Good Proverbs in English with Images

Proverbs are short, simple, and wise sayings that have been passed down from generation to generation, offering practical wisdom and insight into human nature. They often encapsulate common experiences and truths in a succinct and memorable way.

Here’s a collection of well-known proverbs, each with a detailed meaning and a real-life example to illustrate how they can be applied. These proverbs convey timeless wisdom, often offering practical guidance on how to approach life’s challenges and relationships.

1. "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

Meaning: True friends are those who stand by you when you’re facing difficulties. People who are there in both good times and bad are genuine friends.
Example: When someone loses a job, their real friends are the ones who offer support and encouragement, showing their loyalty during tough times.

2. "Better late than never."

Meaning: It’s better to do something late than not do it at all. It’s encouraging people to take action even if the ideal timing has passed.
Example: Someone who finishes their education later in life might feel behind, but completing it is still better than never doing it.

3. "Rome wasn’t built in a day."

Meaning: Great things take time to achieve. Patience and persistence are necessary for accomplishing significant goals.
Example: Learning a new language takes time, and expecting to be fluent immediately can lead to frustration. Progress comes with consistent effort.

4. "Practice makes perfect."

Meaning: Repeatedly working on a skill leads to improvement and mastery. Consistent practice helps people excel over time.
Example: A musician who practices every day improves their technique and performance, showing that effort and repetition lead to success.

5. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Meaning: Beauty is subjective, and what one person finds beautiful may not be the same for someone else. It encourages respect for individual preferences.
Example: Some people may appreciate abstract art, while others don’t see its appeal, illustrating that beauty can be seen differently by each person.

6. "Actions speak louder than words."

Meaning: People’s actions reveal their true intentions and character more clearly than what they say. What they do carries more weight than their words.
Example: If someone promises to help with a project but doesn’t show up, their absence speaks louder than their initial promise.

7. "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."

Meaning: If something is working well, there’s no need to make unnecessary changes. Sometimes, it’s best to leave things as they are.
Example: A company with a reliable process for handling customer orders shouldn’t make changes just for the sake of it, as it could create new problems.

8. "Don’t judge a book by its cover."

Meaning: Don’t form opinions based solely on appearances; take time to understand a person or situation more deeply before deciding.
Example: A shy person might initially seem unfriendly, but after talking with them, one might find they are kind and interesting.

9. "The grass is always greener on the other side."

Meaning: People tend to believe others have it better, but this is often just a perception. This proverb encourages people to appreciate what they have.
Example: Someone might envy a friend’s job, thinking it’s better, but may not realize the friend faces their own challenges in that job.

10. "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Meaning: Saving money is just as valuable as earning it. Being frugal and making wise financial choices can help accumulate wealth over time.
Example: Instead of buying a daily coffee, someone could save that money over the year, showing that small savings add up significantly.

11. "You reap what you sow."

Meaning: Our actions have consequences, and we often experience results based on our behavior and decisions. Positive efforts usually lead to positive outcomes.
Example: Someone who studies hard and focuses on their education often achieves success, while neglecting it can lead to missed opportunities.

12. "Where there’s smoke, there’s fire."

Meaning: When there are signs of a problem, there’s usually some truth or issue behind them. It suggests paying attention to warning signs.
Example: If rumors circulate about issues in a company, it might indicate underlying problems worth investigating.

13. "You can’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes."

Meaning: Don’t judge others until you’ve experienced their life or situation. This proverb encourages empathy and understanding.
Example: Before criticizing a colleague for missing deadlines, considering the pressures they’re under helps to see things from their perspective.

14. "A watched pot never boils."

Meaning: Waiting impatiently for something makes time feel slower. It’s better to stay busy or focus on something else.
Example: Constantly checking email for an important response makes the wait feel longer, but taking a break can make time pass more quickly.

15. "Haste makes waste."

Meaning: Rushing through tasks often leads to mistakes or poor-quality results. Taking time usually yields better outcomes.
Example: Rushing through an essay to finish it quickly might lead to errors, while taking a steady pace improves its quality.

