to be faced in Bombay.

1927, M[ohandas] K[aramchand] Gandhi, “Preparation for England”, in Mahadev Desai, transl., The Story of My Experiments with Truth: Translated from the Original in Gujarati, volume I, Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Navajivan Press, →OCLC, part I, page 98:

don't count your chickens before they're hatched

(dated) In any situation, however well planned, something can always go wrong.

Adagia
Erasmus
Oxford English Dictionary
Richard Taverner
Sulpicius Apollinaris

de prometre a complir hi ha molt a dir

in any situation, however well planned, something can always go wrong

de prometre a complir hi ha molt tros per penedir

man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben

πολλὰ μεταξὺ πέλει κύλικος καὶ χείλεος ἄκρου (pollà metaxù pélei kúlikos kaì kheíleos ákrou, literally “much takes place between the cup and the upper lip”)

tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare

multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra

не говори́ «гоп», пока́ не перепры́гнешь (ne govorí «gop», poká ne pereprýgnešʹ, literally “don’t say ‘hop!’ before you [have managed to] jump over [it]”)

na cuir do làmh eadar a' chlach is an sgrath


discretion is the better part of valour

Alteration of "The better part of valour is discretion," spoken by Falstaff in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Act V, Scene 4.

discretion is the better part of valor (alternative)

The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life.

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:

At least there was no problem with Alison travelling on the 'wrong' train - discretion was the better part of valour for ticket checks [on a train full of football supporters].

2019 October, Chris Stokes, “Between the Lines”, in Modern Railways, page 97:

It is often wise to refrain from seemingly brave speech or action.


forewarned is forearmed

Possibly, although not certainly, from the Latin saying praemonitus praemunitus.

[W]hatever a young gentleman of that age says to you, he says to many other ladies; but your experience is not equal to your sense; so profit by mine . . . forewarned is forearmed.

1863, Charles Reade, chapter 4, in Hard Cash:

Sometimes, they say, it is wiser to remain in ignorance; at other times forewarned is forearmed.

1885, G. A. Henty, chapter 4, in Saint George for England:

"Well, Miss Maxwell, I think it only fair to tell you that you may have trouble with those boys when they do come. Forewarned is forearmed, you know."

c. 1903, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Why Mr. Cropper Changed His Mind:

Advance awareness of a situation, especially a risky one, prepares one to deal with it.

предупреждён — значит вооружён (predupreždjón — značit vooružón)

te yu mati barba e bron, yu musu nati di fu yu


enough is as good as a feast

Here is enough, I am satisfied, (sayd he). / Since enough is enough, (sayd I), here may we / With that one word take end good, as may be geast: / For folke say, enough is as good as a feast.

1546, John Heywood, chapter XI, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part II, page 173:

Just the right amount is as good as more than enough: there is no value in excess.

kesederhanaan lebih baik daripada berlebihan


one swallow does not a summer make

Calque of Ancient Greek μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ (mía khelidṑn éar ou poieî), part of a remark found in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (1098a18: “one swallow does not a spring make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy”), itself inspired by the fable The Young Man and the Swallow by Aesop.
The proverb is an allusion to the migration of swallows to Europe during spring. The unexpected translation of ἔαρ (éar) (meaning "spring") as "summer" seen in English is also encountered in many other languages, such as Dutch een zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer and German eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer (note the descendants at the Ancient Greek entry).
The unusual English word order (in use from circa 1920) may be intended to reflect the Greek word order, or it may be influenced by the line “Stone walls do not a prison make,” from To Althea, from Prison by Richard Lovelace (1642).

clq

μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ

cog

[T]hough one swallow does not make a summer, one engagement is apt to make several, and her boys were, most of them, at the inflammable age when a spark ignites the flame[.]

1886, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 9, in Jo's Boys […] , Boston: Roberts Brothers:

One swallow does not a summer make, nor one onion a spring garden.

1921 April 4, “Smile a While”, in The Day, retrieved 2011-11-29, page 6:

One swallow does not a summer make and one football game doesn't make a season.

1969 September 19, Bob Johnson, “Sports: September Madness”, in Spokane Daily Chronicle, page 15:

Added one Western diplomat: "Aquino's success undoubtedly weakens the Communists' appeal to the so-called mass base. But one swallow does not a summer make."

2001 June 24, Susan Tifft, “The Philippines: Now the Hard Part”, in Time, archived from the original on 2009-08-12:

One instance of an event (such as the arrival of a single bird) does not necessarily indicate a trend.

Aesop
Aristotle
Nicomachean Ethics
Richard Lovelace
The Young Man and the Swallow
To Althea, from Prison

մի ծաղկով գարուն չի գա

one instance of an event does not necessarily indicate a trend

한 마리의 제비가 왔다고 봄이 온 것은 아니다

han mariui jebiga watdago bomi on geoseun anida


it takes all kinds

it takes all kinds to make a world#English

Ellipsis of it takes all kinds to make a world.


it takes all kinds to make a world

En-au-it takes all kinds to make a world.ogg

Calque of Spanish de todos ha de haber en el mundo (“There must be of all [types] in the world”), Miguel de Cervantes,
El ingenioso caballero Don Quijote de la Mancha, Capítulo VI, 1615 (Don Quixote, Volume 2, Chapter VI); translated 1620, Shelton, as "In the world there must surely be of all sorts." and appeared in various forms thereafter.

clq

There must be of all 􂀿types􂁀 in the world

it takes all kinds (alternative)
it takes all sorts (alternative)
it takes all sorts to make a world (alternative)
it takes all types (alternative)
it takes all types to make a world (alternative)

He irons his clothes how?! That's crazy! Well, I guess it takes all kinds to make a world.

(idiomatic) Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike; an expression of surprise at a person or people's eccentricity.


the sky's the limit

the sky is the limit
the sky is the limit#English

Alternative form of the sky is the limit.


better safe than sorry

Moreover, apart from official restrictions, drivers do not a little easing of their engines on their own account, where they consider that the feel of the track makes this desirable; and they can hardly be blamed in consequence. It is better to be safe than sorry.

1947 September and October, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 320:

But I'll be stumbling away / Slowly learning that life is OK / Say after me / It's no better to be safe than sorry

1985, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, “Take On Me”, in Hunting High and Low, performed by a-ha:

It is preferable to be cautious in one's choices and actions than to act recklessly and suffer afterwards.

parempi virsta väärää kuin vaaksa vaaraa

það er betra að hafa vaðið fyrir neðan sig

sesal dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tak berguna

gdyby kózka nie skakała, toby nóżki nie złamała

żeby kózka nie skakała, toby nóżki nie złamała

's fheàrr a bhith cinnteach na caillteach


business before pleasure

Discharging one's obligations must take precedence over devoting time to pursuits meant solely for one's own gratification.

先工作後玩樂 /先工作后玩乐

discharging one's obligations should come before one's own gratification

花より団子 (はなよりだんご, hana-yori dango, literally “dumplings rather than flowers”)

ко́нчил де́ло — гуля́й сме́ло (kónčil délo — guljáj smélo, literally “finished business, play bravely”)

де́лу — вре́мя, поте́хе — час (délu — vrémja, potéxe — čas)


caveat lector

Latin for “reader beware”; formed on the model of caveat emptor.


an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth

en-au-eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.ogg

Reference to Exodus 21:23-25: "And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe". (King James Version)

(idiomatic) compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting of an identical injury on that person.

ofthalmón antí ofthalmoú kai odónta antí odóntos

οφθαλμόν αντί οφθαλμού και οδόντα αντί οδόντος

目には目を、歯には歯を

めにはめを、はにははを, me ni wa me o, ha ni wa ha o


waste not, want not

Besides these, there were some little pleasures in the shape of helping her to vegetable she didn't want, and when it had nearly alighted on her plate, taking it across for his own use, on the plea of waste not, want not.

1872, [Thomas Hardy], “VIII. They Dance More Wildly”, in Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School, volume I, London: Tinsley Brothers, →OCLC, part I, page 114:

“They take the cocoa-nuts to the town kitchen,” said the captain, “to be made into cocoa-nut ice for the army breakfast; waste not want not, you know.”

1910, Edith Nesbit, chapter 2, in The Magic City:

I'm a believer in “waste not, want not”, and we roast our leftover bread, finely sliced and brushed with olive oil, in a low oven.

2006 July 9, Richard Corrigan, “Fish tales”, in Sunday Times, UK, retrieved 2008-07-05:

(idiomatic) If one is not wasteful then one will not be in need.

儉以防匱 /俭以防匮

spare in der Zeit, so hast du in der Not


knowledge is power

See Scientia potentia est. Often incorrectly attributed to Francis Bacon.

