Proverbs starting with letter A

All’s fair in love and war

This proverb would have us believe that in a courtship, just as on a battlefield, it is permissible to use every stratagem and take advantage of... Read more →

All good things come to an end

Pleasures cannot go on for ever, for all things change, and The best of friends must part.

All cats are grey in the dark

This proverb suggests that beauty is unimportant. Beneath the outward appearance people are all much alike. As Plutarch wrote: When the candles... Read more →

All are not thieves that dogs bark at

Beware of judging people by appearance. An honest man may give the impression that he is the biggest scoundrel in the world. Good looks do not... Read more →

After a storm comes a calm

This optimistically suggests that, just as there is inevitably a calm after a storm, there must be something better after every piece of... Read more →

Advice when most needed is least heeded

Advice is something that wise men don't need and foolish people won't take; and the greater the need for advice, the less likely the foolish... Read more →

Adam’s ale is the best brew

This tells us that water is the best drink. It is advice against drinking alcohol. 'Adam's ale' is an old term for water.

Actions speak louder than words

It is what we do that really matters, not just what we say. In Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha answers the mighty and bragging... Read more →

Accidents will happen in the best-regulated families

Used by Sir Walter Scott in 1823 and still in common use in modern times, this proverb has a general application and means that even the most... Read more →

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

We feel more affection for our relatives and friends when we are parted from them. A proverb that says just the opposite is Out of sight, out of... Read more →