German Proverbs (001-100)

❖

The wood has ears, the field has eyes.

When the word is out, it belongs to another.

Poor people's words go many to a sackful.

It is harder work getting to hell than to heaven.

Every woman would rather be handsome than good.

❖

The fewer the words, the better the prayer.

Wait is a hard word to the hungry.

Many go out for wool and come home shorn.

He who is his own teacher has a fool for his pupil.

Blind zeal only does harm.

❖

Put the light out, and all women are alike.

Words are good, when works follow.

More is done with words than with hands.

Of big words and feathers, many go to the pound.

Words are good, but fowls lay eggs.

❖

Where a woman rules the house, the devil is serving man.

He that picks up all sorts of wood soon gets an armful.

A good trade will carry farther than a thousand florins.

Where there are too many workmen, there is little work.

Fair words don't fatten the cabbage.

❖

God's sake No woman marries an old man for God's sake.

Workmen are easier found than masters.

Other towns, other lasses.

Fair words don't fill the pocket.

Women are never at a loss for words.

❖

Crooked wood burns just as well as straight.

Words often do more than blows.

Don't fly till your wings are feathered.

Wit is better than cunning.

Who loves his work and knows to spare
may live and flourish anywhere.

❖

Take the world as it is, not as it ought to be.

If the wolf would cease his running,
the people would cease their shouting.

Who herds with wolves must howl with wolves.

Too much wisdom is folly.

A hundred years of regret pay not a farthing of debt.

❖

He is a bad workman who cannot talk of work.

Good wine ruins the purse, and bad wine the stomach.

Good wine sells itself.

Sweet wine makes sour vinegar.

It is not always good to be wise.

❖

Where the best wine grows, the worst is drunk.

Yielding stops all war.

A hundred years of wrong do not make an hour of right.

Where wine goes in, modesty goes out.

Who loves not wine, women,
and song remains a fool his whole life long.

❖

Wine and women make fools of everybody.

A woman keeps secret only what she does not know.

For love the wolf eats the sheep.

Old wounds easily bleed.

War is pleasant to those who have not tried it.

❖

Wit and beauty seldom come together.

First weigh, then venture.

The will is the soul of the work.

The work praises the workman.

To the spectator no work is too hard.

❖

The will gives the work its name.

Good wine is milk for the aged.

Windmills are not driven by bellows.

Necessity unites hearts.

Necessity teaches arts.

❖

Do not hang all on one nail.

Nature draws stronger than seven oxen.

Nature requires little, fancy much.

Must is a hard nut.

When the need is greatest, help is nearest.

❖

Half the world laughs at the other half.

Women are as fickle as April weather.

Mules make a great fuss about their
ancestors having been horses.

The morning hour has gold in its mouth.

Necessity teaches even the lame to dance.

❖

A good name is a rich inheritance.

Love your neighbor, but don't pull down the fence.

If we pay for the music we will take part in the dance.

He who heeds not the lost shoenail will soon lose the horse.

Mouth and heart are wide apart.

❖

There's no making apples of plums.

He who has once burnt his mouth, always blows his soup.

More are drowned in the mug than in the sea.

Anger hears no counsel.

He that says A, must also say B.

❖

The anvil is not afraid of the hammer.

Practice not your art, and it will soon depart.

Bear and bull catch no fox.

If you have no arrows in your quiver, go not with archers.

Whoever has bitten a sour apple will enjoy a sweet one all the more.

❖

It is bad baking without flour and water.

If you are an anvil, be patient; if you are a hammer, strike hard.

He who won't be advised, can't be helped.

He who conquers his anger has conquered an enemy.

On poor people's beards the young barber learns his trade.

❖

One kisses the child for the mother's sake,
and the mother for the child's sake.

When misfortune comes in at the door,
love flies out of the window.

No one is wise enough to advise himself.

Advice should precede the act.

Better give nothing than stolen alms.

❖

Words are good, but fowls lay eggs.

Of big words and feathers, many go to the pound.

When the word is out, it belongs to another.

Begun is half done.

Fair words don't fill the pocket.

❖❖❖

German Proverbs (101-200)

❖

Anger without power is folly.

Advice is not compulsion.

