The Book Of Quotations And

Proverbs

A Compilation Of Quotations And

Proverbs
1

Introduction...................................................................................................................3
Top 10 Buddha Quotes....................................................................................................4
Action.........................................................................................................................5
Anger, Forgiveness, and Compassion...........................................................6
Life and Living........................................................................................................8
Love, Connection, and Unity...........................................................................10
Mind, Thought, and Thinking..........................................................................11
Personal Development......................................................................................12
Self-Reliance..........................................................................................................13
Speech.....................................................................................................................13
Truth.........................................................................................................................15

..............................................................................................16
10 Golden Islamic Quotes For A Muslim.....................................................................16
10 Great Jewish Proverbs..............................................................................................16
Self Improvement...................................................................................................16
Pride..........................................................................................................................16
Giving........................................................................................................................17
Friends......................................................................................................................17
Knowledge................................................................................................................17
Aspiration.................................................................................................................17
Prayer........................................................................................................................17
Endure......................................................................................................................17
Good Deeds..............................................................................................................17
Learn.........................................................................................................................17
Confucius says: The Top 10 Quotes by Confucius.........................................................17
Your Top Ten Hopi Tribe Quotes:..................................................................................18
.......................................................................................................................................20
Proverbs-Pulareeje.........................................................................................................20
SOME POPULAR ETHIOPIAN SAYINGS AND PROVERBS WITH THEIR
TRANSLATION AND EXPLANATION IN ENGLISH. 8..........................................31
Egyptian Proverbs..........................................................................................................36
German Proverbs and Quotations..................................................................................41
56 Ukrainian Proverbs................................................................................................45

Introduction
This compilation of sayings and proverbs is intended to further assist us in
coming to terms with the environment in which we live, to facilitate the
deepening of our understanding of the challenges and opportunities provided
by the society, to enable us to better understand our own state of being
within the existing socio-economic system in which we live.
Most importantly it is intended to help us to better guide our own efforts and
the efforts of the youth among us. It is the nature of youth to measure from
now to some place in the future while it is the nature of those who have
lived to measure from some given point in the past to a given point in the
present. It is human nature , that those who have lived and have seen the
world to tell the youth of the worlds they have seen and in so doing help the
youth to avoid some of the errors they made and in the selecting of safe and
reliable paths to that future, which the youth seeks. In this cycle of life, those
who have seen the world and the youth stands as equal partners in the
creation of now and co-creators of the sense of I am. Proverbs and
sayings are in their essence summaries of the experiences of those who have
lived and have seen the world. These two sources of knowledge are in this
sense gifts from those who have lived before, to us, to act as guides and sign
posts in our building of the various nows in which we live.
The location of Atlantis , that place of excellence, is probably not to be
found in the city, town or in the village but rather in one or more of the
dimension of our sense of I am , i.e. a place internal to the individual, and
in my approach and attitude to the world. Here again, proverbs and saying,
play can play a critical role in the development of our senses of I am and in
the molding and forming of our attitude and approach to the world.
One however, must realize the role played by the questions :-Who? Where
When? What? And How? In determining what is reasonable and what is not, in
determining what is possible and what is not. A person who wishes to
emulate Picasso and to excel in that school of art, does not go living in Saudi
Arabia, there that place of excellence, Atlantis will not and can never be
found. If one wishes to be a student of Greek philosophy and the Greek
system of governance , does not go living in China ; there Atlantis will not be
found. I one wishes to practice cutting edge medicine, one does not go living
in Nepal; there that place where excellence is normal and possible, Atlantis
will not be found.
In other words, one has to take the socio=cultural environment into
consideration, if one has an interest in striving for excellence in a given
defined field. By taking them into consideration, one avoids conflicts and
externally imposed and enforced conflicts and frustrations in the search for
professional excellence and success. It is better to run behind the leaders in
ones field than to become a prisoner of failures. The study of proverbs and
sayings help us in guiding our choices, in our selections of what we do and
where we live.

Here I wish to hasten to point out, that this compilation, does not in any way
seek to replace the Books of Solomon as are written in the Bible , but rather
to compliment these books as sources of guidance to living in the world as it
is today. I also hope that the compilation meets the needs of the lawyers of
the families.
This compilation is presented with the needs of the Fletchers, Manakers and
Morgans families in mind and I do hope that it will if only in part, satisfy
those needs.
Basil Fletcher

Top 10 Buddha Quotes

1. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
2. It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand
battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from
you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
3. It is better to travel well than to arrive.
4. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
5. The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one
knows.
6. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

7. There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt.

Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates
friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn
that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
8. Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle,
and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness
never decreases by being shared.
9. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our
thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.
10. What we think, we become.
Action

What do Buddha quotes teach us about action? Thoughts and ideas

go further through action.
A jug fills drop by drop.
Buddha
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than
an idea that exists only as an idea.
Buddha
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with
diligence.
Buddha
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what
good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
Buddha
I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do
believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
Buddha

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
Buddha
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life;
foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
Buddha
Anger, Forgiveness, and Compassion

What do Buddha quotes teach us about anger and compassion? Rise

above your anger through forgiveness and compassion, for yourself,
and others.
Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases
through love. This is an unalterable law.
Buddha
Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their
suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.
Buddha
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of
throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
Buddha
In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased
striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.
Buddha
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a
life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

 Buddha
To understand everything is to forgive everything.
Buddha
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by
your anger.
Buddha
Fear
What do Buddha quotes teach us about fear? Trade your fear for
freedom.
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.
Buddha
The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will
become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all
help are you freed.
Buddha
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil,
one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these
feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
Buddha
Health
What do Buddha quotes teach us about health? A healthy mind and
body empower us for life.

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.

Buddha
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth,
faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the
past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the
present moment wisely and earnestly.
Buddha
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to ones family, to
bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control ones own
mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to
Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to
him.
Buddha
To keep the body in good health is a duty otherwise we shall not be
able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Buddha
Without health life is not life; it is only a state of languor and
suffering an image of death.
Buddha
Life and Living

What do Buddha quotes teach us about life and living? Life is a

journey and wisdom is the North Star.

