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325 E EN NG GL LI IS SH H       P PR RO OV VE ER RB BS S

Absence make the heart grow fonder:
People often feel more affectionate toward
each other when they are apart.
Actions speak louder than words:
People's actions are more convincing than
their words are.
After the feast comes the reckoning:
People must always pay the price of their
excesses.
All that glitters is not gold: Some things
aren't as valuable as they appear to be.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away:
Eating an apple everyday helps a person stay
healthy.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree:
Children take after their parents.
Bad news travel fast: Reports of problems
and misfortune spread quickly.
Barking dogs seldom bite: People who
threaten others usually don't hurt them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:
What seems ordinary or ugly to one person
might seem beautiful to another.
Beggars can't be choosers: When a per-
son has nothing, he or she must accept
whatever help is offered.
The best things in life are free: The things
that give a person the most happiness don't
cost anything.
Better a live coward than a dead hero:
It's better to run from a life-threatening sit-
uation than to fight and risk being killed.
Better late than never: It's better to do
something late than not to do it at all.
Better safe than sorry:  It's better to
choose a safe course of action than a risky
one that could lead to regrets.
The bigger they are the harder they fall:
The more important someone is, the more
severe are the consequences of his failure.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush: Something you already have is better
than something you might get.
Birds of a feather flock together: People
of the same type seem to gather together.
Blood is thicker than water: Members of
the same family share stronger ties with
each other than they do with others.
Charity begins at home: One should take
care of one's own family, friends or fellow cit-
izens before helping other people.
Clothes don't make the man:  A person
shouldn't be judged by the clothes he wears.
Curiosity killed the cat: It is dangerous to
be curious.
Do as I say not as I do: Follow my advice
but don't follow my example.326 E EN NG GL LI IS SH H       P PR RO OV VE ER RB BS S
Don't bite off more than you can chew:
Don't assume more responsibility than you
can handle; don't be overconfident
Don't count your chickens before they
are hatched: Don't plan on the successful
results of something until those results actu-
ally occur.
Don't cry over spilt milk:  Don't grieve
about having done something that can't be
undone.
Don't judge a book by its cover: Don't
form an opinion about something based on
appearance alone.
Don't judge a man until you've walked in
his boots:  Don't criticize a person until
you've tried to do the things he does.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth:
Don't complain about something that is given
to you.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket:
Don't risk losing everything at once.
Don't put off for tomorrow what you can
do today: Don't unnecessarily postpone
doing something.
Don't put the cart in front of the horse:
Don't do things in the wrong order.
Familiarity breeds contempt:  When you
know people well you will discover their
weaknesses and you may come to scorn
them.
The first step is always the hardest: The
most difficult part of accomplishing some-
thing is getting started.
A fool and his money are soon parted: A
foolish person quickly spends his money on
worthless things.
Forewarned is forearmed: Being warned
about something before it happens allows a
person to prepare for it.
A friend in need is a friend indeed: A true
friend will help you in time of trouble.
A friend who shares is a friend who
cares: A true friend unselfishly shares what
she has.
Good things come in small packages:
Small containers can hold objects of great
value.
The grass is always greener on the other
side of the fence: Another place or situa-
tion always appears to be better than your
own.
Haste makes waste: When one hurries too
much, one is likely to do a poor job and have
to waste time doing it over.
He who hesitates is lost:  A person who
doesn't behave decisively is unlikely to suc-
ceed.
He who laughs last, laughs best: The per-
son who succeeds in making the last move
has the most fun.
Hindsight is better than foresight: People
see and understand things more clearly after
they've happened than before they've hap-
pened.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try
again: Persevere until you reach your goal.
If you can't beat them join them: If you
can't defeat your opponents, join forces with
them.
If you can't stand the heat, get out of
the kitchen: If you can't tolerate the pres-
sures of a particular situation, remove your-
self from that situation.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flat-
tery: Trying to be someone is the most gen-
uine way of praising that person.327 E EN NG GL LI IS SH H       P PR RO OV VE ER RB BS S
It never rains but it pours: Good and bad
things tend to happen in groups.