The fewer the words, the better the prayer.

Poor people's words go many to a sackful.

Bad money always comes back.

❖

Today for money, tomorrow for nothing.

Fair words don't fatten the cabbage.

Words are good, when works follow.

Words often do more than blows.

Wait is a hard word to the hungry.

❖

Build golden bridges for the flying foe.

To blame is easy, to do it better is difficult.

The husband's mother is the wife's devil.

Better a lean agreement than a fat lawsuit.

It is too much to expect of a cat that
she should sit by the milk and not lap it.

❖

One beats the bush, and another catches the bird.

He that peeps into every bush will hardly get into the woods.

Who is ready to believe, is easy to deceive.

Who bows to might loses his right.

Don't buy a cat in a bag.

❖

If the bitch were not in such haste,
she would not litter blind puppies.

Too much will soon break.

The fuller the cask, the duller its sound.

He who brings is welcome.

Advising is easier than helping.

❖

Advising is often better than fighting.

Assertion is no proof.

Who steals a calf, steals a cow.

When the calf is stolen, the peasant mends the stall.

Buyers want a hundred eyes, sellers only one.

❖

No one likes to bell the cat.

A pack of cards is the devil's prayer book.

A monk in his cloister,
a fish in the water,
a thief on the gallows.

Money in the purse dispels melancholy.

Many shun the brook, and fall into the river.

❖

The cats that drive away mice are as
good as those that catch them.

Those brooms can be sold cheapest which are stolen ready made.

Never give advice unasked.

The drunken mouth reveals the heart's secrets.

Care brings on grey hairs and age without years.

❖

Not all cannonballs hit.

He that climbs high, falls heavily.

New churches and new taverns are seldom empty.

Cheating is more honorable than stealing.

Who comes first, grinds first.

❖

Monks, mice, rats, and vermin
seldom leave without harming.

Merchant today, beggar tomorrow.

Ragged colts make the handsomest stallions.

Big churches, little saints.

An ounce of motherwit is worth a pound of schoolwit.

❖

The beggar's bag is bottomless.

Cheese and bread make the cheeks red.

Cheese is gold in the morning,
silver at noon, and lead at night.

The cock is a lord on his own dunghill.

The cock is king on his own dunghill.

❖

The chamois climbs high and yet is caught.

Every mother's child is handsome.

Cheerful company shortens the miles.

If you have money, take a seat;
if you have none, take to your feet.

Where might is master, justice is servant.

❖

All are not free who mock their chains.

The anvil is used to noise.

Apes remain apes, though you cloth them in velvet.

It is better the child should cry than the father.

The concealer is as bad as the thief.

❖

Make yourself an ass, and every
one will lay his sack on you.

A good conscience is a soft pillow.

Confidence begets confidence.

Our neighbor's children are always the worst.

Who comes unbidden departs unthanked.

❖

Would you be strong, conquer yourself.

As the old birds sing, the young ones twitter.

Where money talks, arguments are of no avail.

He who is quick at borrowing, is slow in paying.

Whose bread I eat, his song I sing.

❖

He who has not tasted bitter, knows not what sweet is.

In old houses many mice, in old furs many lice.

Everybody thinks his own cuckoo
sings better than another's nightingale.

The cow licks no strange calf.

Daughters are easy to rear, but hard to marry.

❖

Good counsel never comes too late.

Everybody knows good counsel except him that has need of it.

Daughter-in-law hates mother-in-law.

Good counsel comes overnight.

Credit is better than ready money.

❖

He who follows the crowd has many companions.

Woman's beauty, the forest echo, and rainbows soon pass away.

Birds of prey do not sing.

Everybody thinks of his copper as gold.

It is mind that ennobles, not the blood.

❖

A millstone gathers no moss.

Cunning surpasses strength.

Who the daughter would win, with the mother must begin.

Old crows are hard to catch.

Be not ashamed of your craft.

❖

The bites of priests and wolves are hard to heal.

A lovelorn cook oversalts the porridge.

Many want to counsel others without
themselves knowing right from left.

Beauty is a good letter of introduction.

A closed mouth and open eyes
never did anyone harm.

❖❖❖

German Proverbs (201-300)

❖

The cows that low most give the least milk.