He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings,
and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an
impartial eye.
Buddha
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a
spiritual life.
Buddha
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears
from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful
mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the
light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
Buddha
Life is suffering.
Buddha
On lifes journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter,
wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by
night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
Buddha
The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.
Buddha
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.
Buddha

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as ones own in
the midst of abundance.
Buddha
When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head
back and laugh at the sky.
Buddha
You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.
Buddha
Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to
give yourself to it.
Buddha
Love, Connection, and Unity

What do Buddha quotes teach us about love and unity? We have an

impact, and were worth it.
All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes
and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in
relation to everything else.
Buddha
Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.
Buddha
He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no
woes.
Buddha

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Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea
of Unity are already two.
Buddha
You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is
more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and
that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as
anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.
Buddha
You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve
your love and affection.
Buddha

Mind, Thought, and Thinking

What do Buddha quotes teach us about thoughts and thinking? Our

thoughts shape us, and the world around us.
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can
wrong-doing remain?
Buddha
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a
wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your
mind.
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 Buddha
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no
matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and
your own common sense.
Buddha
He is able who thinks he is able.
Buddha
It is a mans own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil
ways.
Buddha
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
Buddha
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.
Buddha
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With
our thoughts, we make the world.
Buddha
Personal Development

What do Buddha quotes teach us about personal development?

Master yourself.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who
envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

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 Buddha
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good
principle was never found solitary in any breast.
Buddha
To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.
Buddha
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
Buddha
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the
mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Buddha
Self-Reliance

What do Buddha quotes teach us about self-reliance? Dont let

yourself down.
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We
ourselves must walk the path.
Buddha
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
Buddha
Speech

What do Buddha quotes teach us about speech? Choose your words

carefully.

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A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A

man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.
Buddha
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
Buddha
The tongue like a sharp knife Kills without drawing blood.
Buddha
The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain
is sifted through a sieve.
Buddha
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will
hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
Buddha

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Truth

What do Buddha quotes teach us about truth? Its all around us.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create
distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Buddha
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth;
not going all the way, and not starting.
Buddha
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the
truth.

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 Buddha
Note that many of these quotes are not actual quotes from Gautama
Buddha, as you can see at www.fakebuddhaquotes.com. That said,
find the words that inspire you in some way.

10 Golden Islamic Quotes For A Muslim

1) When you see a person who has been given more than you in
money and beauty, look to those, who have been given less.
2) A Muslim who meets with others and shares their burdens is better
than one who lives a life of seclusion and contemplation.
3) It is better to sit alone than in company with the bad; and it is,
better still to sit with the good than alone. It is better to speak to a
seeker of knowledge than to remain silent; but silence is better than
idle words.
4) The best richness is the richness of the soul.
5) Do you know what is better than charity and fasting and prayer? It
is keeping peace and good relations between people, as quarrels and
bad feelings destroy mankind.
6) He is not of us who is not affectionate to the little ones, and does
not respect the old; and he is not of us, who does not order which is
lawful, and prohibits that which is unlawful.
7) Much silence and a good disposition, there are no two things better
than these.
8) Kindness is a mark of faith, and whoever is not kind has no faith.
9) The best of the houses is the house where an orphan gets love and
kindness.
10) To overcome evil with good is good, to resist evil by evil is evil.

10 Great Jewish Proverbs

Self Improvement
First improve yourself, and then judge others.
Pride
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Pride is the mask of one's faults.

Giving
The man who gives little with a smile gives more than the man who
gives much with a frown.
Friends
Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure.
Knowledge
Whoever does not try, does not learn.
Aspiration
If you don't aspire to great things, you won't attain small things.
Prayer
He who prays for his neighbor will be heard for himself.
Endure
He that can't endure the bad, will not live to see the good.
Good Deeds
Do not be wise in words-be wise in deeds.
Learn
As you teach, you learn.
Confucius says: The Top 10 Quotes

by Confucius

1. "Never impose on others what you would not choose

for yourself."
2. 2. "Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones
ignorance."
3. 3. "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I
understand."
4. 4. "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

17

5.
5. "The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the
inferior man is aware of advantage."
6. 6. "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."
7. 7. "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in
getting up every time we do."
8. 8. "He who learns but does not think, is lost. He who
thinks but does not learn is in great danger."
9. 9. "He that would perfect his work must first sharpen
his tools."
10.
10. "If you look into your own heart, and you find
nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about?
What is there to fear?"

Your Top Ten Hopi Tribe Quotes:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

"Hold fast to the words of your ancestors."

"People without faith in themselves cannot survive."
"Do not allow anger to poison you."
"The one who tells the stories rules the world."
"You must live your life from beginning to end; no one else can
do it for you."
6. "Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start
living the life the Creator intended for you."
7. "An angry word is like striking with a knife."
8. Take the breath of the new dawn and make it part of you. It
will give you strength."
9. "All things have inner meaning and form and power."
10.
Don't be afraid to cry. it will free your mind of sorrowful
thoughts.
11. Eating little and speaking little can hurt no man
12.If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster.
13.In age, talk; in childhood, tears
14.In death, I am born

Collected and translated into Spanish by Feliciano P. Eberardo

English translations from Spanish by Carl Rubino
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49 Ashanti

Proverbs

1. A lie can annihilate a thousand truths.

2. A wise man who knows proverbs, reconciles difficulties.
3. By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have
dispersed.
4. Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.
5. Do not follow the path. Go where there is no path to begin the
trail.
6. Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you
can.
7. Even though the old man is strong and hearty, he will not live
forever.
8. Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together.
9. Force against force equals more force.
10. He is a fool whose sheep runs away twice.
- 11. He who cannot dance will say: The drum is bad.
12. He who is guilty is the one that has much to say.
13. Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.
14. If nothing touches the palm-leaves they do not rustle.
15. If you are in hiding, don't light a fire.
16. If you are on a road to nowhere, find another road.
17. If you understand the beginning well, the end will not
trouble you.
18. It is difficult to throw a stone at a lizard that is clinging to a
pot.
19. It is Mr. Old-Man-Monkey who marries Mrs. Old-WomanMonkey.
20. It is no shame at all to work for money.
21. It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.
22. It is the fool's sheep that break loose twice.
23. It's a bad child who does not take advice.
24. Money is sharper than a sword.
25. No one tests the depth of a river with both feet.
26. One cannot both feast and become rich.
27. One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.
28. Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the
crocodile has a lump on his snout.