Scientia potentia est
scientia potentia est

Scientia potentia est; with knowledge and/or education, one's potential or ability to succeed in the pursuit of one's objectives will certainly increase.

Scientia potentia est
en:knowledge is power

зна́ние — си́ла (znánije — síla)

बुद्धिर्यस्य बलं तस्य (buddhiryasya balaṃ tasya, literally “whose knowledge, his power”)


still waters run deep

Of Latin origin, but possibly popularized by William Shakespeare, c. 1590, in "Henry VI," part 2, act 3, scene 1:
: Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep;
: And in his simple show he harbours treason.

I always knew she was an artful jade; 'still waters run deep;' but she shall be exposed, the mask shall be stripped from the hypocrite.

1822, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, A New-England Tale:

But still waters run deep; and no crisis had come in the years of her early maidenhood to demonstrate what lay hidden within her, like metal in a mine.

Baxter had never known of any goings on in that quarter, but, bless you, still waters run deep, and these girls were all alike, one as bad as the other.

1903, Samuel Butler, chapter 58, in The Way of All Flesh:

Isabel Pierce, the central character of Sweetwater, Roxana Robinson's fluid third novel, gives the appearance of being a thoughtful, reserved, quiet woman who won't rock any boats in her life. Yet she harbors passions; it might be said of her that still waters run deep.

2003 June 8, Alice Elliott Dark, “Book Review: Rainy Day Woman”, in New York Times, retrieved 2008-07-09:

A person with a calm appearance has, or may have, considerable inner emotion, character, or intellect.

a person's calm appearance may be misleading

duz ʕla l-uwad l-hərhuri ula t-duz ʕla l-uwad s-skuti

دوز على لواد لهرهوري ولا تدوز على لواد سّكوتي

能ある鷹は爪を隠す

のう-ある-たか-は-つめ-を-かく-す nō aru taka wa tsume o kakusu

diam-diam ubi berisi, diam-diam besi berkarat

в ти́хом о́муте че́рти во́дятся (v tíxom ómute čérti vódjatsja, literally “in a quiet slough devils are found”)

i de lugnaste vattnen går de största fiskarna


still water runs deep

still waters run deep
still waters run deep#English

Alternative form of still waters run deep.


en-proverb

En-au-no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney.ogg

Some of our leading scholars trace it back to a favorite American saying of that time, "No matter how thin you slice it, it is still boloney."

1933 November 29, “Topics of the Times”, in New York Times, page 18:

"Do you have the ability," he asked another juror, "to discern between the truth and baloney?"
"I think so, definitely."
"No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney, right?"

2002, Dave Distel, The Sweater Letter, →ISBN, page 267:

(chiefly US) Regardless of how many clever points or fine distinctions one makes, what one is saying is still false or is still nonsense.


no matter how thin you slice it, it's still boloney

no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney#English

Alternative form of no matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney.


pride goes before a fall

pride comes before a fall
pride comes before a fall#English

Alternative form of pride comes before a fall.


time is money

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-time is money.wav

Generally attributed to Benjamin Franklin. See the cite from 1748.

Remember that Time is Money. He that can earn Ten Shillings a Day by his Labour, and goes abroad, or sits idle one half of that Day, tho’ he spends but Sixpence during his Diversion or Idleness, ought not to reckon That the only Expence; he has really spent or rather thrown away Five Shillings besides.

1748, Benjamin Franklin, “Advice to a young Tradesman, written by an old One”, in George Fisher, editor, The American Instructor: or Young Man’s Best Companion, 9th edition:

And what do you mean to do with your time this winter? You must remember that time is money.

1823, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 14, in The Pioneers:

His words and manner carried the crisp terseness of the busy man whose time is money.

1919, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 31, in Dawn:

Money is wasted (in lost wages, missed opportunities, etc.) when a person's time is not used productively; time is valuable and should not be wasted.

час — гро́шы (čas — hróšy)

час — гэ́та гро́шы (čas — héta hróšy)

вре́мя — де́ньги (vrémja — dénʹgi)

காலம் பொன் போன்றது (kālam poṉ pōṉṟatu, literally “Time is like Gold”)

час — гро́ші (čas — hróši)

час — це гро́ші (čas — ce hróši)

час — то гро́ші (čas — to hróši)


talk is cheap

The expression first appears c. 1783 in the play All pleas'd at last.

Cecil Winwood accepted the test. He claimed that he could dope the guards the night of the break. “Talk is cheap,” said Long Bill Hodge. “What we want is the goods. Dope one of the guards to-night.”

1915, Jack London, chapter 2, in The Star-Rover:

(idiomatic) It is easy to make boastful or unrealistic statements which are not supported by actions or evidence.

it is easy to make boastful statements which are not supported by actions

الهدرة ما تشري خضرة (el-hadra ma tašri ḵuḍra, literally “talk does not buy vegetables”)

un con qui marche va plus loin qu'un intellectuel assis

αλλού τα κακαρίσματα κι αλλού γεννούν οι κότες (alloú ta kakarísmata ki alloú gennoún oi kótes, literally “squawking is somewhere and hens lay [eggs] somewhere else”)

口では大阪の城も建つ (kuchi de wa Ōsaka no shiro mo tatsu, literally “by mouth even a castle in Ōsaka is built”)

болта́ть — не мешки́ воро́чать (boltátʹ — ne meškí voróčatʹ)

пизде́ть — не мешки́ воро́чать (pizdétʹ — ne meškí voróčatʹ, literally “speaking is not moving sacks”)

хва́стать — не коси́ть, спина́ не боли́т (xvástatʹ — ne kosítʹ, spiná ne bolít, literally “bragging is not mowing, [and] the back does not hurt”)


head

better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness

Often claimed to be an ancient Chinese proverb. Also often misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. Earliest known usage is a 1907 sermon by English preacher William Lonsdale Watkinson.

Even in the face of hopelessness and discontent, it is more worthwhile to do some good, however small, in response, than to complain about the situation.

與其詛咒黑暗，不如點燃一根蠟燭 /与其诅咒黑暗

in bad times it is worthwhile to do good

不如点燃一根蜡烛

yǔqí zǔzhòu hēi'àn, bùrú diǎnrán yī gēn làzhú

em vez de amaldiçoar a escuridão, é melhor acender uma vela

es mejor encender una sola vela que maldecir a la penumbra


en-proverb

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

Narrator: Bob is dead, they shot him in the head!
Tyler Durden: You wanna make an omelet, you gotta break some eggs.

1999, Chuck Palahniuk, Jim Uhls, Fight Club:

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs#English

Alternative form of you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.


speak of the devil and he appears

En-au-speak of the devil and he appears.ogg

speak of the devil
speak of the devil#English

(idiomatic) Synonym of speak of the devil.


he who hesitates is lost

fools rush in where angels fear to tread

A person who spends too much time contemplating what to do may miss a valuable but fleeting opportunity.


necessity is the mother of innovation

More recent variant, focusing on innovating existing processes etc. rather than inventing new things.

necessity is the mother of invention#English

Alternative form of necessity is the mother of invention.


truth will out

The phrase "truth will out", meaning "truth will become public", appears as early as Lydgate's late Middle English writings on the life of St. Alban. It is also famously found in William Shakespeare's works, in particular The Merchant of Venice.

A mystery will always be solved; truth will eventually and inevitably be discovered.

a hazug embert hamarabb utolérik, mint a sánta kutyát

il diavolo fa le pentole ma non i coperchi

ши́ло в мешке́ не утаи́шь (šílo v mešké ne utaíšʹ, literally “you can't hide an awl in a sack”)

bí irọ́ bá lọ fún ogún ọdún, ọjọ́ kan ni òtítọ́ á bá a


there are plenty more fish in the sea

Dry your eyes, mate / I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up / There's plenty more fish in the sea

2004, Mike Skinner, “Dry Your Eyes”, in A Grand Don't Come for Free, performed by The Streets:

there are plenty of fish in the sea#English

Alternative form of there are plenty of fish in the sea.


there are plenty of fish in the sea

there are plenty more fish in the sea (alternative)

There are many more potential opportunities available.

échei ki alloú portokaliés pou kánoun portokália

έχει κι αλλού πορτοκαλιές που κάνουν πορτοκάλια

the odds are good, but the goods are odd


other days, other ways

People of the past thought and acted differently.

mudam-se os tempos, mudam-se os costumes


every little helps

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-every little helps.wav

"There's not much money - if that's what you mean."
"Approximately."
"Once all the debts are paid there will be very little."
"Nevertheless. Every little helps. The Brothers are sorely in need of it this weather."