Cowards have no luck.

No ape but swears he has the handsomest children.

Where there's money, there is the devil;
but where there's none, there he is twice.

Millers and bakers do not steal, people bring to them.

❖

He who has once invited the devil into his house,
will never be rid of him.

Better go to bed supperless than run in debt.

The devil is never so black as he is painted.

Let the dead rest.

The devil is civil when he is flattered.

❖

Neighbor once over the hedge, neighbor over it again.

The belly is a bad adviser.

Everyone must pay his debt to nature.

After dinner stand a while, or walk a thousand steps.

One has only to die to be praised.

❖

Praise a fine day at night.

Nobody does everything, nobody does nothing.

Money taken; freedom forsaken.

As the mistress, so the maid.

No one can do nothing and no one can do everything.

❖

Two dogs fight for a bone and a third runs away with it.

When the dog is awake, the shepherd may sleep.

The best is what one has in his hand.

The best is the cheapest.

Self done is soon done.

❖

Two dogs over one bone seldom agree.

All are not thieves whom the dog barks at.

A bashful dog never fattens.

Do what you should and let the people talk.

Something to every one is good division.

❖

A dram of discretion is worth a pound of wisdom.

Misfortune, wood, and hair grow every day.

The more you stir the mire, the more it stinks.

Timid dogs bark most.

One bird in the dish is better than a hundred in the air.

❖

It is hard to catch birds with an empty hand.

More is done with words than with hands.

Everybody does what he has learned.

Better a living dog than a dead lion.

What you want to do, do soon.

❖

New doctor, new churchyard.

Everybody is the architect of his own fortune.

Dreams are froth.

A doctor and farmer know more than a doctor alone.

He who is afraid of doing too much always does too little.

❖

Prudent men choose frugal wives.

The ass carries corn to the mill, and gets thistles.

Beginning and ending shake hands.

Where there's no modesty, there's no honor.

Quiet dogs and still water are dangerous.

❖

What is right for the one is reasonable for the other.

Dogs that bark much don't bite.

The silent dog is the first to bite.

A handful of might is better than a sack full of right.

Let everyone sweep before his own door.

❖

Could everything be done twice,
everything would be done better.

A vicious dog bites its own master.

31] When an old dog barks, look out.

Everyone thinks that all the bells echo his own thoughts.

Love's anger is fuel to love.

❖

Much money, many friends.

God's mill goes slowly, but it grinds well.

Only one can be emperor.

The end of wrath is the beginning of repentance.

Experience is the best teacher.

❖

The executioner is a keen shaver.

Many take by the bushel and give with the spoon.

He who is feared by many, fears many.

What the eyes see, the heart believes.

Every one thinks his owl a falcon.

❖

Who blackens others, does not whiten himself.

He who handles pitch, besmears himself.

Who does not punish evil, invites it.

A father maintains ten children better
than ten children one father.

Where there is modesty, there is virtue.

❖

As the old ones sing, the young ones twitter.

Little enemies and little wounds are not to be despised.

Abroad one has a hundred eyes, at home not one.

Long fasting is no economy of food.

Who will not feed the cats must feed the mice and rats.

❖

The weeping bride makes a laughing wife.

A clean mouth and honest hand
will take a man through any land.

Were all adulterers to wear gray coats,
the cloth would be expensive.

Bad eyes never see any good.

The master's eye does more than both his hands.

❖

The farmer is master on his land.

Enough is better than a sackful.

Many a one threatens, while he quakes for fear.

One kisses the nurse for the sake of the child.

To everyone his own is not too much.

❖

He must have keen eyes that would know a maid at sight.

Erring is not cheating.

He who treads on eggs must tread lightly.

A bad beginning may make a good ending.

Long borrowed is not given.

❖

He who does not open his eyes must open his purse.

He who envies, suffers.

Love, thieves, and fear make ghosts.

The eye is never satiated with seeing.

One rotten egg spoils the whole pudding.

❖❖❖

German Proverbs (301-400)

❖

Fancy requires much, necessity but little.

No one sees his own faults.

Old people see best in the distance.

Nought needs no hiding place.

Many see more with one eye than others with two.