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29. Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the
spots.
30. The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town.
The poor man and the rich man do not play together.
32. The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.
33. There is no medicine to cure hatred.
34. True power comes through cooperation and silence.
35. Two men in a burning house must not stop to argue.
36. Two small antelopes can beat a big one.
37. What is bad luck for one man is good luck for another.
38. When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful.
39. When a man is coming toward you, you need not say:
"Come here."
40. When a man is wealthy, he may wear an old cloth.
41. When a woman is hungry, she says, "Roast something for
the children that they might eat."
42. When rain beats on a leopard it wets it, but rain does not
wash out its spots.
43. When the cock is drunk, he forgets about the hawk.
44. When the fool is told a proverb, its meaning has to be
explained to him.
45. When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you
are despised.
46. When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to
walk like him.
47. When you go to someone else's house and the owner is
squatting there on the ground, you do not ask for a stool.
48. Wood already touched by fire is not hard to set alight.
49. You must act as if it is impossible to fail.

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Proverbs-Pulareeje
In serious talk or in ordinary conversation, Africans liked to start with
a proverb that speaks about the topic of the moment. The use of
proverbs in Africa is a very powerful communication form. It allows
people to understand the meaning quickly and also to remember what
was said long after the conversation or the meeting is over. Indeed in
the African context, a proverb is worth a thousand words!
Although they may be based on given cultures and traditions,
proverbs are usually essentially expressions of universal truths. In
their application proverbs are not necessarily tied down to the
community that first produced them. A Fulani can easily adopt a
proverb from another ethnic group and make it appropriately fit
his/her circumstance. Proverbs are usually short and highly
condensed sayings, which are generally anonymous in their
authorship and authoritative in its application. Brevity is, therefore,
one characteristic of a proverb, and this brevity helps to make
proverbs memorable, that is, easy to learn and retain in memory.
Some proverbs are musical, and rhythmic as is shown by the
following Fulani proverb, Feere fendi fettande kono virazam haazaani
(The need to create made sour milk, but fresh milk is not bitter).
The use of proverbs as a source of moral authority is facilitated by
their nature. In their brevity, musicality, and depth of meaning,
proverbs are not only easily memorable, they are also easy to apply at
appropriate occasions. It is their nature, incidentally, that makes it
possible for them to be easily used in everyday speech. They help
21

enrich and add color to everyday speech, as they help a speaker make
a point briefly, sometimes with devastating effect.
As distilled accumulation of time-tested experiences, and ancestral
wisdom, proverbs are also useful in the transmission of what are
perceived as adequate and desirable moral standards and healthy
social interaction. Proverbs initiate youth into adulthood, especially
in societies where they are the preserve of elders. And as the youth
are initiated into adulthood, they absorb the codes of human behavior
as they prepare for future roles as guardians of ancestral wisdom and
culture.
The following are proverbs from all over Africa. They are grouped into
categories, but with many overlapping.
Proverbs
Common sense

* A hunter who has only one arrow does not shoot with careless aim.
When a palm-branch reaches its height, it gives way for a fresh one to
grow.
* One cannot go back to the farmer from whom one borrowed seedyams to plant to say that the beetles have eaten up the seed-yams.
* If one were to remove every smoking wood from a fire and condemn
it as bad, one would be killing the fire itself.
* It is the brutally outspoken man that earns enmity.
* The elephant and the tiger do not go hunting on the same pasture.
* A farmer does not boast that he has had a good harvest until his
stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season.
* He who pursues an innocent chicken always stumbles.
The fish that can see that its water is getting shallower cannot be
stranded.
* Without knowing a way thoroughly at day time, never attempt to
pass it at night.
* It is not enough to run, one must arrive and know when one has
arrived.
It is a lazy man who says "it is only because I have no time that my
farm is overgrown with weeds".
* Every river knows where its water would not be soaked up into the
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earth, and that is where it flows past.

Hard work

* A farmer does not conclude by the mere look of it that a corn is

unripe; he tears it open for examination.
* It is little by little that a bird builds its nest.
* To do one's duty is to eat the prized fruit of honor.
* A farmer, who would not work inside the rain and would not work
under the sun, would have nothing to harvest at the end of the
farming year.
* An ant-hill that is destined to become a giant ant-hill will definitely
become one, no matter how many times it is destroyed by elephants.
* He who is afraid of doing too much always does too little.
* Sleep and indolence are not cousins of a good harvest.
* Success is 10% ability, and 90% sweat.
Not giving up

* One must row in whichever boat one finds one's self.

* When a person regrets endlessly, he gets to pay more for what he
regrets.
* It is little by little that a bird builds its nest.
* It is not only the fox, even the snail arrives at its destination.
* However long the moon disappears, someday it must shine again.
* It is the same moon that wanes today that will be the full moon
tomorrow.
* It is only the toad that gets up from its knees and falls back again on
its knees.
* The spider that knows what it will gain sits waiting patiently in its
web. The praying mantis is never tired waiting all day.
* One does not become a master diviner in a day. A forest is not made
in a season. The swoop of an eagle has seen many seasons and
floods...
* Who says the oasis in the desert is happy because of its hidden
spring of water?
* The cricket is never blinded by the sand of its burrowing.
* An oil lamp feels proud to give light even though it wears itself
23

away.
* A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is bad.

Cooperation

Common proverbs of cooperation are:

* A herbalist that refuses to ask laymen what leaves he looks for in the
bush, must have difficulties getting what he wants.
* It is a pot of water that is already half full that the world would like
to help in filling to the brim.
* A man can not sit down alone to plan for prosperity.
* A man who lives alone is either always overworked, or always
overfed.
* A single tree can not make a forest.
* A single man can not build a house.
* If a child shoots and arrow that reaches the top of a tall palm tree,
then it must be that an elderly person carved the arrow for him.
* When the right hand washes the left hand and the left hand washes
the right hand, both hands become clean.
* It is by the strength of their number that the ants in the field are
able to carry their prey to the nest.
* Two footsteps do not make a path.
* Two raindrops do not make a pool.
Patience

* The calf shouldnt be in a hurry to grow horns; hell have them until
he dies.
* A speedy wrestling and a bad fall go hand in hand.
* Patient people are patient to gain longevity.
* However long the moon disappears, someday it must shine again.
It is little by little that a bird builds its nest.
* The thirsty fig sits waiting patiently, waiting for the arrival of the
rains.
* One does not become a master diviner in a day. A forest is not made
in a season. The swoop of an eagle has seen many seasons and
floods...
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* It is not only the hare, the tortoise arrives also at the destination.
Kindness

* What good people witness should not become bad.

