Greek Proverbs (001-100)

❖

Dance alone and you can jump all you wish.

A crow does not lay dove's eggs.

One cuckoo doesn't make the spring.

One mouse eats the clothes and all the mice get into trouble.

From a crow's beak comes a crow's voice.

❖

A curse spoken is like a donkey; it always follows its master.

Heed not all the words of the doctor nor yet of the confessor.

When the devil grows poor he becomes a tax collector.

When the devil grows old he becomes a monk.

The purse of the dead man is turned inside out.

❖

Truth reigns.

All evil deeds are repaid on earth.

Great dangers lead to great honors.

He who doesn't want to make bread sifts the flour the whole day.

Careless merchant, future beggar.

❖

He who respects his parents never dies.

Outwardly, a doll; within, the plague.

A white dog is like a black dog.

Violent rages are soon over.

Everyone is his own doctor.

❖

The dog survives the winter but only his skin knows how.

A starving donkey does not count the blows.

A pitcher is taken to the fountain many
times, but one time it is not.

Some plant and harvest and others eat
and give blessings.

The dog does not eat hay, but he doesn't
let the donkey eat it either.

❖

The duck knows where the lake is.

With patience all is done.

Until the crickets sing it is not summer.

Better today's egg than tomorrow's chicken.

A thousand blows on another man's back don't hurt.

❖

Don't be afraid of a dog that barks.

Donkey tied, master tranquil.

A bad dog gets the mange but he doesn't die of it.

A good bird begins chirping while in the egg.

All evils save death may be amended.

❖

Hostile and envious are the eyes of neighbors.

Poverty brings nagging.

Rank does not make the man.

Receive an old man's counsel and
a learned man's knowledge.

Cherish what you have and struggle for better.

❖

Fear of the law gives safety.

If advice will not improve him, neither will the rod.

Where there is fear, there is shame.

Excess mars perfection.

Without a general an army is lost.

❖

An empty belly knows no songs.

The eyes of the hare are not
the same as the eyes of the owl.

In the far off field the cabbages are fine.

An old enemy never becomes a friend.

You can tell a bird by its song and
a man by his manner of speaking.

❖

Old age and poverty are wounds that can't be healed.

Whatever the priest tells you to do, do it;
what you see him do, do not.

Wealth bequeathed to the children might
never reach the grandchildren.

If envy were a rash the whole village would be ill.

The eye sees; the hand performs.

❖

A priest does not accept another priest
nor a deacon another deacon.

He who has a beard has a comb.

One lights the fire, the other fans it.

From fools and children you will learn the truth.

Fire straightens a crooked bar.

❖

The fool and the clown grow old worrying over others.

The first mistake is a lesson and
teacher for those that follow.

Don't trouble a quiet snake.

The pear falls from the pear tree.

A fool throws a stone into the well and a
thousand wise men cannot take it out.

❖

Citizens' sins are a city's disgrace.

He who was born in a prison remembers a prison.

Advising a fool is like striking cold iron.

Fire and straw do not go together.

Many captains sink the ship.

❖

The fool rejoices over his memories.

Ill-gotten gain is scattered by the devil.

Friendship lasts as long as the pot boils.

The shepherd smells of sheep even
when he becomes a nobleman.

Small children, small worries; older children, greater worries.

❖

The fruit of a good tree is also good.

If you touch a hot coal you burn yourself;
a cold one, you blacken yourself.

God delays, but never forgets.

Gain does not give as much pleasure as loss gives grief.

Some like the priest and some like the priest's wife.

❖

Presence does more than the written word.

A newlywed girl takes pride in her pregnancy.

When the fox is hungry he pretends to be asleep.

When the fox is hungry he feigns sickness.

When the fox grows old it becomes a nun.

❖

A beautiful girl's cheeks are the foes of her chastity.

Better five coins in hand than ten in prospect.

A friend is better than a thousand silver pieces.

God gave us teeth to hold back our tongue.

What the fox can't reach he leaves hanging.

❖

An old fox is not caught in a trap.

From the lips starts the word and reaches thousands.

God pursues sinners.

Eat and drink with your relatives;
do business with strangers.

The miser's riches fall into the spendthrift's hands.

❖

Better brains in the head than riches and confusion.

If you haven't spanked a little bottom,
don't threaten a big one.

The later comer gets the bones.

Point out your friend to me and
I will tell you what you are.

Where words fail beating succeeds.

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Greek Proverbs (101-200)

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Words can turn the course of a river.

Each shameful deed carries with it its excuse.

Old people's words are weighed with scales.

Grass does not grow on stones.

Make haste slowly.

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Haste and careful work never go together.

An iron rod bends while it is hot.

Good scales bring good customers.

Every obstacle is for the best.

He who speaks much is sure to talk nonsense.

❖

Two heads don't fit into the same cap.

In time of drought even hail is welcome.

Many hands at the carding but few at the dining.

Hand washes hand, and finger, finger.

What becomes a habit does not change easily.

❖

A guest unwanted comes at meal time.

Have a clean heart and you may walk near the altar.

When they offer you a horse don't look at its teeth.