❖

In the mirror we see our form, in wine the heart.

One bad eye spoils the other.

The eyes believe themselves, the ears other people.

Envy envies itself.

He who will have eggs, must bear with the cackling.

❖

Better envy than pity.

He who has three enemies must agree with two.

A fish should swim thrice; in water, in sauce, and in wine.

Where the fence is lowest, the devil leaps over.

Forgiven is not forgotten.

❖

Nought is good for the eyes, but not for the stomach.

The higher the bell is hung, the shriller it sounds.

The ass and his driver do not think alike.

He who ploughs with young oxen makes crooked furrows.

Fortune and misfortune are two buckets in a well.

❖

One fool praises another.

Nobody so wise but has a little folly to spare.

Fortune and women are partial to fools.

Great fish are caught in great waters.

Nothing looks more like a man of sense
than a fool who holds his tongue.

❖

Painted flowers are scentless.

Not all flowers are fit for nosegays.

He is lucky who forgets what cannot be mended.

He who begins much, finishes little.

The beginning hot, the middle lukewarm, the end cold.

❖

Learned fools exceed all fools.

Old oxen tread hard.

Nothing is so new as what has long been forgotten.

One foe is too many, and a hundred friends are too few.

Learned fools are the greatest fools.

❖

Today in finery, tomorrow in filth.

Little folks are fond of talking about what great folks do.

Better badly mounted than proud on foot.

Were there no fools, there would be no wise men.

Between neighbors' gardens a fence is good.

❖

One bee is as good as a handful of flies.

Old birds are hard to pluck.

Fools must not be set on eggs.

Little fishes make the pike big.

As the field, so the crops; as the father, so the sons.

❖

Office without pay makes thieves.

The office teaches the man.

Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head.

A fence between males love more keen.

Strong folks have strong maladies.

❖

Force surpasses law.

Flatterers are cats that lick before and scratch behind.

Nature and love cannot be hid.

Fish begin to stink at the head.

Fair flowers do not remain long by the wayside.

❖

Five fingers hold more than two forks.

It is easier to guard a bushel of fleas than a woman.

Better an unjust peace than a just war.

He who builds on the public way must let the people have their say.

Take care of your field, and your field will take care of you.

❖

Nothing should be done in a hurry except catching fleas.

He who blows in the fire will get sparks in his eyes.

The fatter the flea, the leaner the dog.

Necessity seeks bread where it is to be found.

Who readily borrows, readily lies.

❖

Fortune is like women: loves youth and is fickle.

The fish lead a pleasant life; they drink when they like.

An old fox dos not run twice into the snare.

God's friend, the priest's foe.

God cures the sick, and the doctor gets the money.

❖

Rich gamblers and old trumpeters are rare.

He who serves the people has a bad master.

What the peacock has too little on his head,
he has too much on his tail.

Gifts are according to the giver.

He who has to do with foxes must look after his henroost.

❖

Black cows give white milk.

Bad bird, bad egg.

It is better to turn back than go astray.

He who looks on knows more of the game than he who plays.

Everybody's friend, everybody's fool.

❖

He who lies on the ground must expect to be trodden on.

What man's hands make, man's hands can destroy.

When the guest is in most favor, he will do well to leave.

The unbidden guest is a burden.

He who lies in the grave is well lodged.

❖

We do in haste what we repent at leisure.

What one does not have in the head,
one must have in the legs.

The middle path is the safe path.

A penny saved is twice earned.

Honesty lasts longest.

❖

One must plough with the horses one has.

Hasten at leisure.

If there be a hell, Rome is built over it.

It is dear honey that must be licked off thorns.

Hobby horses are dearer than Arabians.

❖

Fat hens lay few eggs.

Many heirs make small portions.

Don't reckon without your host.

When old horses get warm,
they are not easily held in.

The horse is not judged by the saddle.

❖❖❖

German Proverbs (401-500)

❖

A penny is a penny's brother.

He who digs a pit for others falls into it himself.

Hard against hard never was good.

Even the best hack stumbles once.

Spur not a willing horse.

❖

The miller's hen and widower's maid
of want need never be afraid.

It is a bad horse that does not earn his fodder.

It is a bad hen that lays in neighbors' houses.