* Without knowing a person we must not hate him.
* He who digs a pit for others must invariably fall into it.
* By being grateful, a man makes himself deserving of yet another
kindness.
* When the laborer is praised, his cutlass begins to cut more keenly.
* If the owner of a calabash calls it a worthless calabash, others will
join him to use it to pack rubbish.
* Criticism is easy but it does not create.
* If one imitates the upright, one becomes upright; if one imitates the
crooked, one becomes crooked.
* When a sickle is drawn, it in turn draws the tree to which it is
hooked.
* If a person who curses another is not better than the person he
curses, a request is never made of him to rescind the curse.

Honesty

* Money does not announce how it is earned but whereas properly

earned money appreciates, improperly earned money depreciates.
* The bottom of wealth is sometimes a dirty thing to behold.
* Rather than tell a lie to help a friend, it is better to assist him in
paying
* the fine for his offense.

Thoughtfulness

* A fowl does not forget where it lays it eggs.

* The habit of thinking is the habit of gaining strength.
* It is one word of advice that one needs to give to a wise man, and
that word keeps multiplying in his mind.
* Does a man not know when he has pepper in his eyes? If we forget
yesterday, how shall we remember tomorrow.
25

* Thoughts and dreams are the foundation of our being.

* We are what our thinking makes us.

Sharing/Generosity

* Every little tree gives its little bit of shade.

* It is an unthinking man who achieves prosperity, and then finds
with time, that his body can no longer pass through the door.
* When an only kolanut is presented with love, it carries with it more
value than might otherwise be associated with a whole pod of several
kolanuts.
* The man who remembers others, remembers also his creator.
* The bird that remembers its flockmates, never missed the way.
* When a dying man cries, it is not because of where he is going which
he knows nothing about, but because of what he wishes he would
have done in the world he is leaving behind.
* The head could not have got to where it is now if it did not give.
Humility

* A performing masquerade who tries too hard to outclass his

colleagues may expose his anus.
* It is from a small seed that the giant Iroko tree has its beginning.
* A family name is not cooked and eaten, one's life is the thing.
* A good name is better than gold.
* He who is courteous is not a fool.
* The fowl perspires, but the feathers do not allow us to see the
perspiration.

Greed

* A bag that says it will not take more, and a traditional doctor who
says he would not leave anything behind are both sure to suffer.

Good Behavior

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* A man who is advised and he takes it, is still a man who acts from
his own free will.
* When a ripe fruit sees an honest man, it drops.
* When a fowl gets to a new town, it stands on one leg until it knows
that
* it is a town where people stand on their two legs.
A man who has one finger pointing at another has three pointing
towards himself.
* The man who is honored, has first honored himself.
* Greatness and beauty do not belong to the gods alone.
* Antagonism is not good for fowls, and it is not good for goats; worse
still, it is not good for human beings.
* Our examples are like seeds on a windy day, they spread far and
wide.
* A clay pot of water is never hot-tempered.
* A person who picks something and decides to make it his own,
ought to think how he would feel if he was the person who lost the
property he picked.
* He who is called a man must behave like a man.
* One must have to wait till the evening of one's life time to know
what gratitude to pay to one's guardian spirit.

Consequences

* A man who is advised and he takes it, is still a man who acts from
his own free will.
* If hunger forces a farmer in a particular year to eat both his yam
tubers and the seed-yams, the succeeding years would still be worse
because hewould have no yams to eat and none to plant.
* Sometimes the rain might force a man more than once to seek
shelter under the same tree.
* When the roots of a tree begin to decay, it spreads death to the
branches.
* It is the fear of what tomorrow may bring that makes the tortoise to
carry his house along with him wherever he goes.
* He who digs a pit for others must invariably fall into it.

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Peace

* Let's fight, let's fight, no one knows whom fighting would favor.
* Two men quarreling do not share the same seat on a canoe.
* To have no enemies is equivalent to wealth.
* If the owner of two adjacent farms cannot be friends, then they
must wait till their next reincarnation to be able to make friends.
* Whoever says "let's fight" does not know who will be victorious.
* When a man finds that he was wrong to have refused to eat, he
should leave his anger and play a harp to call for harmony.
* Without retaliation evils would one day become extinct from the
world.
* A spacious ground is the right place to demonstrate one's skill in
wrestling.

Wisdom and age

* If you come to the village of the blind, close an eye until you leave.
An old banana leaf was once young and green.
* Old age does not come in just one day.

Courage

* The sun will not dry what it is not shown

* He who does not look ahead always remains behind.
* Courage is the father of success.
* Charms do not perform miracles on the shelf; they perform for
those who are brave.

Family

* Being a younger brother/sister can be worse than loosing a eye.

* A person who has children does not die.

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* We can not choose who our relatives should be, even though we may
come to like some better than others.
* When a man loses his prestige, he does not regain it by going to
where he is not known.
* A good name is better than gold.
* A piece of iron can only become what the blacksmith says it should
become.
* It is the habit that a child forms at home, that follows them to their
marriage.
* It is an irresponsible adult that creates enmity because of a
disagreement that arises between two children.
* A child is what you put into him.
* Talks that are considered to be important must be made to drag on
for so long as to make even the deaf begin to hear it.
* Criticism is easy but it does not create.
* Love is better than a whip.
* A child who has no mother will not have scars to show on his back.
* Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow
that remains constant in his hands.

Friendship

* The eyes can see what they dont like to see, but legs will go only to
place they like to go.
* If a person returns to where he/she went yesterday, he/she liked
where he/she went yesterday.
* To eat from the same pot with another man, is to take an oath of
perpetual friendship with him.
* If one imitates the upright, one becomes upright; if one imitates the
crooked, one becomes crooked.
* Rather than tell a lie to help a friend, it is better to assist him in
paying the fine for his offense.
Survival

* It is the toothless animal that arrives first at the base of the fruit
tree, to eat his fill before others arrive.
* If the load is too heavy for someone to carry, one would be better off
29

to give the load to the ground to carry.