1980, Bernard MacLaverty, 'Lamb' (novel), (Chapter 1, at page 11 in the 1981 King Penguin paperback edition)

(UK) Even the smallest things are helpful when towards a goal.

tota pedra fa paret

even the smallest things are helpful when towards a goal

les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières

un grano no hace granero, pero ayuda al compañero

take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step


head

the bigger they are, the harder they fall

the bigger they come, the harder they fall

The larger or the higher of a rank something is, the more disastrous and spectacular its downfall.

the bigger is a cupboard, the louder it falls

чем бо́льше шкаф, тем гро́мче он па́дает

the highest branch is not the safest roost


there are two sides to every question

One should not make a judgement until one hears the other side.

لكل حادث روايتان

don't make a judgement until you hear the other side


less is more

(paradox, oxymoron) That which is of smaller quantity could be of higher quality.

Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.

1855, Robert Browning, "Andrea del Sarto" poem in Men and Women collection

The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."

1954 June 14, “‘Less Is More’”, in Time:

The program, which features two premieres—"Songs," a solo, and "The Pleasure of Stillness," a quartet—is founded on the notion that less is more.

2007 March 3, Gia Kourlas, “Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness”, in New York Times, retrieved 2008-10-22:

That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.

is fheàrr an teine beag a gharas na an teine mòr a loisgeas

mindre är mer (literally, but more common as an untranslated loan)


man proposes, God disposes

From Medieval Latin "Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit", coined in Thomas à Kempis's De Imitatione Christi.

Things do not always work out as they are planned.

謀事在人，成事在天 /谋事在人

things don't always work out as they were planned

čelovék predpolagájet, a box raspolagájet

челове́к предполага́ет, а бог располага́ет


the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on

The saying, found in many Eurasian languages, probably originated in Turkish (it ürür, kervan yürür), where it rhymes.

the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on (alternative)

History (or progress) moves ahead, no matter the criticism it may attract.

qentë le të lehin, karvani ecën përpara

life goes on even if some will try to stop progress

الْقَافِلَةُ تَسِيرُ وَالْكِلَابُ تَنْبَحُ

die Hunde bellen, aber die Karawane zieht weiter

ta skyliá alychtoún ma to karaváni prochorá

τα σκυλιά αλυχτούν μα το καραβάνι προχωρά

соба́ка ла́ет — ве́тер но́сит, а карава́н идёт (sobáka lájet — véter nósit, a karaván idjót)

los perros ladran, pero la caravana pasa

sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me


money can't buy happiness

money cannot buy happiness (alternative)

Money can purchase external things, but true happiness comes from within oneself.

お金は幸福を買わない

おかねはこうふくをかうわない


God helps those who help themselves

First appearing in English (in this form) in 1698, in Algernon Sidney's Discourses Concerning Government. Translation of a maxim found in Ancient Greek and Roman literature; equivalent proverbs are found in many languages, such as Hungarian and Italian.

God helps them that help themselves (alternative)
heaven helps those who help themselves (alternative)

Good fortune or providential aid comes to those who make an effort to accomplish things.

اعقِلْها وتَوكَّلْ

good fortune comes to those who make an effort to accomplish things

하늘은 스스로 돕는 자를 돕는다

haneur-eun seuseuro domneun ja-reul domneunda

Dumnezeu te ajută, dacă te ajuți singur; ajută-te și Dumnezeu te va ajuta.


barking dogs never bite

barking dogs seldom bite
barking dogs seldom bite#English

Alternative form of barking dogs seldom bite.


never look a gift horse in the mouth

don't look a gift horse in the mouth#English

Alternative form of don't look a gift horse in the mouth.


more haste, less speed

The word speed is used here in the dated sense of “success, luck”, though probably with a pun on the sense “velocity”. Compare the same in Low German je gröter Hast, je minder Spood.

cog

When one is in a hurry, one often ends up having less success and completing a task more slowly.

استعجل تبطى تاكل خبطة

when one is in a hurry, one often ends up completing a task more slowly

欲速則不達 /欲速则不达

yùsù zé bùdá

ei ole hoppu hyväksi, eikä kiire kunniaksi

il ne faut pas confondre vitesse et précipitation

dá mhéad í an deifir is ea is mó an mhoill

gdy się człowiek śpieszy, to się diabeł cieszy

ти́ше е́дешь, да́льше бу́дешь (tíše jédešʹ, dálʹše búdešʹ, literally “the slower you ride, the farther you'll get”)

поспеши́шь — люде́й насме́шишь (pospešíšʹ — ljudéj nasméšišʹ, literally “if you do it in a hurry, you’ll make people laugh”)

ang maglakad nang matulin, kung matinik ay malalim


don't cry over spilled milk

don't cry over spilt milk
don't cry over spilt milk#English

Alternative spelling of don't cry over spilt milk.


Rome was not built in a day

[O]ne daye or lytle tyme is not ynoughe for the acheuinge of a great matter. Which is al one with this in engliſhe: Rome was not buylt in one day.

1545 August 20 (Gregorian calendar), Erasmus, “Vna hirundo non facit ver [One swallow does not make it spring]”, in Richard Taverner, transl., Proverbes or Adagies Gathered out of the Chiliades of Erasmus […], new edition, London: Edwardus Whytchurche […]; to be sel […] by Wyllyam Telotson, →OCLC, folio xxv, verso:

Rome was not built in one day (quoth he), and yet stood / Till it was finisht, as some say, full fayre.

1546, John Heywood, chapter XI, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part I, pages 64–65:

The Reformation you haue made of the many and maine corruptions of the Romiſh Ch[urch] vve do ingenuouſly acknovvledge, and doe vvithall imbrace vvith you all the truths vvhich to our knovvledge you haue receiued in ſtead of them. But Rome vvas not built all in a day.

1610, Jos[eph] Hall, “Section XXV. What Separation England hath Made.”, in A Common Apologie of the Church of England: Against the Uniust Challenges of the Ouer-iust Sect, Commonly Called Brownists. […], London: […] [William Stansby] for Samuel Macham, […], →OCLC, marginal note, page 63:

[…] Rome''' vvas not built in a day, nor is a Reformation in the true Lavv-ſenſe effectable preſently; […]

1663, Edward Waterhous[e], chapter XXIX, in Fortescutus Illustratus; or A Commentary on that Nervous Treatise De Laudibus Legum Angliæ, Written by Sir John Fortescue Knight, […], London: […] Tho[mas] Roycroft for Thomas Dicas […], →OCLC, page 375:

[Y]ou muſt lay your account vvith mounting by gradual ſteps to the ſummit of your fortune.—Rome vvas not built in a day,— […]

1748, [Tobias Smollett], “I Cultivate an Acquaintance with Two Noblemen […]”, in The Adventures of Roderick Random. […], volume II, London: […] [William Strahan] for J[ohn] Osborn […], →OCLC, page 173:

[T]hou must have patience. Rome was not built in a day—you cannot become used to your court-suit in a month's time, any more than when you changed your long coat for a doublet and hose; […]

1822 May 29, [Walter Scott], chapter X, in The Fortunes of Nigel. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, pages 237–238:

"As Rome," it was suggested, "had not been built in a day,["] so neither had Mademoiselle Gérard Moore's education been completed in a week, or by merely wishing to be clever. It was effort that had accomplished that great work: […]

1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Coriolanus”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 123:

I actually believe in some respects we may be in danger of working too quickly, simply to address that perception. As the ridiculously over-used cliché notes, Rome was not built in a day. What I do accept is that the 100-day project that saw the new city plan designed was done at breakneck speed. This was a phenomenally challenging time frame but absolutely crucial. For a community still suffering, still shocked, and literally still shaking, there clearly needed to be a plan put in place as quickly as possible.

2014 August, Roger Sutton, “A Blank Canvas for New Beginnings”, in Barnaby Bennett, James Dann, Emma Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, editors, Once in a Lifetime: City-building after Disaster in Christchurch, Christchurch: Freerange Press, →ISBN, page 54:

Rome wasn't built in a day
Rome wasn't built in a day#English

Alternative form of Rome wasn't built in a day.


ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny

Reportedly coined by zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919).

With reference to seedling stages the statement that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny must be made with great reserve.

1905, J. A. Harris, "The Importance of Investigations of Seedling Stages," Science, New Series, vol. 22, no. 554, p. 186

Haeckel maintained that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, and this idea was incorporated by Lombroso into his parallelism between the criminal and the child.

1961, M. E. Wolfgang, “Pioneers in Criminology: Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)”, in The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, volume 52, number 4, page 367:

For even if we accept that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," those responsible for the drafting of ancient legal documents were not children, and are hardly to be endowed with some form of infantile mentality.

