Wisdom Proverbs

A word is enough to the wise

An intelligent person can readily take a hint. Whoever is speaking to him knows that he does not need a long explanation. The Latin version is... Read more →

A tree is known by its fruit

People are judged by what they do. The sources are Matthew, xii, 33 and Luke, vi, 44. Here is the second of these as given in the New English... Read more →

The tongue is not steel, yet it cuts

A sharp tongue wounds. If you do not wish to hurt people's feelings, do not speak too harshly. As it says in the Apocrypha: 'Many have fallen by... Read more →

Some are wise and some are otherwise

This is a play on words. It means quite simply that some people are wise and others are not. The proverb is originally a quotation from the... Read more →

Never spend your money before you have it

This proverb teaches prudence on money. If your father promises to give you 500 dollars on your twentieth birthday, which is in six months... Read more →

Love will find a way

Love has such power that it will overcome all difficulties. This means much the same as Love laughs at locksmiths.

Love laughs at locksmiths

This means much the same as Love will find a way. The origin is Venus and Adonis, the long poem by Shakespeare: Were beauty under twenty... Read more →

History repeats itself

What has happened once is liable to happen again. The phrase derives from the works Thucydides, the Greek historian. 'I shall be content,' he... Read more →

Fortune favours the bold

The successful people in life are those who have the courage to try. The lesson the proverb can be given in three words: 'Have a go!'

Experience is the teacher of fools

It has been said that experience is the best teacher, but that the school fees are high. This is another way of saying that although we... Read more →