What are proverbs?
Every culture has a collection of wise sayings that offer
advice
about how to live your life. These sayings are called "proverbs".
How can you use proverbs to learn English?
It's good to know the really common English proverbs because you hear them
come up in conversation all the time. Sometimes people say the entire proverb
to give advice to a friend. More often, someone will say just part of a proverb
like this:
You know what they say: when the going gets tough...
Learning proverbs can also help you to understand the way that people in
English-speaking cultures think about the world.
Proverbs can also give you good
example sentences which you
can memorize and use as models for building your own sentences.
The most important English Proverbs
This is a list of some of the most important and well-known English
proverbs. Below each one, there's a simple explanation.
The meanings of some of these phrases have shifted over the years, so a
proverb might have originally had a different meaning than the one I explain.
1.
"Two wrongs don't make a right."
When someone has done something bad to you, trying to get
revenge will only make things worse.
2.
"The pen is mightier than the sword."
Trying to convince people with ideas and words is more
effective than trying to force people to do what you want.
3.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans."
Act the way that the people around you are acting. This
phrase might come in handy when you're traveling abroad notice that people do
things differently than you're used to.
4.
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
You can get better
service if you complain about something. If you wait patiently, no one's going
to help you.
5.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get
going."
Strong people don't give up when they come across challenges.
They just work harder.
6.
"No man is an island."
You can't live completely independently. Everyone needs help
from other people.
7.
"Fortune favors the bold."
People who bravely
go after what they want are more successful than people who try to live safely.
8.
"People who live in glass houses should not
throw stones."
Don't criticize other people if you're not perfect yourself.
9.
"Hope for the best, but prepare for the
worst."
Bad things might happen, so be prepared.
10. "Better
late than never."
It's best to do something on time. But if you can't do it on
time, do it late.
11. "Birds
of a feather flock together."
People like to spend time with others who are similar to
them.
12. "Keep
your friends close and your enemies closer."
If you have an enemy, pretend to be friends with them instead
of openly fighting with them. That way you can watch them carefully and figure
out what they're planning.
13. "A
picture is worth a thousand words."
Pictures convey emotions and messages better than written or
spoken explanations. That's why PhraseMix has illustrations :)
14. "There's
no such thing as a free lunch."
Things that are offered for free always have a hidden cost.
15. "There's
no place like home."
Your own home is the most comfortable place to be.
16. "Discretion
is the greater part of valor."
acting brave and maybe getting hurt.
17. "The
early bird catches the worm."
You should wake up and start work early if you want to
succeed.
18. "Never
look a gift horse in the mouth."
If someone offers you a gift, don't question it.
19. "You
can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."
When you try to do something great, you'll probably make a
few people annoyed or angry. Don't worry about those people; just focus on the
good results.
20. "God
helps those who help themselves."
Tweet This! Don't just wait for good things to happen to
you. Work hard to achieve your goals.
21. "You
can't always get what you want."
Don't whine and complain if you don't get what you wanted.
22. "Cleanliness
is next to godliness."
Be clean. God likes that.
23. "A
watched pot never boils."
If something takes time to finish, don't watch it too closely
because it will seem like it's taking forever.
24. "Beggars
can't be choosers."
If you're asking for a favor from someone else, you have to
take whatever they give you.
25. "Actions
speak louder than words."
Just saying that you'll do something doesn't mean much.
Actually doing it is harder and more meaningful.
26. "If
it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Don't try to improve something that already works fairly
well. You'll probably end up causing new problems.
27. "Practice
makes perfect."
You have to practice a skill a lot to become good at it.
28. "Too
many cooks spoil the broth."
When there are too many people trying to lead and give their
opinions, it's confusing and leads to bad results. Jobs and projects should
have one or two strong leaders.
29. "Easy
come, easy go."
When you get money quickly, like by winning it, it's easy to spend
it or lose it quickly as well.
30. "Don't
bite the hand that feeds you."
If someone's paying you or helping you out, you have to be
careful not to make them angry or say bad things about them.
31. "All
good things must come to an end."
You can't keep having good luck or fun forever; eventually it
will stop.
32. "If
you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
When you try to change someone's behavior and it doesn't
work, you might have to change instead. For example, if you're trying to get
your classmates to focus on studying but they want to party, maybe you should
just party with them.
33. "One
man's trash is another man's treasure."
Different people have different ideas about what's valuable.
34. "There's
no time like the present."
If you need to do something, don't wait until later. Do it
now.
35. "Beauty
is in the eye of the beholder."
Different people have different ideas about what's beautiful.
36. "Necessity
is the mother of invention."
When you're really in need, you think of creative solutions
to your problems.
37. "A
penny saved is a penny earned."
Save your money. Saving money is just like making money.
38. "Familiarity
breeds contempt."
When you're around someone for too long, you get tired of
them and annoyed by them.
39. "You
can't judge a book by its cover."
! Things sometimes look different than they really are. A
restaurant that looks old and small might have amazing food, for example.
40. "Good
things come to those who wait."
Be patient. Eventually something good will happen to you.
41. "Don't
put all your eggs in one basket."
! Have a backup plan. Don't risk all of your money or time
in one plan.
42. "Two
heads are better than one."
When two people cooperate with each other, they come up with
better ideas.
43. "The
grass is always greener on the other side of the hill."
People tend to want whatever they don't have.
44. "Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Don't do mean things to people.
45. "A
chain is only as strong as its weakest link."
If one member of a team doesn't perform well, the whole team
will fail.
46. "Honesty
is the best policy."
Don't lie.
47. "Absence
makes the heart grow fonder."
Tweet This! Sometimes it's good to be away from your
partner, because it makes you want to see each other again.
48. "You
can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
If you try to help
someone, but they don't take your advice or offers, give up. You can't force
someone to accept your help.
49. "Don't
count your chickens before they hatch."
! Your plans might not work out, so don't start thinking
about what you'll do after you succeed. Wait until you've already succeeded,
and then you can think about what to do next.
50. "If
you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."
Don't trust other people to do important things for you. You
have to do things yourself to control the quality of the results.