2002, B. S. Jackson, “Models in Legal History: The Case of Biblical Law”, in Journal of Law and Religion, volume 18, number 1, page 11:

(biology, social sciences, art, philosophy) The physical, cultural, moral, or intellectual development of each individual passes through stages similar to the developmental stages of that individual's species, society, or civilization. Not taken literally since the late 19th century.


there's no place like home

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

la meva casa i la meva llar mil unces valen

val més el fum de casa meva que el foc de la teva

在家千日好 (zài jiā qiān rì hǎo, literally “at home a thousand days are good”)

nichts ist vergleichbar mit dem eigenen zu Hause

spíti mou, spitáki mou kai ftochokalyváki mou

σπίτι μου, σπιτάκι μου και φτωχοκαλυβάκι μου

住めば都 (すめばみやこ, sumeba miyako, literally “if you live somewhere, it's the royal palace to you”)

我が家ほど良い場所はない

わがいえほどよいばしょはない

nullus est locus domestica sede iucundior

svugdje je lijepo, ali doma je najljepše

ta về ta tắm ao ta, dù trong dù đục ao nhà vẫn hơn


there is an exception to every rule

there's an exception to every rule (alternative)

Usually said in a situation when the rule is incorrect and unusable.


head

From An Essay on Criticism (1711) by Alexander Pope.

“It's the first article of your creed—that marriage is a holy sacrament, that no power on earth or in hell can ever dissolve its bonds? Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, my dear! They always have—they always will, I suppose.

The year following my graduation the new Captain of my Alma Mater's team asked me if I would aid him in developing the squad for next year. Well, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," so I said Yes.

1921, William T. Tilden, The Art of Lawn Tennis:

Then, too, a record of failures—particularly if it is a dignified and well-authenticated record—deters a young man from trying. We get some of our best results from letting fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

1922, Henry Ford, Samuel Crowther, chapter 5, in My Life and Work, Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Company, Inc., →OCLC:

A person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations which prudent people avoid.

don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly


little pitchers have big ears

An allusion to the ear-shaped handles common on pitchers used for serving liquids.

Seeing me listening to something she was saying to Mamma, she turned round upon me with that odious proverb, "Little pitchers have long ears."

1844, Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 2, in Abbeychurch:

A caution to U. S. parents, but a joy to radio merchandising, is the dread truth that little pitchers have big ears.

1939 April 17, “Bedtime Bedlam”, in Time:

[N]o kid ever ran to his mother and said that his little sister just defecated in the tub. I suppose he might say pushed or went woowoo, but took a shit is, I fear, very much in the ballpark (little pitchers have big ears, after all).

2000, Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, →ISBN, page 185:

Small children often overhear more of what is said than adults realize or desire.


little pitchers have long ears

little pitchers have big ears
little pitchers have big ears#English

Alternative form of little pitchers have big ears.


one swallow doesn't make a summer

one swallow does not a summer make#English

Alternative form of one swallow does not a summer make.


proverbs run in pairs

proverbs come in pairs (alternative)
proverbs go in pairs (alternative)
proverbs hunt in pairs (alternative)
proverbs often come in pairs (alternative)
proverbs should be sold in pairs (alternative)
proverbs should be writ in pairs (alternative)
proverbs should come in pairs (alternative)
proverbs should go in pairs (alternative)

Moreover, all the world over, proverbs run in pairs, and pull both ways: for the most part one neutralizes, by contradiction, the other.

1863, Sir Richard Burton, Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains, volume 1, London: Tinsley, page 309:

too many cooks spoil the broth
too many cooks spoil the broth

many hands make light work
many hands make light work

Every proverb seems to be contradicted by another proverb with an opposing or contradictory message, such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "many hands make light work."


proverbs come in pairs

Sometimes proverbs come in pairs, the first one providing the context, the second, the revision.

1979, Irving Howe, John Hollander, David Bromwich, Literature as Experience: An Anthology, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, →ISBN, page 325:

proverbs run in pairs
proverbs run in pairs#English

Alternative form of proverbs run in pairs.


proverbs go in pairs

As a rule, proverbs go in pairs which say opposite things.

1932, Bertrand Russell, “On Proverbs”, in Mortals and others: American essays, 1931-1935, →ISBN, page 136:


the mills of the gods grind slowly

Justice may arrive slowly, but it cannot be avoided.


possession is nine points of the law

Unknown. Presumably derives from legal principle where the satisfaction of 10 (or at times 12) points legitimated ownership; hence “nine points of the law” (sometimes “eleven points of the law”) constituted close to full ownership. Derived from the early English property system, where the right to possession of property was endorsed by the king in the form of a writ. There were nine traditional writs granted by the King, and each of these nine writs represented the nine basic rights of property possession. These nine writs evolved into the nine original laws defining property ownership, hence the expression "possession is nine points in the law."
Listed in the form “Possession is nine points in the Law.” as a common saying in 1616 by Thomas Draxe, Adages 163.

possession is nine-tenths of the law#English

Dated form of possession is nine-tenths of the law.


possession is nine-tenths of the law

From possession is nine points of the law.

possession is nine points of the law (alternative)

adverse possession
adverse possession#English

One who has possession of a thing has some right to it; a popular statement of the doctrine of adverse possession.


measure twice and cut once

measure twice, cut once (alternative)
check twice and do once (alternative)

Look at Carpenters! . . . In old times it was a proverb "Measure twice, and cut once."

1872, “Dressmaking”, in Hall's Journal of Health, volume 19, number 12, page 280:

(carpentry, literally) One should double-check one's measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again, wasting time and material.

Mr. Paz noted that since the onset of the credit crisis, eBay, like other companies, hasn’t been able to "measure twice and cut once."

2008 November 9, Hilary Johnson, “Mergers rattle bank relations”, in Financial Week, retrieved 2008-11-09:

(figuratively, by extension) Plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.

yüz ölç, bir biç

plan and prepare in a careful, thorough manner before taking action. and act once precisely and properly.

семь раз отме́рь, оди́н отре́жь (semʹ raz otmérʹ, odín otréžʹ, literally “measure seven times, cut once”)


measure twice, cut once

measure twice and cut once
measure twice and cut once#English

Alternative form of measure twice and cut once.


you can't fight City Hall

I see they're going to build the airport after all. I suppose you can't fight City Hall.

As Audre Lorde, my professor at Hunter College, told our class in 1982, "That you can't fight City Hall is a rumor being spread by City Hall."

1998, Sarah Schulman, Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America, Duke University Press, page 45:

(chiefly US, literal, figurative) Nothing can be done to change the situation, because it is a governmental decision or a similarly institutional decision (e.g., high-level corporate, senior military brass, dominant cultural norm).


if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

Law of the instrument
law of the instrument

Likely traditional. In this form, perhaps from Abraham Maslow, The Psychology of Science, 1966, page 15 and his earlier book
Abraham H. Maslow (1962), Toward a Psychology of Being:
: I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.
Similar concept by Abraham Kaplan, The Conduct of Inquiry: Methodology for Behavioral Science, 1964, page 28:
: I call it the law of the instrument, and it may be formulated as follows: Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.
Labeled "Baruch's Observation" (after Bernard Baruch) in The Complete Murphy's Law: A Definitive Collection (1991) by Arthur Bloch.
Also often attributed, without citation, to Mark Twain (for example in Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind, page 9).

With limited tools, single-minded people apply them inappropriately or indiscriminately.

If a person is familiar with a certain, single subject, or has with them a certain, single instrument, they may have a confirmation bias to believe that it is the answer to/involved in everything.


you don't dip your pen in company ink

you don't dip your pen in the inkwell (alternative)

"In my job, young hot things have been coming up to me for years," says Fletcher, the retired pilot. "You don't dip your pen in company ink."

1998 September 28, Roxanne Roberts, “Men's Bad Rep: Just a Bad Rap?”, in Washington Post, retrieved 2008-12-13, page A1:

It wasn't money that attracted his current wife, Madeleine Deininger, who started working for Ravenswood in 1985. . . . "We had the policy that you don't dip your pen in company ink. We stayed good friends for a long time," Peterson says.

2006 July 27, W. Blake Gray, “Ravens to Riches”, in San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved 2008-12-13:

One should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace.

喺度食唔好喺度痾 /喺度食唔好喺度疴

one should avoid romantic or sexual relationships in the workplace

onde se ganha o pão, não se come a carne

you don't get your nookie where you get your cookies

don't get your honey where you make your money

don't get your meat where you get your bread


you don't dip your pen in the company's ink

you don't dip your pen in company ink#English

Alternative form of you don't dip your pen in company ink.


don't judge a book by its cover

you can't judge a book by its cover#English

Alternative form of you can't judge a book by its cover.


home is where you hang your hat

One place is like the other let's say
Home is where you hang your hat.

1948, Ruth L. Yorck, "D.P.—Short for Sorry," Twice a Year: A Semi-annual Journal of Literature, the Arts, and Civil Liberties, 10th anniversary issue, p. 163

"Did I ever think that Jamaica would be my home? Never," he says, "but I have been living as a foreigner in someone else's country for most of my life," he says, "and I guess it is true that home is where you hang your hat."

