101 Proverbs

OriginThis phrase, for the most part, is seen in a poem called Hudibras. The first two parts of the poem were written by poet Samuel Butler in the years 1663 and 1664.ExplanationYou shouldn’t assume that something will definitely happen before it really does. Don’t make plans based on predicted results that haven’t occurred yet. This […]

OriginThis proverb was coined by Robert Lynd.ExplanationThe proverb which has been used by Robert Lynd means that if we expect or anticipate anything great, magnificent or splendid, we may have to be disappointed when we actually see that thing. We have seen many people in our life who have heavy expectations about certain things, but

OriginThis proverb, a synonym of look before you leap, was first recorded in 1477. Charles Churchill put it in poetic form: “Even in a hero’s heart, discretion is the better part” ( The Ghost, 1762). Shakespeare also used a form of it: “The better part of valour is discretion” ( 1 Henry IV, 5:4).ExplanationIt is

OriginIt is thought that the idiom originated in Wales during the 1860s, but, in Rustic Speech and Folklore, Elizabeth Wright first used the modern version of the phrase in 1913, which added to its fame. It was then widely circulated throughout the century and still remains popular.ExplanationApples are so nutritious that if you eat an

OriginThis statement, a proverb found in many languages, including ancient Greek, was first worded in precisely this way in English in Colonial Currency (1736).ExplanationThis proverb means that the values you have in life are judged more by how you live your life than by what you say. Here the word ‘speak’ does not mean literally

OriginThe proverb has been traced back to C. Kingley’s letter dated December 1, 1856. It first cited in the United States in the early twentieth-century. The proverb is found in varying forms: “A chain is as strong as its weakest link”; “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link”; “The strength of a

OriginThe origin is uncertain, although it’s clear that the phrase is ancient and that it predates modern English. The earliest known record is from St. Marher, 1225.ExplanationThis proverb illustrates the importance of time and also says that there is nothing which is more precious than time. The words TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN

OriginIt is from a poem (1865) by William Ross Wallace.ExplanationWomen, particularly mothers, have a decisive influence on the future direction of society because they raise and nurture the next generation. Children usually grow up in the care of their mothers. For a baby its mother fondly feeds it with milk, pats it and cradles it.

OriginBased on the line “Necessity, who is the mother of invention” in The Republic written by Plato (Greek author and philosopher, 427-347BC).ExplanationIt means, roughly, that the primary driving force for most new inventions is a need. This proverb statement tells that whatever man proposes as his objective to achieve by exercising his will-power, efforts and

OriginThe phrase is actually not biblical. It dates from the late 19th century in England and is credited as the creation of Anne Isabella Richie, daughter of writer William Makepeace Thackeray.ExplanationIt is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something than to do it for him. There are times where it is more beneficial to

OriginThis is a famous phrase said by Polonius in Act-I, Scene-III of William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet.ExplanationThis proverb advises that one who borrows money frequently to buy things to be looked more prosperous than others has to remain a borrower throughout one’s lifetime. It also advises to adjust one’s expenditures within one’s means and income which

OriginIt is a mid 18th-century proverb. The saying comes from Night Thoughts (1742–45) by the English poet and dramatist Edward Young (1683–1765).ExplanationIt means that someone who continually puts things off ultimately achieves little. If you put off doing what you ought to do, you will end up not having enough time to do it properly.

Origin This is a 16th-century proverb.ExplanationA marriage which is likely to be happy and successful because the two people are very well suited to each other. This proverb is used for a happy or harmonious marriage or partnership.This does not mean that persons in heaven “marry and are given in marriage,” but that the partners

OriginThough the spirit of the proverb had been expressed previously, the modern saying appeared first in James Howell’s Proverbs in English, Italian, French and Spanish (1659), and was included in later collections of proverbs. It also appears in Howell’s Paroimiographia (1659).ExplanationIt means that without time off work, a person becomes both bored and boring. Hard

OriginIt is derived from a Latin proverb ‘Divide et impera’.ExplanationWin by getting one’s opponents to fight among themselves. It is a way of keeping yourself in a position of power by making the people under you disagree with one another so that they may be unable to join together and remove you from your position.