One may see through a wall, if there's a hole in it.

Knowing hens lay even in nettles.

❖

Another man's horse and your own spurs outrun the wind.

A hearth of your own is worth gold.

Who honors not age is unworthy of it.

Everybody's companion is nobody's friend.

Paper is patient.

❖

People often change and seldom for the better.

Pilgrims seldom come home saints.

Praising is not loving.

Many can help one.

A hired horse and one's own spurs make short miles.

❖

What comes from the heart, goes to the heart.

It is easy to help him, who is willing to be helped.

The nearer the inn, the longer the road.

Hunger is the best cook.

Jealousy is a pain which eagerly seeks what causes pain.

❖

Judges should have two ears, both alike.

Many hand soon make an end.

Greatness alone is not enough,
or the cow would outrun the hare.

No jealousy, no love.

Where there's no jealousy, there's no love.

❖

Straying shepherd, straying sheep.

He who has the Pope for his cousin may soon be a cardinal.

Every man is the best interpreter of his own words.

Too much humility is pride.

He that wants the kernel must crack the nut.

❖

He who buys a house gets many a plank and nail for nothing.

Said in jest, meant in earnest.

Many have good intentions,
but something bad comes across them.

Every hare may pluck the dead lion's mane.

Idleness is the devil's workshop.

❖

Who refuses to submit to justice, must not complain of oppression.

He who is judge between two friends loses one of them.

Ingratitude sickens benevolence.

It is too late to spare when the pocket is bare.

Pills must be swallowed, not chewed.

❖

Ingratitude is the world's reward.

When the jest is at its best, it will be well to let it rest.

Let him that itches scratch himself.

It is easier to hurt than to heal.

Even a hair casts its shadow.

❖

Hat in hand goes through the whole land.

He who does not improve today
will grow worse tomorrow.

No house without a mouse,
no barn without corn,
no rose without a thorn.

He that hunts others must run himself.

Jest not in earnest.

❖

Joy and sorrow are next-door neighbors.

If the landlady is fair, the wine is fair.

Poverty and hunger have many learned disciples.

He who prates much, lies much.

Not every land has all at hand.

❖

Better free in a foreign land than a serf at home.

Hares are caught with hounds,
fools with praise, and women with gold.

Cold hand, a warm heart.

He that has good legs has often bad boots.

If you would have the lamp burn, you must pour oil into it.

❖

Leaves alone don't make a salad.

Kindness breaks no bones.

If you would have the lamp burn, you must pour oil into it.

There is no law but has a hole in it for those who can find it out.

The more law, the less justice.

❖

Better free in a foreign land than a serf at home.

Pope We cannot all be Pope in Rome.

He plays best who wins.

One hair at a time, and the man is bald at last.

Having is having, come whence it may.

❖

Lawyers are bad Christians.

Without knowledge, without sin.

Not every land has all at hand.

If the landlady is fair, the wine is fair.

To know is easier than to do.

❖

We know what we have, but not what we shall get.

No one is too old to learn.

The king cannot always rule as he wishes.

A little too late is much too late.

With patience and time the mulberry
leaf becomes a silk gown.

❖

One hair of a woman draws more than a bell rope.

Bitter pills are gilded.

Old pigs have hard snouts.

Every laborer is worthy of his hire.

Watching women is labor in vain.

❖

As fast as laws are devised, their evasion is contrived.

New laws, new roguery.

As the labor, so the pay.

The key that is used grows bright.

A little too late is much too late.

❖

He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.

Let people talk and dogs bark.

Peacock, look at your legs.

What the lion cannot, the fox can.

Lies melt like snow.

❖❖❖

German Proverbs (501-600)

❖

A used plough shines; standing water stinks.

It is not good to be the poet of a village.

Lies have short legs.

He who forces love where none is found,
remains a fool the whole year round.

One log does not burn long by itself.

❖

The dog does not get bread every time he wags his tail.

Love knows hidden paths.

Long is not forever.

A golden hammer breaks an iron gate.

Short hair is soon brushed.

❖

Love begins at home.

Love can do much, money can do all.

Love grows with obstacles.

Little and often makes a lot in time.

