Iranian Proverbs (92)

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Don't sleep in a troubled place,
and you won't dream a troubled dream.

Patience is the key to all things.

A stone thrown at the right time is better
than gold given at the wrong time.

Two midwives will twist the baby's head.

He who has been bitten by
a snake fears a piece of string.

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A large stone will never be thrown.

It takes a needle to get a thorn from one's foot.

A thief is a king till he's caught.

The mosque is no place to tie one's donkey.

Necessity turns lion into fox.

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The mosque is no place to dance.

What is in the pot will come out in the ladle.

No color is deeper than black.

Don't cut without measuring.

By constantly asking,
one can reach China.

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In the ant's house the dew is a flood.

Stones rain upon a broken door.

Every spring has an autumn
and every road an ending.

A camel that wants fodder stretches out its neck.

Death is a camel that lies down at every door.

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You can't hide a drum under a blanket.

Carpentry is no trade for a monkey.

A dog is better than an oppressor of men.

Soft words will get the snake out of its hole.

Two donkeys together will act alike and smell alike.

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They don't unload the caravan for one lame donkey.

When the cat and mouse agree,
the grocer is ruined.

Good deeds return to the
house of their author.

A single stone is enough for a house of glass.

It's the lame foot that has the tight shoe.

❖

Don't jump into the water where there is no ford.

The fox produces his tail as a witness.

If fortune turns against you, even the horse
in the stable becomes a donkey.

Don't count the teeth of a gift horse.

God drives the vessel where he will,
no matter how the captain rants.

❖

If fortune turns against you,
even jelly breaks your tooth.

Trust in God, but tie your camel.

God seizes late, but seizes harshly.

The arrow that has left the bow never returns.

With two cooks the stew will be salty or tasteless.

❖

Pigeon flies with pigeon, hawk with hawk.

Eat little, sleep sound.

Make bread while the oven is hot.

The blind want only eyes.

Gold brings gold, lack of gold a headache.

❖

A broken hand works, but not a broken heart.

Hearing is never as good as seeing.

The bigger a man's head, the worse his headache.

Hope is born of despair.

A house with two mistresses will be deep in dust.

❖

The elephant dreams one thing,
the elephant driver another.

Still waters become stagnant.

War at the beginning is better than peace at the end.

Iron takes iron from the furnace.

He who has knowledge has power.

❖

No lamp burns till morning.

The lamp does not light its own base.

Every flower has its scent.

Don't judge a peppercorn by its smallness,
crack it and see how sharp it is.

Even loss can be a profit.

❖

The master's eye has its own effect.

Heart finds a way to heart.

The drowning man is not troubled by rain.

All's not a walnut that's round.

Travel ripens a man.

❖

Distance preserves friendship.

Every man is king in his own house.

You can't pick up two melons with one hand.

When the mosque is open,
the dog forgets its manners.

The mud that you throw
will fall on your own head.

❖

The lamp does not light its own base.

The tooth hurts the body, the tongue hurts the soul.

A tear in place is better than a smile out of place.

Even a melon seed may come
between husband and wife.

A dog is better than an oppressor of men.

❖

You may sow thorns. but you won't reap jasmine.

You cannot hold two watermelons in one hand.

Grapes get their color from grapes.

The village with two headmen falls into ruin.

Walls have mice and mice have ears.

❖

Soft words will get the snake out of its hole.

Woman is a torment, but she is
worth buying with your life.

A snake rears snakes.

The potter drinks water from a broken pot.

When its time has arrived,
the prey comes to the hunter.

❖

It is easier to make a promise than to fulfill it.

A single rose does not mean spring.

When the snake is old, the frog will tease him.

A slap in hand is better than a gift to come.

He most values safety who experiences danger.

❖

A stick has two ends.

He who wants a rose must respect the thorn.

❖❖❖

Iranian Pashto (29)

❖

Where there is no wind, bushes don't shake.

When the heart is in love,
beauty is of no account.

The spectator is a great hero.

Pinch yourself to find out how much it hurts others.

The career of falsehood is short.

❖

Every rose has a thorn as its friend.

A woman without a veil is like food without salt.

There is no tree which has
not felt the force of the wind.

The sleep of kings is on an anthill.

See the mother, comprehend the daughter.

❖

An old friend is like a saddled horse.

Give a little and you gain a lot.

When the knife is over a man's
head, he remembers God.

A woman is well either in the house or in the grave.

A very little water is a sea to an ant.

❖

The rose from rose is born, the thorn from thorn.

Either a strong man or a fool tells the truth.

There is always a calf behind a cow,
sometimes her own, sometimes another's.

The way of the wheat is through the mill.

God will remain, friends will not.

❖

The horse can stand the horse's kick.

One can't get currants without stalks.

A wise man stumbles once over a peg.

If there is food in the house, a guest is no worry.

Every plate that is made breaks.

❖

Stretch your feet only as far as your covering goes.

Put not your trust in a sword, woman, mare, or water.

The road is open for the moneyed man.

The jungle will not be without a tiger.

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Thinking well is wise; planning well, wiser; but doing well is the wisest and best of all. ~ Iranian Proverb [19008]

16q, QOTD,

Listening to good advice is the way to wealth. ~ Iranian Proverb [17656]

16q, QOTD,

A blind person who sees is better than a seeing person who is blind. — Iranian proverb

More Iranian Proverbs

To see more Illustrated Proverbs click here.

[6095]

The bigger a man's head, the worse his headache. ~ Iranian Proverb [18586]

Who does not beat his own child will later beat his own breast. ~ Iranian Proverb [19502]

When the tide of misfortune moves over you, even jelly will break your teeth. ~ Iranian Proverb [19303]

What is brought by the wind will be carried away by the wind. ~ Iranian Proverb [19278]

Trust in God -- but tie your camel tight. ~ Iranian Proverb [19122]

Photo by Jordan Busson (Own work)
[Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

The larger a man's roof, the more snow it collects. ~ Iranian Proverb [18633]

The bird that flies in your house, is an angel with wings. ~ Iranian Proverb [18464]

“She is a bird, a broken one. Your grandfather used to say, “A bird which flies into your house is an angel. You must look upon his presence as a blessing.’”
~ Ben Kingsley’s character in House of Sand and Fog

One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it. ~ Iranian Proverb [18068]

Once I had the strength but no wisdom; now I have the wisdom but no strength. ~ Iranian Proverb [17985]

It is nothing for one to know something unless another knows you know it. ~ Iranian Proverb [17427]

If a man would live in peace, he should be blind, deaf, and dumb. ~ Iranian Proverb [17169]

God provides, but He needs a nudge. ~ Iranian Proverb [16656]

Go and wake up your luck. ~ Iranian Proverb [16644]

Every tear has a smile behind it. ~ Iranian Proverb [16471]

Every man goes down to his death bearing in his handsonly that which he has given away. ~ Iranian Proverb [16466]