2007 May 27, Leisha Chen-Young, “Sandals' Armando Pizzuti is . . . Never Satisfied”, in Jamaica Observer, retrieved 2009-01-04:

Rather than feeling nostalgic or sentimental, one should simply accept any place where one happens to reside as one's home.


in unity, there is strength

More can be accomplished by a team with a common goal than by individuals.


a man is known by the company he keeps

People are similar in character to their friends.

people are similar in character to their friends

krástavite magáreta prez dévet baíra se podúšvat

кра́ставите мага́рета през де́вет баи́ра се поду́шват

deíxe mou tous fílous sou, na sou po poios eísai

δείξε μου τους φίλους σου, να σου πω ποιος είσαι

kenali seseorang dengan mengetahui kawannya

diz-me com quem andas, dir-te-ei quem és

spune-mi cu cine te însoțești, ca să-ți spun cine ești

с кем поведёшься, от того́ и наберёшься

s kem povedjóšʹsja, ot tovó i naberjóšʹsja

skaží mne, kto tvoj drug, i ja skažú tebé, kto ty

скажи́ мне, кто твой друг, и я скажу́ тебе́, кто ты

aithnichear fear air a' chuideachd a chumas e

am fear a laigheas sa pholl, togaidh e an làthach

dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres


do as I say and not as I do

This simplified order first appeared in John Selden's Table-Talk (c. 1654): "Preachers say, 'Do as I say, not as I do.'"
The original parsing is found in the New Testament (Matthew 23:1-3; King James Version): “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”

do what I say, not what I do (alternative)

Do what I say now, not what I do
The dilettantish peekaboo

2006, J. G. Thirlwell, “Sieve”, in Damp, performed by Foetus:

(as imperative) Do not imitate my behavior but obey my instructions.

就按我說的做，別照我做的做 /就按我说的做

do not imitate my behavior but obey my instructions

别照我做的做

jiù àn wǒ shuō de zuò, bié zhào wǒ zuò de zuò

älä tee niin kuin minä teen, vaan niin kuin minä sanon

älkää tehkö niin kuin minä teen, vaan niin kuin minä sanon

faites ce que je dis, pas ce que je fais

tu, was ich sage, nicht, was ich tue (selbst/selber)

faça o que eu digo, mas não faça o que eu faço


give a man a fish (alternative)
teach a man to fish (alternative)

En-us-give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.ogg

Apparently coined by Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie in her 1885 novel Mrs. Dymond, although frequently now attributed to Laozi or other Chinese thinkers.

He certainly doesn't practice his precepts, but I suppose the Patron meant that if you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn. But these very elementary principles are apt to clash with the leisure of the cultivated classes.

1885 August, Anne Thackeray Ritchie, Mrs. Dymond, Vol. I, Macmillan’s Magazine, Vol. LXII, No. 310, p. 246

It is an oft-quoted saying, and one full of social wisdom, "Give a man a fish, and he will be hungry again to-morrow; teach him to catch a fish, and he will be richer all his life."

1911, Alice Loane, The Common Growth, page 138:

It seems to me that the various HUD programs could be characterized as basic programs. It seems to me the real cure for the rural poor is job creation. I believe that people want to work. I do not believe the myth that people are inherently lazy. The old Chinese proverb, I believe, is a good one. "You can give a man a fish, and he will feed himself a day, and you teach him to fish and he will feed himself for a lifetime."

1972 March 22, Wes Uhlman, “Extensions and Revisions to the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 as Amended”, in U.S. Congress House Committee on Public Works Hearings 1972, volume 2, page 590:

For many years teachers in the Marshall Islands have sought to implement the wise insight of Marcus Aurelius: "Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you have fed him for ever." Some of our teachers have even convinced themselves that this is Marshallese folk wisdom! But at least they recognize that the most effective help is self-help.

1992 October, Thomas D. Kijiner, Statement, Provisional Verbatim Record of the 11th Meeting of the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, A/47/PV.11, p. 111

Western institutions are fundamentally based on Greco-Roman institutions. If you understand the classics, you understand the framework of every western nation and culture... As the American saying goes, "If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but if you teach a man how to fish, he will eat for life."

2004, Otto Tien-pok Xing, Friendly Advice for the Future of China, p. 67

Maimonides defined the highest level of giving as helping a man achieve a livelihood or profession. This has come down to us in modern parlance in its Chinese form as, "If you give a man fish, he will eat for a day; if you teach him to fish, he will eat for a lifetime." Maimonides took the Jewish negative injunction "to save a life" and made it positive—"to help a man achieve a livelihood."

2010, James E. Hughes Jr., Family: The Compact among Generations, page 73:

Paul Niehaus: And we, up until now, have been doing a lot of stuff that's really based on old thinking, right? This sort of good-on-paper-type reasoning, "Teach a man to fish" type thinking... So I would say—and I sort of said this earlier, but—I think that idea of teaching a man to fish is something that when I first heard it made a lot of sense and seemed good on paper. But, like, as we started to test impact over the last 20 years and say, like, What impact do our fishing lessons actually have? I don't think it works very well; the data don't support it.
Demsas: We're bad at teaching people how to fish.
Niehaus: ... The other thing that I think is really interesting—I'll just riff on this a little bit about teaching a man to fish—is the origins of it. So today you hear it, and the way we interpret it is it's saying, like, Don't just give people money, because they're not going to use it in ways that have a lasting benefit. It's important to kind of help them in these other ways, which I think is just empirically untrue.

2025 May 13, Jerusalem Demsas & al., "The Myth of the Poverty Trap", "Good on Paper", The Atlantic

It is better to teach someone to do something themself than to provide the action's reward; education or training is more helpful than charity.

Aʿṭi rajulan samakatan, tuṭʿimhu liyawmin wāḥid; ʿallimhu kayfa yaṣṭādu al-samak, tuṭʿimhu madā al-ḥayāh

أعطِ رجلاً سمكةً تطعمه ليومٍ واحد؛ علّمه كيف يصطاد السمك، تطعمه مدى الحياة

ekṭi manuś ekṭi mach daō eboṅ apni ekṭi diner jonno take bhōjon. mach dhora ekṭi manuś śekhan eboṅ apni śara jiboner jonno take bhōjon

একটি মানুষ একটি মাছ দাও এবং আপনি একটি দিনের জন্য তাকে ভোজন. মাছ ধরা একটি মানুষ শেখান এবং আপনি সারা জীবনের জন্য তাকে ভোজন

dej člověku rybu - nasytíš ho na jeden den; nauč ho chytat ryby - nasytíš jej na celý život

Giv en mand en fisk, og han har mad for en dag. Lær en mand at fiske, og han har mad for livet

anna miehelle kala ja ruokit hänet päiväksi; opeta hänet kalastamaan ja ruokit hänet loppuelämäksi.

Donne un poisson à un homme, il mangera un jour. Apprends-lui à pêcher, il mangera toute sa vie.

Gib einem Mann einen Fisch und du ernährst ihn für einen Tag. Lehre einen Mann zu fischen und du ernährst ihn für sein Leben.

תן לאדם דג — הוא יהיה שבע ליום אחד; למד אדם לדוג — הוא יהיה שבע לכל החיים (Ten le'adam dag — hu yihiye save'a leyom echad; laméd adam ladug — hu yihiye save'a lekhol hachayim)

kisī ke lie kām karne se behtar use apne āp karnā sikhānā hai

किसी के लिए काम करने से बेहतर उसे अपने आप करना सिखाना है

Tabhair iasc d’fhear, agus beidh sé sásta ar feadh lae; múin dó conas iasc a ghabháil, agus beidh sé sásta ar feadh a shaoil.

dà un pesce ad un uomo e lo sfamerai per un giorno; insegna ad un uomo a pescare e lo sfamerai per sempre

魚を与えるのではなく魚の釣り方を教えよ

さかなをあたえるのではなくさかなのつりかたをおしえよ

Sakana o ataeru no de wa naku sakana no tsurikata o oshie yo

duok žmogui žuvį - bus sotus vieną dieną, išmok jį meškerioti - bus sotus likusį gyvenimą

اگر به کسی که گرسنه است ماهی بدهی، گرسنگی او را فقط برای یک روز رفع کردهای؛ اما اگر به او ماهیگیری یاد بدهی، گرسنگی او را تا ابد رفع میکنی

dając człowiekowi rybę - karmisz go na jeden dzień; dając człowiekowi wędkę - karmisz go na całe życie.

dê a um homem um peixe e você o alimentará por um dia. Ensine-o a pescar e você o alimentará por toda uma vida

дай челове́ку ры́бу, и ты нако́рмишь его́ на оди́н день, научи́ челове́ка рыба́чить — и ты накормишь его́ на всю жизнь (daj čelovéku rýbu, i ty nakórmišʹ jevó na odín denʹ, naučí čelovéka rybáčitʹ — i ty nakormišʹ jevó na vsju žiznʹ)

dale un pescado a un hombre y lo alimentarás por un día; enséñale a pescar y lo alimentarás de por vida.