It is bad preaching to deaf ears.

❖

If the prince wants an apple, his servants take the tree.

A necessary lie is harmless.

Not too little, not too much.

If you live long enough, you will live to see everything.

Love, fire, cough, the itch,
and gout are not to be concealed.

❖

Where God builds a church, the devil builds a chapel.

When one goose drinks, all drink.

Love without return is like a question without an answer.

When the lords come out of the councilhouse, they are wiser than when they went in.

He that won't listen, must feel.

❖

Disputing and borrowing cause grief and sorrowing.

Locks and keys are not made for honest fingers.

They who come from afar are prone to lie.

Prudence does no harm.

There is no good in preaching to the hungry.

❖

Old love does not rust.

Maidens say no and do it all the same.

He who grasps too much lets much fall.

He that pelts every barking dog must pick up a great many stones.

Lying is the first step to the gallows.

❖

Where there's no love, all faults are seen.

A man warned is half saved.

A wise man, a strong man.

Secret luck is not bothered by jealousy.

Loving and singing are not to be forced.

❖

Devils must be driven out with devils.

There are many preachers who don't hear themselves.

The priest loves his flock,
but the lambs more than the wethers.

He who grasps at all holds nothing at the end.

Ill-gotten goods seldom prosper.

❖

In time of war the devil makes more room in hell.

Diligence is the parent of fortune.

Let the devil get into the church
and he will mount the alter.

He who pays his debts, betters his condition.

Deferred is not annulled.

❖

The sweetest grapes hang highest.

Better a friendly denial than an unwilling compliance.

Every man rides his own hobby.

Every man thinks his own copper gold.

One man knocks in the nail,
and another hangs his hat on it.

❖

Dying is not child's play.

Where everyone goes, the grass never grows.

Nothing weighs lighter than a promise.

Princes have long hands and many ears.

Let every man care about his own
honor as best he can.

❖

In the evening one may praise the day.

Self is the man.

The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.

Man loves but once.

Every man is dearest to himself.

❖

As a man eats, so he works.

The later the evening, the fairer the company.

He who pays well may borrow again.

A single penny fairly got is worth a thousand that are not.

When a man is down, everybody runs over him.

❖

Revenge converts a little right into a great wrong.

Today red, tomorrow dead.

When a man is down, everybody runs over him.

Marrying is easy, but housekeeping is hard.

As the master, so the work.

❖

When the measure is full, it runs over.

One marriage is never celebrated but another grows out of it.

Early marriage, long love.

The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.

Gold lies deep in the mountain, dirt on the highway.

❖

He who builds by the roadside has many masters.

Often shooting hits the mark.

Marriage is heaven and hell.

What ripens fast does not last.

Rest comes from unrest, and unrest from rest.

❖

Everyone has his master.

Who has eaten the meat knows how it tastes.

But when it is market time.

He who marries does well, but who remains single does better.

The last shuts the door.

❖

When God means to punish a nation,
he deprives the rulers of wisdom.

On whom God bestows an office,
he provides brains to fill it.

He who does not bait his hook catches nothing.

Even the meanest dog wags its tail.

Plants often removed never thrive.

❖

Exchange is no robbery.

The dogs bite the last.

He is rich enough who is contented.

Rent and taxes never sleep.

There is more disputing about
the shell than the kernel.

❖❖❖

German Proverbs (601-700)

❖

Revenge is new wrong.

Practice makes the master.

Where friends, there riches.

Though you seat the frog on a golden stool,
he'll soon jump off again into the pool.

The poor must dance as the rich pipe.

❖

Promising is one thing, performing another.

Presents keep friendship warm.

Promises don't fill the belly.

He who cannot pay with his
purse must pay with his hide.

Promises make debts.

❖

Priests bless themselves first.

Repentance is the heart's medicine.

We give to the rich, and take from the poor.

Priests and women never forget.

He who has the fortune brings home the bride.

❖

What God joins together, let no man put asunder.

Priests should not prate out of the confessional.

As princes fiddle, subjects must dance.

Small profits and often are better
than large profits and seldom.

Never seemed a prison fair, or a bride ugly.

❖

Every one is emperor on his own ground.

Priests also smile pleasantly on your women.

