List of Proverbs in English!
Proverb Definition
A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) is a simple, concrete, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. The definition of a proverb is a short saying that is widely used to express an obvious truth. An example of the proverb is “Practice makes perfect.” Let us Explore some very useful list of the proverb in English.
The Importance of Learning Proverbs
Proverbs make our sound strong, mature. Provide golden advice about life. Sometime someone not understands a big lecture but got in mind a small proverb in no time. The values and morality of a culture are reflected in its proverbs. Proverbs can be applied to every aspect of our lives from serious situations to fun ones and from work to family.
List of Proverbs in English
Proverbs |
Meanings |
A absence makes the heart grow fonder | If people are parted for a time, they tend to appreciate each other more. |
All that glitters is not gold | Appearance can be deceptive one should not judge the value of things by their pleasing appearances. |
Among the blind the one eyed man is king | A person with a modicum of ability will pass for a genius among nincompoops. |
Answer a fool according to his folly | A silly question deserves a silly answer. |
All’s well that ends well | If the final result is good previous failures are forgotten, as the end result is most important. |
Actions speak louder than words | People can say many things because talking is easy, but what really matters is what one does, not what one says. |
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy | It is not wise to concentrate only on working and not to allow time for relaxation. Without proper leisure time, the workers and, therefore, the work will suffer. |
Borrowed garments never fill well | Copied behavior always cramps one style. |
Birds of a feather flock together | Persons of like tastes seek one another’s society. |
A burnt child dreads the fire | One who has suffered becomes wary and cautious. |
A bad workman quarrels with his tools | One tries to cover up one’s failures by putting the blame on the tools at one’s disposal. |
Brevity is the soul of wit | Brief remarks keep humor alive, while explanations tend to kill it. |
Blood is thicker than water | Bonds between blood-relation are stronger than other bonds. |
Proverbs in English
Proverbs |
Meanings |
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush | It is better to be content with what we have or can easily get than to reject it in the hope of getting something better, as this may never happen. |
Cleanliness is next to godliness | Cleanliness is the biggest human virtue. |
Cut your car according to your cloth | Regulate your expenses according to your income. |
The child is father of the man | The influence which contributes to form the character of the child endure through life. |
Do not look a gift horse in the mouth | One should be grateful and question the quality or use of a lucky chance per gift. |
A drowning man will catch at a straw | A man in danger would cling to anything to seek safety. |
Do unto others as you would be done by | The kind of treatment you give to others, the kind you get. |
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched | Do not raise your expectations about something. They may prove falls and hence cause dismay. |
Discretion is better part of valor | It is wise to avoid avoidable risks than to run into them foolishly. |
The devil can cite scripture for his purpose | A wicked person does not shrink from exploitation religion to serve his own ends. |
List of Proverbs in English Infographic
List of Proverbs in English
Proverbs |
Meanings |
Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today | Do not postpone things. |
The early bird catches the worm | Immediately or quick action bring success. |
Every cloud has a silver lining | Even if the affairs are in the darkest condition, one should not despair. There is always a ray of hope |
An example is better than precept | Practice is better than teaching. |
Fit words are better than fine ones | Words should be chosen for their apt meaning and not for their floridity. |
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread | Wise people think before they act or do something whereas fools say and do things rashly without thinking. |
Frailty the name is a woman | it is generally believed that women cannot resist temptation. |
Fine feathers make fine birds | The dress makes the man. |
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice | Give everybody a patient hearing but exercise the strictest caution in entrusting your thoughts to others. |
God made the country and man-made the town | The natural is more beautiful than the artificial. |
Heaven helps those who help themselves | Constant effort is the key to success. |
He laughs best who laughs last | One should not rejoice until. one is sure that there are no further problems ahead. |
Home-keeping youths have ever homely wits | An insular life does not broaden one’s horizon. |
Handsome is that handsome does | Action appropriate to the occasion is the teats of one’s sincerity or merits. |
An honest man is the noblest work of God | Honesty is the best of virtues. |
List of Proverbs in English Infographic
Proverbs with Meanings
Proverbs |
Meanings |
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world | Mothers are in truth the makers of great men. |
Half a loaf is better than none | We must be grateful for what we receive even though we expected more. |
It is an ill wind that blows nobody good | Unfavorable happening that brings no advantages at all to anyone. |
It is a long lane that has no turning | Unpleasant things can’t last forever, they improve with time. |
An idle man’s brain is the workshop of the devil | An idle man can think of and do a lot of mischiefs. |
It is more blessed to give than to receive | Doing a favor is better than receiving one. |
An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult | Physical pain is nothing compared to an affront to one’s dignity. |
