If you want peace, prepare for war
By arming itself to meet aggression, a country reduces the risk of being attacked. George Washington said in his address to Congress on January... Read more →
Proverbs starting with letter I
If you want a thing well done, do it yourself
This is good advice up to a point, yet an employer who does not delegate authority because he does not trust his staff to carry out his... Read more →
If you sing before breakfast, you will cry before night
If you start the day in too joyful a mood, the good spirits are unlikely to last the day out. This is the warning of the pessimist.
If you run after two hares you will catch neither
Don't try to do two things at once. Concentrate on one or the other.
If you do not like it you may lump it
The verb 'to lump' means 'to put up with ungraciously'. This is the answer to anyone who complains about something that is unavoidable. 'We've... Read more →
If you cannot bite never show your teeth
To show your teeth is, figuratively, to leave it in no doubt that you are ready to attack or to defend yourself. Should you be in no position to... Read more →
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
If we could achieve our aims by merely wishing, life would be very easy. This means the same as if 'ifs' and 'ans' were pots and pans…
If two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind
There cannot be two leaders in any enterprise. The man riding behind must leave it to the man in front to guide the horse. Similarly, on a... Read more →
If there were no clouds, we should not enjoy the sun
We can have too much of a good thing; and happier times seem all the happier if they are interrupted now and again by gloomy spells. This is... Read more →
If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain
If you are unable to get your own way, you must bow to the inevitable. 'I know I refused to do it, but somebody's got to, so if no one else will... Read more →