* The tree that cannot shed its old leaves in the dry season, cannot
survive the period of drought.
Leadership

* When one is taking a chicken from its roost, the hen is bound to
attack with at least its claws.
* A pad that breaks a pot of water does not remain on the head.
* A bush fowls' playground is never appreciably spacious.
* If the owner of a calabash calls it a worthless calabash, others will
join him to use it to pack rubbish.
* What affects the nose must also affect the eyes that must weep for it.
* If a greedy eater is near a patient, such a patient can never survive.
* There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk.
No elephant is burdened by the weight of its tusks.
* When the elderly ones in a house travel, the younger ones quickly
grow in experience.
* If a soup is sweet, it is money that cooks it.
* A glorious past is the work of a glorious man.
* The responsibility of power is like holding an egg. Grasp it too
tightly and it will drip through your fingers; hold it too loosely and it
will drop and break.

Misceallaneous

* The need to create made sour milk, but fresh milk is not bitter
* The goat that cries the loudest is not the one that will eat the most.
* It is the self-love of the king parrot that made him become a
talkative.
* The owl is the wisest of all birds because the more it sees, the less it
talks.
* If gold rusts, what will iron do?
* A masquerade does not perform to an outside audience until he
performs well at the home base.
* Our elders quote the cock as saying that "it would not be good if one
becomes the only person in the world, and that is why they crow every
morning to show their number".
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* Beauty is not sold and eaten.

* A masquerade is not a spirit only because of its mask.
* When a woman prepares a dish which others find unpalatable, she
says that she prepared it to suit her own taste.
* At a time a cockerel matures, it begins to crow to tell the world the
time of day.
* A diviner cannot accurately divine his own future.
* Once a cock begins to crow, it never again becomes dumb.
* It is he who has no place to call at that moves fast through life.
* No frog is tied by a rope to a pond.
* Money has the capability of making people laugh; but when they
laugh, the foolish ones sometimes forget to close their mouths.
* No one feels the pains that arise from unintended injury.

SOME POPULAR ETHIOPIAN SAYINGS AND

PROVERBS WITH THEIR TRANSLATION AND
EXPLANATION IN ENGLISH. 8

"A monk reading a piece of wise sayings"

42.":::::" (Abatu dagna liju qemagna.)
[="Judge is the father, the kid is robber.]
This saying is told by Ethiopians when things are not just/fair and the
injustice is because of a favour done by a relative against the sayer.
When a robber kid is caught and brought before court, it was his

31

father in the chair. "The criminal code states", said the father/the
judge, "there is exception to theft. If a person steals because he is very
hungry, it can't be a crime." The victimes reply, "Your honour, the kid
was not hungry we have asked him while we come to hear. And, Your
honour, how could a judge's son be hungry enough to steal? We rest
our case." The judge verdicted, "he is not found guilty. He is my son
and only I know how much hungry he was. I have not feed him
yesterday and today. So, he is acquitted." Then he freed the kid. The
victims complain citing the proverb. "How can fairness work, while
judge is the father, and kid is the robber."
43."::::" (Yechegerew erguz yagebal.) [="A
man in trouble will marry a pregnant."]
This one is an expression of difficulty that forces you choose what you
don't want to, had not the trouble has happened to you. If a man is in
dillema, he is likely to be very glad to marry a pregnatnt woman and
alleviate his trouble. This proverb tells, it is good to accept even
unpleasant things that might give a little ease to ones problems. e.g. "I
have no means of transport in this busy week. A man in trouble
marries a pregnant. How do you expect I would refuse to get up 5:00,
cutting my sleep, and wait for your lift!"
44.":::::" (Meblatuan satawq
ejuan tatebech.) [="She washed her hand before she knows
she will eat."]
This one express one has gone a pace/work far forward, before one is
sure he/she will succed in passing the path before the pace one has
reached. It is silly and unnecessary to do something that should have
been done after a preceeding job is finished. e.g. "It is silly of her to
call her friends for a party, before she completely finishes the deal
and process of buying the villa. It has become like, she washed her
hand before she is sure she will be served a meal."
45.":::::" (gulcha mekeyayer wot ayataftm.)
[="Changing the stove do not make the stew any better."]
This famous axiom is told to express when to do something is
completely useless. A thing may not make any difference to your
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problem. You will be told this proverb, if you such meaningless thing.
It is like to change your stove when you prepare your stew, hoping
that will make the stew more delicious. But that is uneccessary and
silly thing. e.g. "Dad? I want to wear the black socks for my soccer
match tomorrow. Swap mine blue with yours, please." "Dont worry
about such things, lad! You win not because you are pedant (about
your socks), but because of your asiduosness and hard work. To
change the stew and the socks makes the stew and the game no
better. Your adeptness decides every thing."
46."::::::" (Sew yewushet
eyenore ye ewunet ymotal.) [="Man lives feigning, but die
truely."]
This is told to preach frankness. Who says this proberb believes, ones
life should be genuin, in a sense that, man have to show its true
feelings and needs rather than hiding ones identity and live
pretending. It tells, concealing your exact identity and showing your
false life is to lead a sham life. But you die not in a bogus way as you
lived. Therefore, you have to be straightforward and plain. You must
show your true identity and behave as who you are. Unless you lead a
false life, with a real (true) death coming soon, to culminate your
facade life. e.g. "Hey, Dawit. Let's go to Arba Minch for a week
vacation." "Sorry, Hirrut. I can't stand with false identity any more. I
am poor and I can't afford even my little rent expense. I have seen it
true-man lives pretending but pass away really. I must lead my
genuin life."
47.":::::" (Dirr biabr anbessa yasr.) [="A
cotton fiber, if united, will tie a lion."]
This one teaches unity is strength. 'Dirr' is a very slender fiber made
from unprocessed (raw) cotton with hand, mostly by women. It is not
strong and gets cut very easily. But it is finally united with many
'dirr's in a cottage industry and make what is called 'Gabi' and
'Netella', wh ich are big garments ( used as cloaks and blankets). So, if
the little fiber is united, it will tie a lion. The thing to be learnt here is
that unity adds strength and make difficult or impossible things
easier.