It takes two to tango: When two people
work as a team, they are both responsible for
the team's successes and failures.
Leave well enough alone: Don't try to
improve something that is already satisfacto-
ry.
A leopard can't change its spots: A per-
son can't change his or her basic character
once it's formed.
Lightning never strikes twice in the
same place: The same misfortune won't
happen twice to the same person.
Look before you leap: Consider all aspects
of a situation before you take any action.
Love is blind: One sees no faults in the per-
son one loves.
Love makes the world go round: When
people show respect and consideration for
one another, the world is a better place.
Make hay while the sun shines: Take
advantage of an opportunity to do some-
thing.
Man doesn't live by bread alone: People's
psychological needs as well as their physical
needs must be satisfied if they are to live.
A man is known by the company he
keeps: A person is believed to be like the
people with whom he or she spends time.
Might makes right: The stronger of two
opponents will always control the situation.
Misery loves company: Unhappy people
often get satisfaction from having others
share their misery.
A miss is as god as a mile: Losing by a
narrow margin is no different than losing by
a large margin.
Money doesn't grow on trees: Money isn't
easily obtained.
Necessity is the mother of invention:
Most inventions are created to solve a prob-
lem.
No news is good news: If one doesn't hear
the outcome of a situation, that outcome
must be positive.
No pain, no gain: Nothing can be accom-
plished without effort.
Nothing hurts like the truth: It is painful
to discover an unpleasant truth about one-
self.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained: You
can't achieve anything if you don't try.
Old habits die hard: It is very difficult to
change an established pattern of behavior.
One good turn deserves another: A favor
should be repaid with another favor.
One man's gravy is another man's poi-
son: What is pleasing to one person may not
be pleased to another.
One swallow doesn't a summer make:
One piece of evidence is not enough to prove
something.
The pen is mightier than the sword: The
written word is more powerful than physical
force.
Possession is nine-tenth of the law: the
person who possesses something has the
strongest claim to owning it.328 E EN NG GL LI IS SH H       P PR RO OV VE ER RB BS S
The proof of the pudding is in the eating:
The only way to judge something is to try it.
Rome wasn't built in a day:  Important
things don't happen overnight.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is
weak: A person's body isn't always as strong
as his mind.
The squeaking wheel gets the oil: Those
who complain the loudest get the most
attention.
Strike while the iron is hot: Act at the best
possible time.
There is no honor among thieves:  One
dishonest person can't trust another.
There is more than one way to skin a
cat: There are many ways to achieve a goal.
There's no fool like an old fool: A foolish
act seems even more foolish when per-
formed by an older person, who should have
a lot of wisdom.
There's no place like home:  A person is
happiest with his family and friends.
Too many chiefs, not enough Indians:
Too many people are giving orders, and not
enough people are following orders.
Too many cooks spoil the broth:  Too
many people trying to take care of something
can ruin it.
Two heads are better than one: Two peo-
ple working together can solve a problem
quicker and better than a person working
alone.
Two's company, but three is crowd:
Couples often enjoy their privacy and dislike
having a third person around.
Variety is the spice of life: Differences and
changes make life enjoyable.
The way to a man's heart is through his
stomach: The way to gain a man's love is by
preparing food that he enjoys.
When in Rome, do as Romans do: When
traveling, follow the customs of the local
people.
When the cat's away, the mice will play:
Some people will misbehave when they
aren't being watched.
Where there is smoke, there is fire:
When there is evidence of a problem, there
probably is a problem.
You can lead a horse to water, but you
can't make him drink: You can propose a
course of action to someone, but you can't
force that person to accept it.
You can't have your cake and eat it too:
You can't enjoy the advantages of two con-
flicting activities at once.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks:
Elderly people can't change their behavior or
learn anything new.
You have to take the good with the bad:
You must accept disappointment along with
success.
You reap what you sow:  The amount of
effort you put into something determines
how much get out of it.
You are never too old to learn: A person
can learn at any age.