Daj ljudyni rybu, i ty nahoduješ jiji lyše raz. Navčy jiji lovyty rybu, i vona bude hoduvatysja neju vse žyttja.

Дай людині рибу, і ти нагодуєш її лише раз. Навчи її ловити рибу, і вона буде годуватися нею все життя.

آدمی کو ایک مچھلی دو اور تم اُسے ایک دن کا کھانا دیتے ہو، لیکن آدمی کو مچھلی پکڑنا سکھاؤ اور تم اُسے ہمیشہ کے لئے کھانا دیتے ہو۔

Nếu cho người khác một con cá, bạn sẽ chỉ nuôi sống người đó một ngày. Còn nếu dạy anh ta cách câu cá, bạn sẽ nuôi sống anh ta cả đời.


give a man a fish

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime#English

Ellipsis of give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.


hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

/hɛl hæθ nəʊ ˈfjʊəɹi laɪk ə ˈwʊmən skɔːnd/

/hɛl hæθ noʊ ˈfjʊɹi laɪk ə ˈwʊmən skɔɹnd/

En-us-hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.oga

First written as "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd." in the 1697 play The Mourning Bride (Act III Scene 2) by William Congreve. The "hath" is a hypercorrection based on false chronological assumption and perception that the saying is ancient, dating to at least the grammar of Early Modern English (which the time of writing would be at the end of); this is also reinforced by the phrase often being falsely attributed to Shakespeare or the King James Bible.

hell has no fury like a woman scorned (alternative)

Rather than presenting Medea as the epitome of the "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...," this Medea shows her not so much as a woman bent upon revenge, but as someone who has been betrayed and must for her own sense of preservation must right the wrongs done to her.

1988 February 7, Michael Bronski, “"Medea," My Dear”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 29, page 11:

A woman will make someone suffer if they reject her.


history repeats itself

If it be true that history repeats itself, then assuredly a narrative of domestic trials, of political emergencies, and of religious animosities can never be out of date, since men and women still bear in their hearts, passions as vindictive, a patriotism as ardent, and, let us hope, a piety as sincere as distinguished, in the sixteenth century, Philip and Charlotte du Plessis de Mornay.

1871, The Edinburgh review, or Critical Journal, →OCLC, page 486:

If history repeats itself, so does religious experience. As the story of the Church unfolds, the individual finds himself as part of the providential purpose of God within the realm in which the living God reigns.

1962, Kendig Brubaker Cully, Confirmation: History, Doctrine, and Practice, →OCLC, page 152:

In other words, Ballard's pseudo-scientific tales remap social history's penchant for psychoanalysing the impact of historical atrocity (World War II) by deflecting it onto another historical disaster (Vietnam). Only, history repeats itself in Ballard's text with one crucial, contemporary difference: in 'Love and Napalm: Export USA' it is no longer the combatant, the active participant of war, who comes under psychological scrutiny, but the passive spectators

2016, Jeanette Baxter, J.G. Ballard's Surrealist Imagination, →ISBN:

We all know [in paraphrase] Marx's remark that history repeats itself first as a tragedy and then as a farce. Marx had in mind the tragedy of the fall of Napoleon I and the later farce of the reign of his nephew Napoleon III. Back in the 1960s, Herbert Marcuse remarked that the lesson of Nazism seems to be the opposite one: first as a farce (throughout the 1920s, Hitler and his gang were mostly taken as a bunch of marginal political clowns), then as a tragedy (when Hitler effectively took power).

2021 January 25, Slavoj Žižek, “Debates: First As Farce, Then As Tragedy?”, in The Philosophical Salon: A Los Angeles Review of Books Channel:

Things that have happened in the past will or tend to happen again in one way or another.


hunger is a good sauce

His bread and cheese were somewhat dry, to be sure; his ale had become flat, and considerably warmer than was desirable; but hunger is a good sauce, and thirst is not particular.

1854, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman, Punch, Vol. XXVI, Punch Publications Ltd., page 74:

(dated) Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.

الجوع كافر

being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food

no hi ha millor salsa que la de sant Bernat


you make the bed you lie in

A person's circumstances are normally the result of their own actions.

niin makaat kuin petaat

a person's circumstances are normally the result of their own actions

сам завари́л, сам и ку́шай (sam zavaríl, sam i kúšaj, literally “you cooked it yourself, so eat it yourself”)

as you make your bed, so you must lie in it


if the mountain won't come to Muhammad

An ellipsis (anapodoton) of the apocryphal phrase "if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain," coined in a story by Francis Bacon (1561–1626)
Details
The earliest appearance of the phrase is from Chapter 12 of the Essays of Francis Bacon, published in 1625:
Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers, for the observers of his law. The people assembled; Mahomet called the hill to come to him, again and again; and when the hill stood still, he was never a whit abashed, but said, If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill.
It was published in John Ray's 1670 book of English proverbs, The more complete reading of the essay makes it clear that Sir Francis Bacon meant the example to be disparaging, as he refers to “…mountebanks for the natural body, so are there mountebanks for the politic body…" in the context of his discussion “of boldness”, or what might be described in modern, political terms as brazening out a scandal or failure.
Although the phrase is widely associated with Muhammad, the 6th-century prophet of Islam who lived in Arabia, there is no written or oral tradition tracing it back to him. There is, however, a phrase in Turkish—dağ sana gelmezse, sen dağa gideceksin… (“if the mountain won't come to you, you must go to the mountain”)—that has no reference to Muhammad. (An alternative version can be found on the Turkish Wiktionary.) It is known as one of the atasözleri, or "common sayings", which exist in modern Turkish but are thought to have much older origins.

if the mountain won't come to Mohammed (alternative)

It was obvious that, if Opec was going to survive much longer, it had to be taken seriously by the world’s major oil companies. So Yamani decided, if the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, Opec had somehow to impose its presence on the oil companies.

1988, Jeffrey Robinson, “The Birth of Opec and the Rise of Yamani”, in Yamani: The Inside Story (Biography/History), New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, published 1989, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 54:

If something one wishes to be done cannot be commanded to be done, one must find another way to achieve one's goal.

Essays (Francis Bacon)
Francis Bacon
John Ray
Muhammad

اذا لم يأتيك ما تريد، فلتسعى أليه

if one cannot get something done by commanding it

ako ne možeš da zaneseš planinata pri Mohamed, zavedi Mohamed pri planinata

ако не можеш да занесеш планината при Мохамед, заведи Мохамед при планината

když nejde hora k Mohamedovi, musí Mohamed k hoře

hvis bjerget ikke vil komme til Muhammed, må Muhammed komme til bjerget

når bjerget ikke vil komme til Muhammed, må Muhammed komme til bjerget

als Mohammed niet naar de berg komt, moet de berg maar naar Mohammed

se la monto ne venas al Mohamedo, Mohamedo devas iri al monto

si la montagne ne va pas à toi, va à la montagne

tu muhamedi ar midis mtastan mašin mta midis muhamedtan

თუ მუჰამედი არ მიდის მთასთან მაშინ მთა მიდის მუჰამედთან

wenn der Berg nicht zum Propheten kommt, muss der Prophet wohl zum Berge kommen

ótan den páei ston Moámeth to vounó, páei sto vounó o Moámeth

όταν δεν πάει στον Μωάμεθ το βουνό, πάει στο βουνό ο Μωάμεθ

אם מוחמד לא יבוא אל ההר, יבוא ההר אל מוחמד

ha a hegy nem megy Mohamedhez, Mohamed megy a hegyhez

se la montagna non va da Maometto, Maometto va alla montagna

목마른 놈이 우물 판다 (mongmareun nomi umul panda, literally “a thirsty man digs a well”)

når fjellet ikke kommer til Muhammed, må Muhammed komme til fjellet

nie chce góra przyjść do Mahometa, musi Mahomet przyjść do góry

se a montanha não vem a Maomé, Maomé vai à montanha

dacă nu vine muntele la Mahomed, merge Mahomed la munte

jésli gorá ne idjót k Magométu, to Magomét idjót k goré

е́сли гора́ не идёт к Магоме́ту, то Магоме́т идёт к горе́

ако неће брег Мухамеду, хоће Мухамед брегу

ak nepríde hora k Mohamedovi, príde Mohamed k hore

om berget inte kan komma till Muhammed, får Muhammed komma till berget

dağ Muhammet’e gelmezse, Muhammet dağa gider

ko nêro Mıhemedi rê se Mıhemed sı no koyi rê


the proof of the pudding is in the eating

This proverb dates back at least to the 14th century as "Jt is ywrite that euery thing Hymself sheweth in the tastyng", and William Camden stated it in 1605 in Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine as "All the proofe of a pudding, is in the eating", per Rogers' Dictionary of Cliche and the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.
A 1682 translation of Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux Le Lutrin (written between 1672 and 1674) renders it "The proof of th' pudding's seen i' the eating."
The current phrasing is generally attributed to the 1701 translation by Peter Anthony Motteux of a proverb Miguel de Cervantes used in Don Quixote (1615), al freír de los huevos lo verá (“you will see it when you fry the eggs”).
The shorter form the proof is in the pudding, which is found in an 1867 issue of the British Farmer's Magazine, and came into common use in the United States in the 1950s, is becoming increasingly common, despite missing the point of the original meaning.

the proof is in the eating (alternative)
the proof is in the pudding (alternative)
proof of the pudding (alternative)

I know you didn't think it was a very good product, but just look at the fantastic sales figures. That's the proof of the pudding.