He that sits among reeds, cuts pipes as he pleases.

When one is rich, one begins to save.

Riches cause arrogance; poverty, meekness.

❖

Who rides slowly must saddle betimes.

Young gambler, old beggar.

Right is with the strongest.

More belongs to riding than a pair of boots.

Reason does not come before years.

❖

Who received, should thank;
who gave, should be silent.

Revenge remains not unrevenged.

He who has a glass roof must not throw stones at others.

To spend much and gain little is the sure road to ruin.

The road to ruin is paved with good intentions.

❖

Scratching and borrowing do well enough, but not for long.

Never speak of a rope in the house of one who was hanged.

Late fruit keeps well.

When the fox wants to catch geese, he wags his tail.

A sack full of fleas is easier to watch than a woman.

❖

Self-praise stinks.

Roses and maidens soon lose their bloom.

When the root is worthless, so is the tree.

Saving is greater art than gaining.

The best of the mill is that the sacks can't speak.

❖

Everybody says it, nobody knows it.

Salt and bread make the cheeks red.

Self-praise stinks.

Who is well seated should not budge.

Rich people are everywhere at home.

❖

When the pear is ripe, it falls.

Funeral sermon, lying sermon.

Security is nowhere safe.

Small saints work miracles too.

Funeral sermon, lying sermon.

❖

Many sacks are the death of the ass.

Security is the first cause of misfortune.

Who says little has little to answer for.

Who is silent, agrees.

Who avoids small sins does not fall into great ones.

❖

No one knows better where
the shoe pinches than he who wears it.

When fortune knocks, open the door.

It is a poor fox that has but one hole.

Who cannot sing may whistle.

Do not load everything into one ship.

❖

One hour's sleep before midnight
is better than two after it.

What is no sin is no shame.

He who shoots often hits at last.

Shoemaker, stick to your last.

If the servant grows rich and the master poor,
they are both good for nothing.

❖

Silk and velvet put out the kitchen fire.

Be silent, or say something better than silence.

The strong man's sport is the sickly man's death.

He who gives quickly gives doubly.

No one betrays himself by silence.

❖

When shepherds quarrel, the wolf has a winning game.

Services unrequired go unrequited.

Even counted sheep are eaten by the wolf.

Silence and reflection cause no dejection.

Great men's servants don't think little of themselves.

❖

Speaking is silver, silence is gold.

Speaking comes by nature, silence by understanding.

Between the hand and the lip the soup may be spilled.

Something is better than nothing.

God is everywhere, except where he has his delegate.

❖

Tell a lie, and you'll hear the truth.

He who does not go forward, stays behind.

Better something than nothing at all.

He is a bad smith who cannot bear smoke.

Speak little, speak truth; spend little, pay cash.

❖

Time, wind, women, and fortune are changing every moment.

Time covers and discovers everything.

Time is anger's medicine.

Time brings everything to those who can wait for it.

One today is better than ten tomorrows.

❖

No one can guard against treachery.

Time betrays and hangs the thief.

Truth ill timed is as bad as a lie.

A bad turn brings about another.

Between wrangling and disputing truth is lost.

❖❖❖

German Proverbs (701-804)

❖

Truth may be suppressed, but not strangled.

He who tickles himself, laughs when he likes.

There are more old wine tipplers than old doctors.

Trust, but not too much.

Truth finds no asylum.

❖

Bad tidings always come too soon.

Virtue subdues power.

He who is of no use to himself
is of no use to anyone else.

Virtue alone leads to nobility.

Virtue flourishes in misfortune.

❖

Boldly ventured is half won.

Where two fall out, the third wins.

A woman's vengeance knows no bounds.

No tree falls at the first stroke.

Victory is not gained by idleness.

❖

He who has victory has right.

Don't divide the spoil before the victory is won.

The empty wagon must make room for the full one.

One wedge drives another.

Water is the strongest drink; it drives mills.

❖

War begun, hell unchained.

Singers, lovers, and poets lie a lot.

Where water has been, water will come again.

Stagnant water grows stinking.

The tree must be bent while it is young.

❖

Suit yourself to the times.

War and sympathy do not exist at the same time.

Water in peace is better than wine in war.