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, again | If you want to achieve something in life you must have patience and courage. |
It is easy to be wise after the event | It is idle to find justification for one mistake after the damage is done. |
A live ass is stronger than a dead lion | The living has more utility than the dead. |
It takes all sorts to make a world | The World is made up of many sorts of people good and evil, wise and foolish we should try to tolerate others even if they are different from us. |
Kind words are more than coronets | Words of sympathy bring more relief than gifts. |
It is never too late to mend | It is never too late to improve one’s manners, behavior, way of life, etc. In order to lead a better life. |
Let every herring hang by id own tail | Let everyone attend to his/her business. |
Little strokes fell mighty oaks | Perseverance is the key to success. |
Learn to walk before you run | Learn to do things gradually. One cannot learn things at once. |
Many hands make lighter work | If many people work together, they can complete their quickly as well as easily. |
List of Proverbs in English Infographic
List of Proverbs in English
Proverbs |
Meanings |
The mills of God grind slowly | Retribution must come to the wicked sooner or later. |
Man is box nature a political animal | Man is by nature gregarious. |
A miss is as good as a mile | Failure is a failure even if it is by a narrow margin. |
No man can serve two masters | It is difficult to serve God and mammon at the same time |
No one but the wearer knows where the shoe pinches only the sufferer realizes the cause of pain. | |
Only he who bears the burden knows its weight | Only the person who suffers knows the intensity of pain. |
One crowded hour of crowded life is worth son age without name | A short span of intense activity is better than years of routine drudgery. |
One swallow does not make a summer | One reality does not prove something as it can be an exception. |
One should eat to live, not live to eat | Temperance is a great virtue. |
One good turn deserves another | If we receive help from someone, we should try to help him in return. |
The pen is mightier than the sword | The written word is more effective than brute force. |
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones | People must realize their own weaknesses before exploiting those of others. |
The proof of the pudding is in the eating | One can be certain of a thing when one has actually experienced it. |
Prosperity gain friends adversity tries them | A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
List of Proverbs in English Infographic
Very Useful Proverbs List
Proverbs |
Meanings |
The proper study of mankind is man | Self-examination is the key to the understanding of human life. |
Procrastination is the thief of time | Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today. |
Prevention is better than cure | Nip the evil in the bud prevent a mishap if you can then find a remedy after wards. |
A rolling stone gathers no moss | A man who is not steady cannot succeed. |
Strike when the Iron is hot | Do not lose an opportunity when it comes. |
Speech is silver, buzz silence is golden | Speak fitly or be silent wisely. |
A stitch in time saves nine | If a thing goes wrong it must be mended at once otherwise it will cost extra money, time, and trouble. |
A sleeping fox catches no poultry | An idle man does not get anything. |
Slow and steady wins the race | A man who sticks to his task is bound to succeed. |
Time and tide wait for no man | The forces of nature are stronger than the powers of man. |
They never fail who die in a good cause | Success is measured by the nobility of the cause. |
Too many cooks spoil the broth | When too many people try the same thing at the same time, the result is naturally poor. There is no smoke without fire |
There is much slip betwixt the cup and the lip | One should not be so confident about anything unless it is really in one’s grasp. |
Two heads are better than one | Consultation leads to better results. |
There is no smoke without fire | There is no effect without a cause. |
A thing of beauty is a joy forever | Beauty is timeless and beyond the finite. |
List of Proverbs in English Infographic
List of Proverbs in English
Proverbs |
Meanings |
There is always a ‘but’ in this imperfect world | The strongest chain has its weakest link. |
Time is a vest physician | Time heals all wounds. |
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown | Bigger responsibility means bigger worries. |
Virtue is its own reward | Do well and forget the rest. |
Variety is the spice of life | Life is livable owing to change. |
Where there is a quill there’s a way | When one is resolute to do something, the difficulties disappear all by themselves. |
What can’t be cured must be endured | If you fail to find a remedy for difficulty then try to bear it patiently. |
Where ignorance is bliss ‘its folly to be wise | Blissful ignorance is at times to be preferred to wisdom which brings anxiety. |
Whom the gods love die young | An early death spares youth from the bitterness of life. |
What is the most famous proverb?
Proverbs |
Meanings |
When the cat’s away the mice will play | When the person in command is absent the other will do everything that they cannot do in his presence. |
Who loves the roses must pull up with its thorns | Pleasure and pain go together. |
Willful waste brings woeful want | Extravagance leads to poverty. |
You can’t make an omelet without breaking the egg | If you want to gain something in life, you will have to make small sacrifices. |
You may lead a horse to a well, but you cannot make him drink | We can force a person to do what he does not want to do. We can direct him. To a certain extent but the final decision must be his. |
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List of Proverbs in English Infographics
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