This is an armchair criticism, and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 274:

CHAPTER XXI
Meeting at Geneva
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
-Traditional aphorism

1963, Dwight Eisenhower, Mandate for Change 1953-1956, Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 503:

It begs the question: will this be a costly mistake? I think not, but the proof of the pudding is in a RAIL train test - so armed with stopwatch, measuring tape and notepad, it was time to head north to track one down and test it!

2019 October 23, Pip Dunn, “The next king of Scotland”, in RAIL, page 50:

“We welcome the law [Anti-Corruption Bill], but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating,” said Sankhitha Gunaratne, deputy executive director of Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).

2023 July 20, “Sri Lanka passes anti-corruption bill as part of IMF bailout plan”, in Al Jazeera:

One can only claim that something is a success after it has been tried out or used.

Don Quixote
Michael Quinion
Miguel de Cervantes
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
Peter Anthony Motteux
William Camden

المَيَّه تكَدِّب الغَطَّاس

the only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for

yeməmisən qaz ətini, nə bilərsən ləzzətini?

nie przekonasz się, dopóki nie spróbujesz

no sabes la calidad de algo hasta que lo has experimentado.


en-proverb

the course of true love never did run smooth

A quote from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1 Scene 1, said by Lysander to Hermia.

There will always be issues or problems in a romantic relationship.


cold hands, warm heart

A calque translation of French froides mains, chaudes amours.

Having cold hands is an indication of warmheartedness; used as a rejoinder if one finds that another's hands are cold.

froides mains, chaudes amours

having cold hands is an indication of warmheartedness


all's fair in love and war

all is fair in love and war (alternative)

Unpleasant behavior is acceptable during love and conflict.

كل شيء مباح في الحب والحرب

unpleasant behavior is acceptable during love or conflict

可以不择手段

zhǐyào mùdì zhèngdàng, kěyǐ bùzéshǒuduàn

sodassa ja rakkaudessa kaikki on sallittua

en amour comme à la guerre, tous les coups sont permis

in der Liebe und im Krieg ist alles erlaubt

with the right strategy you can wage war

כִּי בְתַחְבֻּלוֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה־לְּךָ מִלְחָמָה

恋愛と戦争では手段を選ばない

れんあいとせんそうではしゅだんをえらばない

in love and war you don't choose the means

mu mukwano ne mu lutalo byonna byejeerezebwa.

orang sedang bercinta, yang dibuat betul belaka

w miłości i na wojnie wszystko jest dozwolone

în dragoste și în război totul este permis

в любви́ и на войне́ все сре́дства хороши́

muḥabbat aur jang meṉ sab kuch jā'iz hai

مُحَبَّت اَوْر جَنگ میں سَب کُچھ جائز ہَے


marry in haste, repent at leisure

Getting married too soon will lead to a bad marriage.

in Eile gefreit, in Muße bereut

getting married too soon will lead to a bad marriage

(by extension) Joining (or merging) two things together too soon will lead to problems.


familiarity breeds contempt

“[S]uffer [your children] not to carry themselves unreverently or contemptuously towards you [parents]; but to keep their distance. For too much familiarity breedeth contempt, and imboldeneth to disobedience.”

1673, Richard Baxter, chapter X, in A Christian Directory, part II:

“For a person to read his own works over with any great delight, he ought first to forget that he ever wrote them. Familiarity naturally breeds contempt.”

1822, William Hazlitt, chapter 1, in Table-Talk:

[F]or Ayesha was certainly an exception to the rule. Familiarity with her might and did breed passion and wonder and horror, but it certainly did not breed contempt.

1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.

1894, H. Rider Haggard, chapter 25, in The People Of The Mist:

the more one learns about people, the more one likes one's pet

The more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it becomes to dislike that person.

tuttua on helpompi inhota

if you know someone very well, you stop respecting them

เล่นกับหมาหมาเลียปาก เล่นกับสากสากต่อยหัว

Chơi chó, chó liếm mặt; chơi gà, gà mổ mắt

a prophet is not without honor save in his own country


head

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace.wav

there may be snow on the mountaintop but there's fire in the valley

(often humorous) Even a person in his or her senior years, with gray hair, can still have ambition and energy, especially sexual energy.

a vén kecske is megnyalja a sót

older people can still have ambition and energy, especially sexual

есть ещё порох в порховницах (jestʹ ješčó porox v porxovnicax, literally “there still is some gunpowder in the powder-flasks”)

there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle


bad money drives out good

Aristophanes
George Selgin
Gresham's law
The Frogs

Traditional sentiment, both in literal and metaphorical sense, dating to ancient works such as Aristophanes' The Frogs, and appearing in various forms in various Islamic and European medieval texts.

Debased coinage (with low levels of precious metals) replaces purer coinage (with higher levels of precious metals).

People hoard good currency and other assets and attempt to pass inferior currency and assets to others in exchange.

(figurative, in organizations and labor markets) Overvalued mediocre talent replaces undervalued real talent.


one swallow does not make a summer

Alternative form of one swallow does not a summer make.


well begun is half done

Traditional, via Ancient Greek; quoted by Aristotle in his Politics.

Much depends on the beginning of an endeavor.

fillimi i mbarë është gjysma e punës

much depends on the beginning of an endeavour


a good beginning makes a good ending

Start off on a good note to reap the benefits at the end.

一個良好的開端是成功的一半 /一个良好的开端是成功的一半

yī gè liánghǎo de kāiduān shì chénggōng de yībàn

خشت اول چون نهد معمار کج تا ثریا میرود دیوار کج


the squeaky wheel gets the grease

the squeaky wheel gets the oil (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-the squeaky wheel gets the grease.wav

I think it's true what they say about the squeaky wheel / Always getting the grease

1979, James Taylor, “Shower the People”, in In the Pocket, →OCLC:

You know perfectly well that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and that if you don't complain nothing ever changes.

1995, Roger Zelazny, Robert Sheckley, A Farce To Be Reckoned With, Bantam, →ISBN, page 13:

The person who complains or speaks up most loudly receives the redress or attention which they seek.

som man spørger får man svar

the person who complains most receives the attention

ceux qui parlent le plus fort ont toute l'attention

néma gyereknek az anyja sem érti a szavát

najgłośniej zgłaszane problemy rozwiązuje się najszybciej

the nail that sticks out gets hammered down


the proof is in the pudding

This phrase is a shortened form of the proof of the pudding is in the eating (14th century). The shorter version, which misses the point of the original meaning, is found in an 1867 issue of the British Farmer's Magazine, came into common use in the United States in the 1950s, and is becoming increasingly common.

the proof of the pudding is in the eating#English

(sometimes proscribed) Alternative form of the proof of the pudding is in the eating.


it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good

it's an ill wind (alternative)
it's an ill wind that blows no good (alternative)

An action or occurrence must be very bad indeed if it brings no benefit to anyone.

à quelque chose malheur est bon

even a very bad situation must have some good results


a nod is as good as a wink

The hint, suggestion etc. can be understood without further explanation.

chytrému napověz, hloupého trkni

the hint, suggestion etc can be understood without further explaining

一を聞いて十を知る

いちをきいてじゅうをしる

odnomú glázom migní, a drugóvo dubínoj tolkní

одному́ гла́зом мигни́, а друго́го дуби́ной толкни́

у́мному — намёк, глу́пому — толчо́к (úmnomu — namjók, glúpomu — tolčók)

comhairle do dhuine glic, slat do dhruim an amadain

a buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan

sukat ang katagang sabi sa mabuting umiintindi

a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat

a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse


one can't hold two watermelons in one hand

one hand can't hold two watermelons (alternative)

One should not attempt to take on more than one can handle.


you're never too old to learn

It is possible to learn new things, at any age; one should follow one's desires and dreams.

il n'est jamais trop tard pour apprendre

век живи́ — век учи́сь (vek živí — vek učísʹ)


variety is the spice of life

Besides the usual run of machines, planers, millers, automatics, centre lathes, cranes, etc., there were several power stations, the rolling mills for strip material and for 60 ft. rails, and all the steel furnaces with their complicated systems of flues. If variety is the spice of life, then there was plenty here.

