Proverb Definition ›› 35 English Proverbs and Their Meanings

By Katherine Davies - February 23, 2018

So, just what is a proverb exactly?
One famous Spanish author defined proverbs as “short sentences drawn from long experience.”
In other words, a proverb is a short sentence that is full of meaning and sound advice. These little
expressions add richness to our speech and allow us to explore and learn new vocabulary.
Searching online for Proverbs will result in thousands of results, however, take care! Many sayings
are not proverbs; they do not impart good advice or wisdom, and some are even contradictory to
each other.
In our list that follows we have only included proverbs that state a general truth or piece of advice.
Why not make it a goal to learn at least five of the proverbs below to use in your life sometime in
the future?
1. A picture speaks a thousand words/A picture is worth a thousandwords.
No matter what language you speak, a picture can tell you more in a few seconds than in the time
spent reading a thousand words describing the same thing.
2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Have you ever been separated from your loved one for a long time? You probably spent more time
than normal thinking about them, which made you want to see that person even more.
Therefore, absence (to be apart) made you think about them even more and increased your feelings
of love (fondness) for them.
3. Actions speak louder than words.
People today make many promises. Unfortunately, many people never keep their promises, which
is why others are more likely to trust a person who says little but does a lot. Their actions speak
louder than words and are far more valuable.
4. An answer when mild turns away rage.
Everyone has arguments and fights. During a heated fight, we might feel angry which may cause us
to say unkind things about the other person. If we say something in anger, this will only make the
argument worse.
But this proverb tells us to control ourselves and try to say things in a kind way that will not
unnecessarily offend the other person. Doing this will help the other person to calm down too.
5. Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.
Someone who has little experience in life may believe almost anything said to them, but a person
who has experience in life doesn’t believe everything he hears. He will think before taking any action
based on what was said.
6. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
A beautiful person is not always beautiful on the outside. They may not be physically attractive, but
this proverb helps us understand that we find real beauty inside a person.
7. Beggars can’t be choosers.
A beggar is an individual who is so poor that they must plead, or beg others to give them money.
Therefore, a beggar can’t choose between many different things. Beggars can only get what is given
to them or buy with whatever money they have at that time.
We use this common proverb when we do not have enough money to get what we want but only
what we need.
8. Count the cost.
Before buying or building anything, this proverb reminds us to count the cost. How much will it cost
me in money, time and energy?
9. Crime doesn’t pay.
Many people complain that criminals often get away with their crimes and live the good life,
however, often their crimes catch up with them, and they are unable to escape the consequences
of their actions.
10. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
This proverb is called the Golden Rule by millions of people around the world. It has a simple
meaning, treat others the way you would like them to treat you.
If you are kind to someone else, they would normally be kind in return. Mistreat someone, and they
will mistreat you too.
11. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Most of us rely on someone else for our means of living (money). However, if we betray the trust
that person has placed in us, we could find ourselves without a job and in much trouble.
12. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
When you do something in preparation for another thing that may not even happen. For example,
I am going to buy a dress, even though no one has invited me to the party.
13. Don’t place all your eggs in one basket.
This proverb warns us about putting all of our trust into one thing that could fail.
14. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Most books have pictures, symbols or other drawings on them to attract readers. However, a book
with a beautiful cover may not be an enjoyable book to read at all! While a book with an ugly cover
may be an excellent book to read.
This proverb is also called a metaphor, to teach us not to judge another person by the way they look
on the outside.
15. Early in the year, early in the month, early in the week, early in theday.
To stress how important our time is, we are encouraged to do things as soon as possible and not
delay.
16. Enjoy it while it lasts.
How do you feel on the final day of your vacation? Sad and upset it has already passed? Enjoy it
while it lasts, means to make sure we don’t waste our time when we are doing something enjoyable.
17. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
It is a tongue twister to say out loud, but it is very clever advice. Success is often dependent on good
planning. If we don’t make plans in advance, we are more likely to be unsuccessful.
18. Honesty is the best policy.
Lying has become a common practice around the world. Sadly many liars become trapped in their
lies and cannot escape the consequences when the truth is found out.
Honesty at the beginning, although hard sometimes, always gives the best results over time.
Therefore make being honest your policy or rule.
19. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
It is an interesting proverb because it is telling us to stay positive but be realistic. We hope that
everything always goes to plan and has a good result, but just in case, we should make plans in case
something goes wrong.
20. Laughter is the best medicine.
Scientists have discovered that laughter has many health benefits and can actually improve our
overall health. It is free and fun making it the best medicine for everyone on earth!
21. Look before you leap.
Many people are physically hurt every year because they jump into water without checking what is
beneath the surface.
This proverb helps us to understand that no matter what we are doing we should always check for
dangers before we do anything that could cause us harm.
22. Love of money is the root of all evil.
Perhaps not a proverb as much as it is a general truth. Sadly, the love of money causes many people
to lie, steal and cheat from others. Greed, the love of money is sadly the primary cause of many
terrible things that happen in the world.
23. Many hands make light work.
The more help we have from others, the easier a big job becomes to complete.
24. Money doesn’t grow on trees.
Those who spend a lot of money often have to be reminded that money is not easy to get, it is not
like the leaves on a tree which grows in abundance. Money takes time and effort to obtain so we
should use it wisely.
25. Necessity is the mother of invention.
There are situations in life when we can’t get the things we may need. It is often at these moments
when we invent something to solve our problem, which is why necessity is the mother of invention.
26. Patience is a virtue.
Any virtue, is an excellent, admirable quality that we should all aspire to obtain. Patience is
something many of us lack and therefore a quality which most of us find desirable and like to see in
others.
27. Practice makes perfect.
Repeatedly doing something will improve our skills and help us to become perfect at doing that
action.
28. Practice what you preach.
Have you ever met someone who says one thing and does the complete opposite? This proverb tells
us to do what we say and not be hypocritical.
29. Shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds toconceal himself.
A shrewd or intelligent person is someone who is smart and thinks ahead. They will take action to
protect themselves from any danger that they think could happen.
30. The early bird catches the worm.
Similar to our previous proverb about doing things at the beginning of the day, this proverb explains
that a person who takes action sooner rather than later will benefit from doing so.
31. Two heads are better than one.
When trying to solve a problem on our own, we may not be able to think of a solution. If someone
was to help us find a solution, this is better than trying to do it on our own.
32. Where there is no wood, the fire goes out.
Another metaphor which helps us understand that when two people or sides are arguing if one of
them were to stop fighting, the argument will die out.
33. You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
Because a horse has a mind of its own, only the horse can decide whether it wants to drink the
water. The same applies to people. We can advise another person, but we can’t make them take
the advice and use it, that part is up to them.
34. You cannot serve two masters.
This wise proverb tells us that anyone who tries to do two things at the same time will either do well
at one thing and not the other or fail at both. It is impossible to do both things well at the same time.
35. You reap what you sow.
If a farmer plants potatoes, he will get potatoes, not another thing like tomatoes. Therefore, if we
do good things we can expect good results, however, is we do wicked things we should expect the
consequences.
Many of these proverbs will work in various situations, some almost daily. Why not try to memorize
one Proverb every week and attempt to use it at least three to five times during the week.
Try to use it during a general conversation as this will make it sound more natural and fluent. Take
care not to offend anyone also by applying a Proverb to the person directly. It is better to use a
Proverb to describe a situation or about a person from afar.
Do you know an English proverb? Write it in a comment below! Don’t forget to explain its meaning
too!
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