English Proverbs
What is a proverb?
A proverb is a short, pithy saying that expresses a traditionally held truth or piece of advice, based on common sense or experience.
Nothing defines a culture as distinctly as its language, and the element of language that best encapsulates a society's values and beliefs is its proverbs.
This graphic shows the words that are used in English proverbs, with the size of each word indicating how often it occurs.
As so many proverbs offer advice and uplift many of them are religious in origin.
A barking dog never bites
A change is as good as a rest
A person is known by the company he keeps
A house is not a home
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
A poor workman always blames his tools
A person is known by the company he keeps
A problem shared is a problem halved
A prophet is not recognized in his own land
A rising tide lifts all boats
Actions speak louder than words
Adversity makes strange bedfellows
After a storm comes a calm
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All you need is love
All's fair in love and war
All's for the best in the best of all possible worlds
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Another day, another dollar
Any port in a storm
Appearances can be deceptive
April is the cruellest month
April showers bring forth May flowers
Ask no questions and hear no lies
Attack is the best form of defence
Bad money drives out good
Bad news travels fast
Barking dogs seldom bite
Be careful what you wish for
Charity covers a multitude of sins
Cheaters never win and winners never cheat
Cheats never prosper
Children and fools tell the truth
Christmas comes but once a year
Cleanliness is next to godliness
Clothes maketh the man
Cold hands, warm heart
Count your blessings
Cowards may die many times before their death
Crime doesn't pay
Cut your coat to suit your cloth
Dead men tell no tales
Don't meet troubles half-way
Don't mix business with pleasure
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Don't put new wine into old bottles
Don't rock the boat
Don't shoot the messenger
Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar
Don't sweat the small stuff
Don't throw pearls to swine
If you build it they will come
If you can't be good, be careful
If you can't beat em, join em
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself
Ignorance is bliss
In for a penny, in for a pound
In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king
In the midst of life we are in death
Into every life a little rain must fall