1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 341:


lex dubia non obligat

A Latin sentence; from lēx (“law”) + dubia (“doubtful”) + nōn (“not”) + obligat (“is binding”).


it's not what you know but who you know

Eighty-four students referred to political influence as a disadvantage of federal employment with such remarks as: "There are too many political connections necessary . . . it's not what you know but who you know—in spite of apparent merit systems."

1951, G. P. Bush, L. H. Hattery, “Federal Recruitment of Junior Engineers”, in Science, volume 114, number 2966, page 456:

"In Hollywood, it's not what you know but who you know," said Cross, who added that the awards ceremony was the perfect place to make connections.

1993 August 25, Heidi Gruber, “Cross film earns recognition in Hollywood”, in Ellensburg Daily Record, retrieved 2009-06-19:

"It's not what you know but who you know," Shelby said, as she rummaged through a bag to find the business card he'd handed her.

2008, Natasha Davies, Webc@m Girl, →ISBN, page 53:

For success, and especially to obtain employment, one's knowledge and skills are less useful and less important than one's network of personal contacts.

non è importante cosa conosci ma chi conosci

quien a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija


every man has a price

Everyone can be bribed or corrupted for a certain price.


every rule has an exception

there is an exception to every rule#English

Alternative form of there is an exception to every rule.


every man has his price

every man has a price
every man has a price#English

Alternative form of every man has a price.


fine feathers make fine birds

(idiomatic) Something that appears beautiful or good is by definition beautiful or good.


good fences make good neighbors

mind one's own business
mind one's own business

It is better to mind one's own business than get involved with other people's affairs.


home is where the heart is

That which is to make home desirable does not abide in the parlor, the cellar, or the garret; it does not grow with the flowers of the garden, nor with the grass of the meadow, but is fitly expressed in the quaint old adage, "Home is where the heart is."

1868, “Home”, in The Ladies' Repository, volume 28, page 107:

One's true home is where one feels happiest.

此心安處是吾家 /此心安处是吾家

one's true home is where one feels happiest

uno no es de donde nace, sino de donde pace

it takes a heap of living to make a house a home


hunger is the best spice

When one is hungry, anything will taste good.


if you want a thing done well, do it yourself

It is better to do something oneself than to rely on others to do it well.

on n'est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même

jesli xočešʹ sdelatʹ što-to xorošo, sdelaj eto sam.

если хочешь сделать что-то хорошо, сделай это сам.


in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

Calque of Latin in regione caecorum rex est luscus, popularized by Desiderius Erasmus’ Adagia (1500). For further origin compare Aramaic בשוק סמייא צווחין לעווירא סגי נהור (literally “in the street of the blind, the one-eyed man is called the guiding light”), found in the Genesis Rabbah (4th or 5th century CE). This may be Erasmus’ direct source, but at least some traditional link between both forms seems likely.

cog

בשוק סמייא צווחין לעווירא סגי נהור

Even someone with limited abilities or opportunities is dominant over, and considered special by, those who have even fewer abilities and opportunities; the value of any ability depends on its prevalence.

الأعور في أرض العميان ملك

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

廖化作先锋

Shǔ zhōng wú dàjiàng, Liào Huà zuò xiānfēng

i de blindes land er den enøjede mand konge

in het land der blinden is eenoog koning

sokeiden maassa yksisilmäinen on kuningas

au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois

unter den Blinden ist der Einäugige König

sti chóra ton tyflón, o monófthalmos eínai vasiliás

στη χώρα των τυφλών, ο μονόφθαλμος είναι βασιλιάς

di negeri orang buta, seorang bermata satu adalah raja

di tanah orang buta, seorang bermata satu adalah raja

nella terra dei ciechi beato chi ha un occhio

鳥無き里の蝙蝠 (とりなきさとのこうもり, torinaki sato no kōmori, literally “bat of a birdless village”)

片目でも盲目国では王様

かためでももうもくくにではおうさま

눈 먼 자들의 나라에서는 애꾸눈이 왕이다.

nun meon jadeurui nara'eseoneun aekkununi wang'ida.

മൂക്കില്ലാ രാജ്യത്ത് മുറിമൂക്കൻ രാജാവ് (mūkkillā rājyattŭ muṟimūkkaṉ rājāvŭ, literally “in the land of the noseless, the broken-nosed man is king”)

در شهرِ کوران، یکچشم پادشاست (dar šahr-e kurân, yek-čašm pâdešâst, literally “In the city of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!”)

خرس در کوه بوعلی سینا است (xers dar kuh bu'ali sinâ ast, literally “In the mountains, the bear is Avicenna”)

na terra dos cegos quem tem um olho é rei

em terra de cegos quem tem um olho é rei

в стране слепых одноглазый — коро́ль (v strane slepyx odnoglazyj — korólʹ)

en el reino de los ciegos, el tuerto es el rey

kurarin hjukumatdiʾ sab ul ajir vu pač̄ah

курарин гьюкуматдиъ саб ул айир ву паччагь

sa lupa ng mga bulag, ang naghahari ay pisak

sa bayang walang marunong, ang naghahari ay ulol

ในดินแดนของคนตาบอด คนที่มีตาข้างเดียวคือราชา

körler ülkesinde tek gözü olan kral olur

в країні сліпих одноокий — король (v krajini slipyx odnookyj — korolʹ)


no news is good news

A lack of information reported about a situation suggests that nothing unfortunate has occurred.

no tenir notícies és bona notícia

lack of information suggests nothing bad

便りのないのは良い知らせ

たよりのないのはよいしらせ

отсу́тствие новосте́й — уже́ хоро́шая но́вость (otsútstvije novostéj — užé xoróšaja nóvostʹ)

's math an naidheachd a bhith gun naidheachd


stupid is as stupid does

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-stupid is as stupid does.wav

Apparently modeled on handsome is as handsome does. Attested since at least 1862, but popularized (perhaps independently) by the 1994 film Forrest Gump.

1882 Anthony Trollope: Orley Farm
As long as a man can pay twenty shillings in the pound and a trifle over, what does it matter
if all the judges in the land was to call him stupid?' said Snengkeld.
"Stupid is as stupid does." said Kantwise.
"Stupid be d--." said Moulder.
"Mr. Moulder, there's ladies present." said Mrs. Smiley,


en-proverb

you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone

Attributed to 20th-century American mobster Al Capone.

It is advantageous not to rely solely on being nice to others.


a penny saved is a penny earned

En-us-a penny saved is a penny earned.oga

First use appears c. 1804. See cite below. Commonly misattributed to Benjamin Franklin, who actually wrote "a penny saved is two pence clear."

I have reason to fear, that too many masters of ships forget that good old saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned".

1804, Joseph Huddart (the Elder), Swansea Harbour. Extracts from the [first] report of J. H. ... shewing his plan for the improvement thereof, dated 1794, page 13:

A maxim for thrift stating that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime.


every little bit helps

every little helps
every little helps#English


out of the mouths of babes

From King James Bible, Psalms 8:2, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength". (Note that mouth is singular in the Biblical verse, and that the usage of this expression differs from the modern proverbial usage.)

Not only out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, but out of the mouths of fools and cheats, we may often get our truest lessons.

1859, Oliver Wendell Holmes, chapter 1, in The Professor at the Breakfast Table:

Again Puck translated to Kadmiel in the strange, solemn-sounding language, and at last Kadmiel laughed.
"Out of the mouths of babes do we learn," said he.

1906, Rudyard Kipling, chapter 10, in Puck of Pook's Hill:

Goldie Hawn […] insists, at times a bit too gushingly, that out of the mouths of babes will inevitably come everything spontaneous and pure in this world.

1982 May 7, John J. O'Connor, “Art: TV Weekend”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-09-08:

(CAPTION) Out of the mouths of babes, love is explained. Brooklyn first graders write and read their valentines and describe the meaning of Valentines Day.

2010 Feb. 12, "First Graders' Valentines" (news video), Time (retrieved 8 Sept 2013)

From the comments of children, who are honest and innocent, . . . (comes truth or wisdom).

from the comments of children comes truth

fra børn og fulde folk skal man høre sandheden

cha dèan am bodach breug 's a mhac a-staigh