Do You Know Any Good Proverbs???

[Rakhmetov]

I was surfing through the web, looking through some old wise sayings and ...


http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chinese_proverbs

http://www.richhall.com/poor_richard.htm

http://www.rodneyohebsion.com/weproverbs.html

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Chinese_Proverb/

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Category:Proverbs

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/African_proverbs

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=1003&bih=587&q=chinese+proverbs&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1003&bih=587&q=european+proverbs&aq=f&aqi=g-sx1&aql=&oq=

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1003&bih=587&q=african+proverbs&aq=f&aqi=g-c3g1g-c4g2&aql=&oq=

[Magón]

First quote in my signature. :cool:

[El Chuncho]

Even monkeys fall from trees. - Japanese proverb. ;)

[danyboy27]

good things come to those who waits.

[Rakhmetov]

In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.

(meaning a person with some wit surrounded by ignorant people will be thought ingenious)

[El Rojo]

play civ 4. every time a new tech is unlocked, there is an awesome proverb.

for example: if you chase two rabits, you will lose them both

[Rooster]

There's a gaelic one that I don't quite understand. Tuig thus’ an t-eathar agus tuigidh an t-eathar thu. Which means "understand the boat and the boat will understand you".

[Tim Finnegan]

There's a gaelic one that I don't quite understand. Tuig thus’ an t-eathar agus tuigidh an t-eathar thu. Which means "understand the boat and the boat will understand you".
Taking a wild swing at it, I'd guess that it means that obtaining a deep understanding of something will allow you to operate at an almost instinctual level, producing a competence below concious thought that appears as if the thing itself was acting in your favour. In the example of the boat, an expert helmsmen would be so attuned to his craft and his vessel that it could be poetically suggested that the boat was acting in cooperation with him of its own accord.

[Rooster]

Taking a wild swing at it, I'd guess that it means that obtaining a deep understanding of something will allow you to operate at an almost instinctual level, producing a competence below concious thought that appears as if the thing itself was acting in your favour. In the example of the boat, an expert helmsmen would be so attuned to his craft and his vessel that it could be poetically suggested that the boat was acting in cooperation with him of its own accord.

Yeah but I just can't read that without substituting something else. "Understand the typewriter and the typewriter will understand you". I'm probably just trying to read it too literally :laugh:

Speaking on nautical proverbs:

Don't quote your proverb till you bring your ship to port.

[Johnny Kerosene]

In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.

(meaning a person with some wit surrounded by ignorant people will be thought ingenious)

I know that from a Tom Waits song.

"One madman makes many madmen; many madmen make madness."

The phrase "Beer and liquor make you sicker" also has some personal meaning to me after last night.

[VeritablyV]

The poor man is a shame upon society.
source: no clue.

[MarxSchmarx]

I've always been interested in how some identical proverbs appear to have appeared independently.

For example, the "killing two birds with one stone" apparently originated in both ancient China and ancient Greece - the English expression appears derived from the Greek, whilst the Japanese expression appears derived from the Chinese.

Ditto with "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." In east Asia, there is an almost identical "When in the township, follow the township" which has a literally distinct meaning, but in terms of the sense it conveys is the same.

I've always meant to compile a list of such proverbs from different societies whose origins could be traced to have arisen independently. I think it would be a lot of fun.

[Chris]

Norwegian proverbs:

Without food or drink, the hero manages nothing.

You can't have both the sack and the bag.

Of damage is one wise.

Better poor with honor than rich with shame.

When poverty enters, love flees.

[Tim Finnegan]

A Scottish proverb:

"Whisky may not cure the common cold, but few other things fail quite so agreeably."

The Scots are clearly a less practical people than the Norwegians. ;)

[Os Cangaceiros]

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

[Astarte]

Sumerian proverbs:

http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/catalogue/catalogue6.htm

[Rakhmetov]

A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.

meaning: Having something that is certain is much better than taking a risk for more, because chances are you might lose everything.

http://homepage.smc.edu/reading_lab/american_english_proverbs.htm

[Aurora]

'Sell a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish, you ruin a wonderful business opportunity.'

Usually (mis)attributed to Marx but i've never seen the source, i always liked it though.

[Hoipolloi Cassidy]

I'm looking for some radical proverbs to include in the next edition of "Good News for Workers," published by the Giddiyap Society (http://theorangepress.com/giddiyap/index.html) and distributed worldwide. (If they're in a foreign language, I'd appreciate the original as well, we want to make sure the cleaning lady from Africa gets a kick out of the book.)

Here's my own personal favorite radical French proverb:


If the poor could shit gold the rich would own their ass.

[VeritablyV]

A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.

meaning: Having something that is certain is much better than taking a risk for more, because chances are you might lose everything.



I always wanted to know what two in the bush meant ever since I saw a commercial which was punning on the tv appraisals.

[Chris]

I'm looking for some radical proverbs to include in the next edition of "Good News for Workers," published by the Giddiyap Society (http://theorangepress.com/giddiyap/index.html) and distributed worldwide. (If they're in a foreign language, I'd appreciate the original as well, we want to make sure the cleaning lady from Africa gets a kick out of the book.)

Here's my own personal favorite radical French proverb:

I kjøpmannskap gjelder ingen brorskap.
Translation: Merchants show no fraternity.

[Hoipolloi Cassidy]

I kjøpmannskap gjelder ingen brorskap.
Translation: Merchants show no fraternity.

Or in English, "There is no honor among thieves." Substitute "thieves" and "merchants," no difference there...:lol:

[Rakhmetov]

Or in English, "There is no honor among thieves." Substitute "thieves" and "merchants," no difference there...:lol:

There is a variation to that one:

"When thieves fall out, honest men come into their own."

It was used a couple of times by Lenin in a speech:

"The example of the Peace of Brest-Litovsk has taught us a lot. At present, we stand between two foes. If we are unable to defeat both of them, we must be able to dispose our forces in such a way as to make them fall out among themselves; whenever thieves fall out, honest men come into their own ...

A war between the imperialist powers would have saved us even more. If we are obliged to put up with such scoundrels as the capitalist robbers, each of whom is ready to knife us, it is our prime duty to make them turn their knives against each other. Whenever thieves fall out, honest men come into their own."

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-eCRR90AepEJ:www.marx2mao.com/Lenin/SMMO20.html+if+we+must+tolerate+such+scoundrels+Wh en+thieves+fall+out,+honest+men+come+into+their+ow n+lenin&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com

[Hoipolloi Cassidy]

There is a variation to that one:

"When thieves fall out, honest men come into their own."

It was used a couple of times by Lenin in a speech:


Think I'll use it! Thanks!
I imagine Lenin was pretty good at this form of folk-reasoning!