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48.":::::" (Letekemach semay kirbu

naw.) [="For a seater, the sky is near.]
This tells who do not work feels things are easy. People seat idle and
talk something is very easy. When Ethiopians get such sort of
behaviours, it is commonly told-they rebuke with this saying. It is,
simply, told when one try to tell something difficult or heavy is
completely easy. e.g. "My goodness! You scored 52 out of 100! It
means, you are never good at Physics." "Now I learnt for a seater (one
who is seating) the sky is near. You do not know how much difficult
Physics is. And you disdain my big reasult. The highest score in our
class was only 68. Mine is ranked fifth."
49.":::::" (Yadakone seytan sayakes
aylekm.) [="A devill that made you a deacon never leaves
(you) before making you a priest."]
This proverb encourages you not start any thing bad, no matter small
it looks, or is. That is because, once you begin a bad job, it will be
difficult to you stop it easily. Even to the worst failure, you would find
it good and keep up your bad habit, or make it even more times than
before. Once the devil have taken your heart and mind, it will make
you blind to see your good past and make you delve into your bad
habits. So, the wisest thing to keep away from failure is, the proverb
dictates, not to let the devil (your tempting mind) make you start a
bad job/behaviour. Then you will be safe from the result of the bad
disposition. Unless and otherwise, bad habits, if defeated to, will
almost leave you never. To return is so unlikely. Thus, not to go is the
key (medicine). e.g. "Come on Hanna! We smoke and steal only for
this night. We will never do it again, I swear!" "No. Mihret. I will not
do such thing and lose my mind serenity. What more is that, the devil
that made you a deacon will never leave you before making you priest.
So, I shall only go to my home. Cheerio."
A cow gave birth to a fire: she wanted to lick it, but it
burned; she wanted to leave it, but she could not because it
was her own child.
Following are a few more Ethiopian gems from the book. Some are
humorous, some profound, and some very similar to sayings in
European and American traditions:
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A coward sweats in water.

A silly daughter teaches her mother how to bear children.
Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.
If the palm of the hand itches it signifies the coming of great luck.
Love is like a baby; it needs to be treated tenderly.
One who runs alone cannot be outrun.
Only when you have crossed the river can you say the crocodile has a
lump on his snout.
Save your fowl before it stops flapping.
There is no phrase without a double meaning.
What is said over the dead lions body, could not be said to him alive.
When one sets a portion for oneself, usually it is not too small.
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want
to visit the bees house some day.
You cannot shave a mans head in his absence.

1. A disease that fails to finsh us off will continue being

condemned forever.
2. A fool bull will look only for the green grass without looking
the danger of toppling over the steep valley.
3. A man who will go mad next year starts to roll up his sleeves
this year.
4. As porridge benefits those who heat and eat it, so does a child
benefit those that rear it.
5. By his own hand he wrapped the snake around his neck.
6. He who knows much speaks with silence.
7. If I could see your face, I would not need food.
8. If left on one side it will burn.
9. If you spit laying down it will only come back in your
mouth.
10. It is better to do things when you can prevent them than to
cry when you are already suffering and nothing can be done
anymore.
11. Little by little, an egg will walk.
12. May the crazy not die to make people laugh.
13. One can not stop sleeping in fear of bad dreams.
14. One sent by a woman does not fear death.
15. Slowly, slowly, even an egg will walk.

35

16. The one who persists in asking question he learn the death
of his Mother.
17. The poor man pleads, the judge listens.
18. They snatched from me my own cry.
19. To lie about a far country is easy.
20. When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
21. When they wish to eat a vulture, they call it a guinea fowl.

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Egyptian Proverbs
Egyptian Proverbs were a very important part of the Ancient religion of
Egypt, one of the main religious concepts the Egyptians had was "know
yourself." Their spiritual aspect of this concept held that within man is
the divine essence of the Creator and the heavens. And this finds
expression in their teaching: "The kingdom of heaven is within you; and
whosoever shall know himself shall find it.". Proverbs were held as a
teaching method for a man to understand the universe, thus they were
inscribed intemples and tombs of Egypt, these inscriptions might be the
first Holy Book known by man.
Below are some of the powerful teachings proverbs found in
the temples of Luxor.
- The best and shortest road towards knowledge of truth is Nature.
- For every joy there is a price to be paid.
- If his heart rules him, his conscience will soon take the place of the
rod.
- What you are doing does not matter so much as what you are learning
from doing it. ? It is better not to know and to know that one does not
know, than presumptuously to attribute some random meaning to
symbols.
- If you search for the laws of harmony, you will find knowledge.
- If you are searching for a Neter, observe Nature!
Exuberance is a good stimulus towards action, but the inner light grows
in silence and concentration.
- Not the greatest Master can go even one step for his disciple; in
himself he must experience each stage of developing consciousness.
Therefore he will know nothing for which he is not ripe.
- The body is the house of god. That is why it is said, "Man know
yourself."

37

- True teaching is not an accumulation of knowledge; it is an awaking of

consciousness which goes through successive stages.
- The man who knows how to lead one of his brothers towards what he
has known may one day be saved by that very brother.
- People bring about their own undoing through their tongues.
- If one tries to navigate unknown waters one runs the risk of shipwreck.
- Leave him in error who loves his error.
- Every man is rich in excuses to safeguard his prejudices, his instincts,
and his opinions.
- To know means to record in one's memory; but to understand means
to blend with the thing and to assimilate it oneself.
- There are two kinds of error: blind credulity and piecemeal criticism.
Never believe a word without putting its truth to the test; discernment
does not grow in laziness; and this faculty of discernment is
indispensable to the Seeker. Sound skepticism is the necessary
condition for good discernment; but piecemeal criticism is an error.
- Love is one thing, knowledge is another.
- True sages are those who give what they have, without meanness and
without secret!
- An answer brings no illumination unless the question has matured to a
point where it gives rise to this answer which thus becomes its fruit.
Therefore learn how to put a question.
- What reveals itself to me ceases to be mysterious for me alone: if I
unveil it to anyone else, he hears mere words which betray the living
sense: Profanation, but never revelation.
- The first concerning the 'secrets': all cognition comes from inside; we
are therefore initiated only by ourselves, but the Master gives the keys.
- The second concerning the 'way': the seeker has need of a Master to
guide him and lift him up when he falls, to lead him back to the right way
when he strays.
- Understanding develops by degrees.
- As to deserving, know that the gift of heaven is free; this gift of
Knowledge is so great that no effort whatever could hope to 'deserve' it.
38

