The gods send nuts to those who have no teeth
In this life we either have too little of what we do want, or too much of what we don’t want or can’t use.
Proverbs starting with letter G
God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb
Here ‘tempers’ means ‘softens, makes less severe’, and ‘shorn’ means ‘with its wool cut off’. The proverb means that God treats... Read more →
God made the country, and man made the town
This has general application and means that natural scenery (God-made) is better than man-made object.
God is always on the side of the big battalions
In most wars both sides claim the support of the Almighty, yet victory invariably goes to the stronger. Another alternative version is... Read more →
God helps those who help themselves
If you want to succeed you must make the effort yourself. That eminent Spanish writer, Miguel de Unamuno, put it this way: ' “Let God do... Read more →
Gluttony kills more than the sword
More people die from overeating than are slain in battle. this is a very old proverb, dating back to the times when gluttony was more common... Read more →
Give us the tools, and we will finish the job
Winston Churchill said this to the Americans in a broadcast address on February 9th, 1941. The tools were the means by which we could carry on... Read more →
Give the devil his due
Even the very bad sometimes do a good deed, so we should recognize the good points of others, even though they are not friends of ours.
Give knave an inch and they will take a yard
If you grant some people a small favour, it only encourages them to take much more than they are offered. 'I told old Joe to help himself to... Read more →
Give credit where credit is due
Here 'credit' means 'acknowledgement of merit' and nothing to do with money. The proverb means that we should acknowledge the good points of... Read more →