Those whom the gods love die young
This springs from a belief in an after life that is better than this life. On this assumption a person who dies young is luckier than one who... Read more →
Proverbs with the word God
The mills of God grind slowly
This is a warning of divine retribution, which may take time but will overtake us in the end. There are various of it, perhaps the best known... Read more →
May God defend me from my friends; I can defend myself from my enemies
A tactless or blundering friend can often cause more mischief than an enemy.
Heaven helps those who help themselves
Another version of God helps those who help themselves.
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.
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 →
You cannot serve God and Mammon
Mammon is the god of riches. You must choose between godliness and worldliness. The source is Matthew, vi, 24, which is quoted under No man can... Read more →