Proverbs with the word Make

A bad beginning makes a bad ending

If you start a thing badly it takes a long time to finish it, because the bad start seriously affects the later work. But if you make a good... Read more →

What one loses on the swings one makes up on the roundabouts

The proprietor of a fair ground does not mind running his swings at a loss if his roundabouts bring him in a handsome profit. He can afford to... Read more →

Two wrongs do not make a right

Your faults are not excused by the faults of somebody else. This means the same as Two black do not make a white.

Two blacks do not make a white

Your faults are not excused by the faults of somebody else. 'Jack often travels on the train without a ticket, so why shouldn't I? 'Just... Read more →

A still tongue makes a wise head

You will learn more by listening to other people than by talking yourself.

Promises are like pie-crust, made to be broken

That is the trouble with promises; so often they are made and never kept. 'A man apt to promise,' wrote Thomas Fuller, ' is apt to... Read more →

Praise makes good men better and bed men worse

Praise is encouragement, so to praise a good man is to encourage him in rectitude, and to praise a bad man is to encourage him in wickedness.

Practice makes perfect

Only by doing a thing again and again can you attain skill or efficiency. A professional juggler does not learn to balance three billiards balls... Read more →

Opportunity makes the thief

If you leave articles of value lying about, you are asking for them to be stolen. The temptation may be too great for a person who would not... Read more →

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin

In general usage this proverb means that the show of a fundamental human emotion, or even human weakness, often has the effect of bringing... Read more →