A wounded horse trembles when he sees the saddle.

Don't dangle by one slim hope.

❖

A bride has no place at her inlaws' without the groom.

The mind of the bird is on the millet.

Say little and listen much.

From a thorn comes a rose, and from a rose a thorn.

A fat belly did not invent gun powder.

❖

The old hen is worth forty chickens.

When the crows sing the nightingales fly away.

One who hurries stumbles.

Where there is intelligence there is knowledge.

Hunger makes forts surrender.

❖

Joy and sorrow are sisters.

Insult gives birth to insult.

A cap sewn with pearls is not for a sore head.

Cats and monks like fish; married women, kisses; and young girls.

Hunger teaches many things.

❖

Drop by drop the jug is filled.

If you cannot say something good,
don't say something bad.

A secret stays long in darkness
but it will see the light.

Light your lamp before night overtakes you.

Know thyself.

❖

Lentils without onions are like a dance without music.

The king has many treasures but he
will still take whatever you give him.

Once you learn something it is hard to unlearn.

The law of the city is the citizen's honor.

Better cabbage and peace than dainties and fretting.

❖

Lentils boil against their will.

A kiss must last long to be enjoyed.

Outwardly a lamb, inwardly a wolf.

Light your lamp before night overtakes you.

He who does not esteem silver is not worthy to have silver.

❖

To whom a little is not enough, nothing is enough.

Every liar has another liar as a witness.

You can tell a lion by his claws.

A merry life ends in a poor man's will.

The green log is burned with the dry ones.

❖

He who begrudges the cat's food
finds his clothes eaten by the mice.

Too many captains run the ship aground.

Lies are the salt of truth.

A poor man with intelligence is wealthy.

A man without patience is like a lamp without oil.

❖

Better luck than knowledge.

A poor man buys what he can afford;
a rich man what he wants.

The shoe should fit the foot and not the foot the shoe.

The good skipper proves himself during a storm.

A lucky man fares better than a brave man.

❖

A well-fed man does not believe the hungry one.

A drowning man clutches at his own hair.

An old cat likes young mice.

Take good care of the bull if you wish
him to plough well for you.

A man who throws stones at himself is not to be pitied.

❖

The fiddle sings one tune and the bow another.

A beggar never becomes a giver.

A favor ages sooner than anything else.

Large families bring poverty.

Call no one blessed before his end.

❖

Drops of water eat up stones.

Skill wins over noble birth.

Better be a nobleman's servant than a poor man's wife.

A donkey is asked to a wedding either
to carry water or to bring wood.

Like seeks like and cabbages fertilizer.

❖

Make your bed as well as you can.

A friend who leads one astray is an enemy.

A wise man would rather die than close
his ears to the voice of reason.

The man in pain suffers while his neighbors sleep.

Man plans many things; God alters his plans.

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The rich man displays his wealth and the poor one his children.

One wise man is worth more than a million fools.

The man who controls his wrath conquers his foe.

The man who eavesdrops hears himself discussed.

The rude man shall be rudely treated.

❖

Do not marry your superior.

When you don't like someone
you find his breath offensive.

Old people's words are weighed with scales.

Sickness comes in by the bagful
and goes out stitch by stitch.

A man who does not
demand his rights is buried alive.

❖

The man who lives in a glass house
does not throw stones at his neighbors.

A wolf selects its prey from what has been accounted for.

A wolf may grow old and his hair turn gray,
but his mind doesn't change to his dying day.

A wolf is happy during a storm.

You can't build a wall with just one stone.

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Greek Proverbs (201-300)

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Wealth counts not so much as good will nor
as knowledge and pleasant speech.

A wolf and a sheep never agree.

Don't sprout up where you have not been planted.

If wishes were granted, even beggars would grow rich.

If the wolf feared rain, he would wear a cloak.

❖

He who strains himself grows old quickly.

The wolf doesn't devour his prey near his den.

Where words fail beating succeeds.

From the lips starts the word and reaches thousands.

Women have long hair and short wisdom.

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Words can turn the course of a river.

Lazy and silly women marry well.

Appear always what you are and a little less.

If the baby doesn't cry, they don't give it the breast.

Good accounts make good friends.

❖

Feed a wolf in the winter and he will
devour you in the summer.

If the wind is not on your road, let it blow.

Don't put water into somebody else's wine.

The first man's steps become a bridge for the second one.

Better ten stabs than ten bad words.

❖

A vineless vineyard and smooth-running
love hold out no charm.

Age brings experience, and a good mind wisdom.

Ask for advice, but do what you think is best.

He who has patience gets what he wants.

When the baby cries, it is either hungry or in pain.

❖

The mill does not grind without water.

Careless mind, double work.

Better a light stomach than a heavy conscience.

Stubbornness gets a black eye.

The potter knows where to place the handle.

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A good anvil is not afraid of the hammer.

A hungry bear does not perform.

Many stones will bring down the walnut.

Unless one suffers one does not learn.

Every argument has its answer.

❖

Vinegar offered free is as sweet as honey.

Sour vinegar taints the jar.

A little bait catches a large fish.