A young wife is an old man's post-horse to the grave.

Weeds never die.

❖

Woo the widow while she is in mourning.

The more the well is used, the more water it yields.

Constant dropping wears the stone.

As won, so spent.

No one can blow and swallow at the same time.

❖

He who brings bad tidings comes soon enough.

Time is the best counsellor.

Time is the best preacher.

As the tree, so the pear; as the mistress, so the maid.

Trick against trick.

❖

Time makes hay.

When a thing is done, make the best of it.

He who always thinks it is too soon is sure to come too late.

He who saves in little things can be liberal in great ones.

He who prizes little things is worthy of great ones.

❖

What three know will soon be known to thirty.

To change and to better are two different things.

Who heeds not little things will be troubled about lesser ones.

Thousands drink themselves to
death before one dies of thirst.

Who threatens, warns.

❖

Thoughts are toll free, but not hell free.

He who holds the ladder is as bad as the thief.

There's nothing new under the sun.

The sun will bring to light what lay under the snow.

The sun dial counts only the bright hours.

❖

We hang little thieves and take off our hats to great ones.

A thief seldom grows rich by thieving.

Tell not all you know; believe not all you hear;
do not all you are able.

Let the guest go before the storm bursts.

Not every spring becomes a stream.

❖

What is sport to the cat is death to the mouse.

What is said is said, and no sponge can wipe it out.

Many strokes will fell the oak.

There is no stripping a naked man.

Who throws a stone above himself
may have it fall on his own head.

❖

The most disorderly students make the most pious preachers.

Who steals once always remains a thief.

At evening the sluggard is busy.

Sweet song has betrayed many.

A sparrow in the hand is better than a pigeon on the roof.

❖

New songs are eagerly sung.

What smarts, teaches.

He who pitches too high, won't get through his song.

Away from the battle all are soldiers.

Truth gives a short answer, lies go around about.

❖

All are not thieves whom the dog barks at.

The dogs bite the last.

Quiet dogs and still water are dangerous.

The dog does not get bread every time he wags his tail.

Dogs that bark much don’t bite.

❖

Even the meanest dog wags its tail.

Better a living dog than a dead lion.

When the dog is awake, the shepherd may sleep.

When an old dog barks, look out.

Two dogs over one bone seldom agree.

❖

The silent dog is the first to bite.

He that pelts every barking dog must
pick up a great many stones.

Two dogs fight for a bone and a third runs away with it.

A bashful dog never fattens.

What greater crime than loss of time?

❖

Black cows give white milk.

Timid dogs bark most.

At a round table every seat is first.

Small cares make many words, great ones are mute.

The miller is honest who has hair on his teeth.

❖

There’s no making apples of plums.

Sometimes one must let turnips be pears.

No sow is so dirty that she can’t find a boar to kiss her.

The cat who frightens the mice away
is as good as the at who eats them.

Learn, so that you may have something to forget.

❖❖

A vicious dog bites its own master.

Sweat makes good mortar.

Many shun the sword, and come to the gallows.

Tell no tales out of school.

❖❖❖

Charity sees the need, not the cause. ~ German Proverb [15998]

More German Proverbs

16q, QOTD, 16q, QOTD,

He cannot be a gentleman that loveth not a dog. ~ German Proverb [16876]

Diego Velázquez [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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16, POTD, Proverb of the Day,

At a round table every seat is first. — German proverb

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[6024]

A proverb never lies; it is only its meaning which deceives. — German proverb

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[6006]

Begin to weave and God will give the thread. ~ German Proverb [15836]

MM032, MondayMotivation

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A country can be judged by the quality of its proverbs. ~ German Proverb [15345]

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Good things are not done is a hurry. ~ German Proverb [16697]

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He that finds fault wants to buy. ~ German Proverb [16821]

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Never give advice unless asked. ~ German Proverb [17860]

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Friendship is a plant we must often water. ~ German Proverb [16598]

Photo by Alvesgaspar (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

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More German Proverbs

A proverb never lies, it is only its meaning which deceives. ~ German Proverb [15135]

Photo by Taxiarchos228 (Own work) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

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Old birds are hard to pluck. ~ German Proverb [17975]

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