- If the Master teaches what is error, the disciple's submission

is slavery ; if he teaches truth, this submission is ennoblement.
- There grows no wheat where there is no grain.
- The only thing that is humiliating is helplessness.
- An answer if profitable in proportion to the intensity of the quest.
- Listen to your conviction, even if they seem absurd to your reason.
-- Know the world in yourself. Never look for yourself in the world, for this
would be to project your illusion
To teach one must know the nature of those whom one is teaching.
- In every vital activity it is the path that matters.
- The way of knowledge is narrow.
- Each truth you learn will be, for you, as new as if it had never been
written.
- The only active force that arises out of possession is fear of losing the
object of possession.
- If you defy an enemy by doubting his courage you double it.
- The nut doesn't reveal the tree it contains.
- For knowledge... you should know that peace is an indispensable
condition of getting it.
- The first thing necessary in teaching is a master; the second is a pupil
capable of carrying on the tradition.
- Peace is the fruit of activity, not of sleep.
- Envious greed must govern to possess and ambition must possess to
govern.
- When the governing class isn't chosen for quality it is chosen for
material wealth: this always means decadence, the lowest stage a
society can reach.
- One foot isn't enough to walk with.
- Our senses serve to affirm, not to know.
- We mustn't confuse mastery with mimicry, knowledge with
superstitious ignorance.

39

- Physical consciousness is indispensable for the achievement of

knowledge.
- A man can't be judge of his neighbor' intelligence. His own vital
experience is never his neighbor's.
- No discussion can throw light if it wanders from the real point.
- Your body is the temple of knowledge.
- Experience will show you, a Master can only point the way.
-- A house has the character of the man who lives in it.
- All organs work together in the functioning of the whole.
- A man's heart is his own Neter.
- A pupil may show you by his own efforts how much he deserves to
learn from you.
- Routine and prejudice distort vision. Each man thinks his own horizon
is the limit of the world.
- You will free yourself when you learn to be neutral and follow the
instructions of your heart without letting things perturb you. This is the
way of Maat.
- Judge by cause, not by effect.
- Growth in consciousness doesn't depend on the will of the intellect or
its possibilities but on the intensity of the inner urge.
- Every man must act in the rhythm of his time... such is wisdom.
- Men need images. Lacking them they invent idols. Better then to found
the images on realities that lead the true seeker to the source.
- Maat, who links universal to terrestrial, the divine with the human is
incomprehensible to the cerebral intelligence.
- Have the wisdom to abandon the values of a time that has passed and
pick out the constituents of the future. An environment must be suited to
the age and men to their environment.
- Everyone finds himself in the world where he belongs. The essential
thing is to have a fixed point from which to check its reality now and
then.
- Always watch and follow nature.

40

-- A phenomenon always arises from the interaction of complementary.

If you want something look for the complement that will elicit
it. Seth causes Horus.
H Horus redeems Seth.
- All seed answer light, but the color is different.
- The plant reveals what is in the seed.
- Popular beliefs on essential matters must be examined in order to
discover the original thought.
- It is the passive resistance from the helm that steers the boat.
- The key to all problems is the problem of consciousness.
- Man must learn to increase his sense of responsibility and of the fact
that everything he does will have its consequences.
- If you would build something solid, don't work with wind: always look
for a fixed point, something you know that is stable... yourself.
- If you would know yourself, take yourself as starting point and go back
to its source; your beginning will disclose your end.
- Images are nearer reality than cold definitions.
- Seek peacefully, you will find.
- Organization is impossible unless those who know the laws of
harmony lay the foundation.
- It is no use whatever preaching Wisdom to men: you must inject it into
their blood.
- Knowledge is consciousness of reality. Reality is the sum of the laws
that govern nature and of the causes from which they flow.
- Social good is what brings peace to family and society.
- Knowledge is not necessarily wisdom.
- By knowing one reaches belief. By doing one gains conviction. When
you know, dare.
- Altruism is the mark of a superior being.
- All is within yourself. Know your most inward self and look for what
corresponds with it in nature.
- The seed cannot sprout upwards without simultaneously sending roots
into the ground.
41

- The seed includes all the possibilities of the tree.... The seed will
develop these possibilities, however, only if it receives corresponding
energies from the sky.
- Grain must return to the earth, die, and decompose for new growth to
begin.
- Man, know yourself... and you shalt know the gods.

German Proverbs and Quotations

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Ambition and fleas jump high.

Nothing looks so like a man of sense as a fool who holds his tongue.
Don't sell the bear-skin before you have killed the bear.
Tell me with whom you travel, and I'll tell you who you are.
Guard your mouth as well as you guard your chest.
There are plenty of preachers who don't hear themselves.
If you put out another's candle, you also will be in the dark.
What good is it to run when you are on the wrong road?
Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the
pleasant land.
10. Who is not ashamed doubles his sins.
11. An ass in Germany is a professor in Rome.
12. Nowhere are there more hiding places than in the heart.
13. Don't throw away your old shoes until you have a new pair.
14. The ass and his driver do not think alike.

42

15. He that wants the kernel must crack the nut.

16. Thievery and lying are kissing cousins.
17. If you want to be strong, conquer yourself.
18. Whatever is to be a nettle, burns early.
19. A dream grants what one covets when awake.
20. Love your neighbor, but keep your fence.
21. Whoever has bitten a sour apple will enjoy a sweet one all the more.
22. An enemy that is surprised is already half-defeated.
23. One hand washes the other.
24. Enough is better than a sackful.
25. The belly does not have a conscience.
26. He who has lost his freedom has nothing else to lose.
27. Those who love in the Lord never see each other for the last time.
28. If you want to perform a good jump, sometimes you need to start by taking a
step back.
29. What's sport to you is death to us.
30. A foreign language is more easily learned in the kitchen than at school.
31. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. when health is lost, something is lost;
when character is lost, all is lost.
32. More is to be got from one teacher than from two books.
33. Contentment is worth more than riches.
34. Success has many fathers.
35. Fools build houses, wise men buy them.
36. The unrighteous penny consumes the righteous dollar.
37. I wept when I was born, and every day shows why.
38. Trust no one till you have eaten a bushel of salt with him.
39. Jealousy is a pain which eagerly seeks what causes pain.
40. A good conscience is a soft pillow.
41. Loving and singing are two things that should not be forced.
42. Words are like bees, they have honey and a sting.
43. Appearances are deceptive.
44. Practice not your art, and it will soon depart.
45. Everybody is the architect of his own fortune.
46. The bridge between joy and sorrow is not long. Confidence begets
confidence.
47. He who is quick to borrow, is slow to pay.
48. To blame is easy, to do it better is difficult.
49. In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria.
50. When God gives hard bread he gives sharp teeth.
51. A lawyer and a cart-wheel must be greased.
52. Luck sometimes visits a fool, but it never sits down with him.
53. You cannot make a silk purse of a sow's ear.
54. Avarice hoards itself poor; charity gives itself rich.
55. Praise a fine day at night.
56. Everybody knows good counsel except him who has need of it.
57. The devil makes work for idle hands.
58. He who tickles himself may laugh when he pleases.