Don't step even on an ant.

A wheel doesn't turn if it isn't greased.

❖

The whims of the living become the bequests of the dead.

As mother and father, so daughter and son.

A miser and a liar come to terms quickly.

People's mouths can't be sewn up liks sacks.

Nature follows its course and a cat the mouse.

❖

He who has money does what he pleases.

The thief and the liar fare well the first year.

All the old things seem beautiful, and the rich men wise.

One who goes into a mill comes out covered with flour.

Needle and thread do the work well.

❖

One has the name and another the worth.

The rich man's wealth is enjoyed by crafty tradesmen.

Wealth is cautious.

Virtue means sweat.

Truth holds though it is bitterly taken.

❖

Poverty passes by an industrious man's door.

It takes both millstones to grind the flour.

An hour brings what a year does not.

With money a donkey was ordained a priest.

Fence your own vineyard, and keep your eyes from those of others.

❖

By labor are good things obtained.

He who seeks many things loses even a few.

He who owns vineyards admires them
and he who sees them covets them.

There is no difference between blackness and blindness.

Work done quickly gives pleasure.

❖

The treasures turned out to be charcoal.

Better a snake's tongue to sting you than a man's.

Everything in its proper time; even fertilizer for the cabbages.

Time is the soul of everything.

He who finds a thing rejoices and he who owns a thing brags.

❖

Cut the thread in the middle to find an end.

Sail when the weather is fair; you do not know what the morrow will bring.

Where there is envy, there is meanness.

The rude man shall be rudely treated.

Marriage and cooking call for forethought.

❖

The hard worker toiled and the lazy man rejoiced.

A good youth, a good old man.

Meat is sold with bones.

A meal for the priest, a mouthful for the deacon.

The rich man displays his wealth and the poor one his children.

❖

The unwed matchmaker looks for himself.

A turning wheel does not get rusty.

Stagnant water has an evil smell.

The timid man loses many good things.

A late marriage, orphaned children.

❖

A bad master quarrels even with his broom.

A fly can drive away horses.

What you learn in youth you do not unlearn in old age.

A bad year has thirteen months.

A master speaks but few words.

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One who stays not before the other's eyes is soon forgotten.

Better a sick body than an ignorant mind.

Idleness is the mother of all evil.

An uninvited donkey has no place at a wedding.

Stir a fire with the poker and not with your hands.

❖

It is better to be a soldier than a priest.

Sleep is better than food.

Fish is not caught without a bait.

Unbeaten clay cannot be made into bricks.

A son-in-law never becomes a son and a
daughter-in-law never quite becomes a daughter.

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Greek Proverbs (301-325)

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The sling will burst somewhere.

Golden coins make our crooked windows look straight.

Better lose the wool than the lamb.

Heed not all words of the doctor nor yet of the confessor.

The wound that a friend gives you hurts.

❖

He who plies many trades remains without a house.

The timid man loses many good things.

The tongue has no bones in it, but it breaks bones.

We measure others with our own yardstick.

The world is a wheel.

❖

Any wood will do to make a signpost.

Great talent takes time to ripen.

The talk of many can shake the strongest mind.

A lazy tailor finds his thread too long.

Too much talk is poverty.

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Better to keep silent than to talk too much.

The dog does not eat hay, but
he doesn’t let the donkey eat it either.

A bad dog gets the mange but he doesn’t die of it.

A white dog is like a black dog.

The dog survives the winter but
only his skin knows how.

❖

Music unheard has no value.

The talk of the many can cripple a man.

A fox knows much; a hedgehog one great thing.

He who has nothing else to hold on to,
will even grasp at a drawn sword.

Don’t be afraid of a dog that barks.

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Even from a foe a man may learn wisdom. ~ Greek Proverb [16406]

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16q, QOTD,

An iron rod bends while it is hot. ~ Greek Proverb [15695]

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16q, QOTD,

The best of intentions is not always enough. — Greek proverb

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[6088]

Music unheard has no value. — Greek proverb

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[6065]

Think with the wise, but talk with the vulgar. — Greek proverb

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[6046]WW025, WednesdayWisdom

Everything ancient is to be respected. — Greek proverb

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[6027]

Men who have lost heart have not yet won a trophy. ~ Greek Proverb [17770]

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MM014, MondayMotivation

A truth spoken before its time is dangerous. ~ Greek Proverb [15363]

Humphrey Bolton
[CC-BY-SA-2.0],
via Wikimedia Commons

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A heart that loves is always young. ~ Greek Proverb [15449]

Photo by Andraeny (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

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Ducks always know where a lake can be found. ~ Greek Proverb [19593]

Photo by Brocken Inaglory (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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The beginning is the half of every action. ~ Greek Proverb [18618]

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Where there is a sea there are pirates. ~ Greek Proverb [19471]

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When at a loss about how to go on, cough. ~ Greek Proverb [19433]

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. ~ Greek Proverb [15428]

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Until the crickets sing it is not summer. ~ Greek Proverb [19163]

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To deceive a diplomat speak the truth, he has no experience with it. ~ Greek Proverb [19073]

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