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59. To change and to change for the better are two different things.

Czech Proverbs

Bez penz do hospody nelez.

Don't go to the pub without money.
Bez prce nejsou kole.
Without work, there are no kole (Czech pastry).
Co je doma, to se pot.
What's at home, counts.
Co me udlat dnes, neodkldej na ztek.
Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Dobr rada nad zlato.
Good advice is better than gold.
Dvakrt m, jednou e.
Measure twice, cut once.
Hloup kdo dv, hloupj kdo nebere.
He who gives is foolish, he who doesn't accept is even more so.
Hnv je patn rdce.
Anger is a bad advisor.
Host do domu, Bh do domu.
A guest in your home is like a God in your home.
Host do domu, hl do ruky.
If a guest comes to your home, grab a stick.
Kdo hled, najde.
He who looks, finds.
Kdo jinmu jmu kop, sm do n pad.
He who digs a hole for someone, will fall in it himself.
Kdo se moc pt, moc se dozv.
He who asks too much will learn too much.

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Kdy kocour nen doma, myi maj pr.

When the cat is not home, the mice have a party.
Ln huba, hol netst.
A lazy mouth is a sheer disaster.
Mluviti stbro, mleti zlato.
Speaking is silver, silence is gold.
Na kadm prochu pravdy trochu.
There's a bit of truth in every gossip.
Nen koue bez ohn.
There's no smoke without fire.
Opakovn matka moudrosti.
Repetition is the mother of wisdom.
Rann pte dl doske.
An early bird will hop farther.
Starho psa novm kouskm nenau.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Stokrt nic umoilo osla.
A hundred times nothing killed the donkey.
Trplivost re pin.
Patience brings roses.
V noci kad koka ern.
Every cat is black at night.
Vyhni se opilmu, jako i blznu.
Avoid a drunkard as well as a fool.
1. He who is curious shall grow old soon.
2. No man has fallen from the sky learned.
3. Who goes for a day in the forest should take bread for a week.
4. Cleanliness is half your health.
5. He who is not lazy shall get much green.
6. Nothing seems expensive on credit.

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7. You are so many times a human how many languages you know.
8. Consider each day of your life as the best.
9. He who saves shall have as much as three.
10. Only in water can you learn to swim.
11. The fish does not go after the hook, but after the bait.
12. A dog that barks doesn't bite.
13. It is usually dark below the candlestick.
14. The Lord will drench you with His showers, but he will dry you with His sun.
15. After a battle, everyone is a general.
16. Even small fish are fish.
17. Laws without penalties are like bells without clappers.
18. The one who sits on the ground need not fear a fall.
19. As one makes his bed, that way he shall lie down.
20. Everywhere is well, at home it's best.
21. Learn a new language and get a new soul.
22. The person who God shows a treasure to must dig it out himself.
23. As one sows, so shall he reap.
24. Forbidden fruit tastes best. Forbidden fruit tastes best.
25. Love is partner of blindness.
26. The way to be safe is never to feel secure.
27. Beer makes beautiful bodies.
28. God's mills mill slowly, but surely.
29. Love is sweet captivity.

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56 Ukrainian Proverbs

1. A crow will never be a falcon.

2. A friendly word is better than a heavy cake.
3. A hungry wolf is stronger than a satisfied dog.
4. A woman is not a harmonica that you put aside when you have
used it.
5. A woman's beauty cannot warm a winter's night.
6. Black souls wear white shirts.
7. Borrowed bread lies heavy on the stomach.
8. Deficiencies come by the kilo and go by the gram.
9. Drink a glass of wine after your soup and you will be stealing a
ruble from the doctor.
10. Drunkards know no danger.
11. Every disadvantage has its advantage.
12. Fire begins with sparks. 14. Flies will not land on a boiling pot.
15. Fools love not the wise, drunkards love not the sober.
16. God is looking for those who come to Him.
17. God sits on high and he sees far.
18. He is guilty who is not at home.

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19. He who licks knives will soon cut his tongue.

20. If the devil is powerless, send him a woman.
21. If you chase two hares at the same time, you will catch neither of them.
22. If you marry a young woman, make sure your friends stay outside.
23. Keep fire away from straw.
24. Love tells us many things that are not so.
25. Love thy neighbour, but pull not down thy hedge.
26. Love well whip well.
27. Love will find a way.
28. Love will find a way. Indifference will find an excuse.
29. No cook ever died of starvation.
30. No matter how hard you try the bull will never give milk.
31. No wind is too cold for lovers.
32. Only when you have eaten a lemon do you appreciate what sugar is.
33. Speak highly of the lake, but stay on the bank.
34. The church is near, but the way is icy. The tavern is far, but I will walk
carefully.
35. The devil always takes back his gifts.
36. The devil likes to hide behind a cross.
37. The earth will cover the doctor's mistakes.
38. The fear of death takes away the joy of living.
39. The lame man laughs at the blind.
40. The malicious cow disturbs the whole herd.
41. The obliging fool is worse than an enemy.
42. The tavern is far, but I will walk carefully.
43. The word "enough" does not exist for water, fire, and women.
44. There are many lies but barely one truth.
45. There are no old friendships in business.
46. Those sitting above can easily spit on those below.
47. To see a friend no road is too long.
48. When the flag is unfurled, all reason is in the trumpet.
49. When you enter a great enterprise, free your soul from weakness.
50. Who gives in need, gives double.
51. Who laughs at you also cries for you.
52. Wisdom is in the head, not in the beard.
53. With a friendly word you get farther than with a club.
54. You can get farther with a friendly word than with a club.
55. You don't really see the world if you only look through your own window.
56. Your head is not only for putting a hat on.
- See more at: http://www.specialdictionary.com/proverbs/source/u/ukrainian_proverb/6.htm#sthash.zGwfoT59.dpuf
dictionary.com/proverbs/source/u/ukrainian_proverb/#sthash.vOgzJWb7.dpuf
END

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