16. "Beggars can’t be choosers."

Meaning: When someone is in need or doesn’t have many options, they can’t afford to be picky. This proverb promotes gratitude for what’s available.
Example: If a friend offers you a free meal, it’s not the time to request your favorite restaurant; it’s better to be grateful for their generosity.

17. "Many hands make light work."

Meaning: When people work together, tasks become easier and are completed faster. Teamwork lightens the load.
Example: Organizing a community event becomes simpler when everyone volunteers a little time and effort, as the tasks are shared.

18. "Every rose has its thorn."

Meaning: Good things often come with challenges or downsides. This proverb reminds us to be prepared for imperfections in life.
Example: Owning a pet is wonderful, but it also requires care and responsibility, showing that every benefit has its accompanying challenges.

19. "It takes two to tango."

Meaning: In situations involving conflict or cooperation, both parties play a role. Problems or solutions usually need participation from everyone involved.
Example: When a couple argues, it’s often because both parties contributed to the misunderstanding, not just one person.

20. "Don’t bite the hand that feeds you."

Meaning: Don’t act against or criticize those who support or help you. It’s unwise to harm or betray those who contribute to your well-being.
Example: Speaking badly about an employer who treats you well could backfire if they find out, damaging the relationship and possibly your job.

21. "Strike while the iron is hot."

Meaning: Take advantage of opportunities as soon as they arise. Timing is important, and acting at the right moment can lead to success.
Example: If a company offers a good job position, applying quickly shows interest and could improve your chances of being hired.

22. "Too many cooks spoil the broth."

Meaning: When too many people try to take charge of a task, it can lead to confusion and mistakes. Sometimes, a smaller team is more effective.
Example: During a group project, having too many people giving input can create chaos, while a few focused individuals often work better.

23. "No pain, no gain."

Meaning: Success often requires effort and hardship. This proverb emphasizes the value of hard work in achieving goals.
Example: An athlete training rigorously to improve their skills demonstrates that effort and discipline lead to progress.

These proverbs contain age-old wisdom, offering valuable lessons on life, relationships, work, and self-improvement. They continue to be relevant because they encourage thoughtful, responsible actions and attitudes in a variety of situations.

Here are some good proverbs in English along with images that beautifully capture their essence:

1. "A picture is worth a thousand words."
- This proverb emphasizes the power of visual communication and the ability of images to convey complex messages more effectively than words alone. The image accompanying this proverb could be a stunning photograph that speaks volumes without needing any explanation.

2. "Actions speak louder than words."
- This proverb underscores the significance of deeds over empty promises. A meaningful image for this proverb could be a person engaging in a selfless act of kindness, illustrating the idea that actions have a greater impact than mere spoken intentions.

3. "The early bird catches the worm."
- Symbolizing the value of being proactive and diligent, this proverb encourages punctuality and initiative. An accompanying image could depict a beautiful sunrise with a bird eagerly searching for its morning meal, evoking the essence of seizing opportunities through timely action.

4. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."
- This cautionary proverb warns against premature optimism and overconfidence. A fitting image might feature a hopeful farmer gazing at eggs in a nest, guarding against the temptation to celebrate success too soon.

5. "Where there's a will, there's a way."
- Encouraging perseverance and determination, this proverb conveys the idea that unwavering resolve can surmount any obstacle. An inspiring image could portray a challenging path being conquered by a determined individual, symbolizing the triumph of willpower.

Proverbs often offer timeless wisdom and can be enhanced by pairing them with evocative images. They serve as a reminder of our shared human experiences and offer valuable insights in a world where brevity and visual impact are highly valued.

Daily Proverbs in English

Six feet of earth make all men equal.

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20 Proverbs in English

Don’t throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water.

- Swedish

Buy on the rumor; sell on the news.

- Wall Street

Be honorable yourself you wish to associate with honorable people.

- Welsh

Complain to one who can help you.

- Yugoslav

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.

-Dutch Download or Share

Wait until it is night before saying that it has been a fine day.

- French Download or Share

A boisterous horse must have a rough bridle.

- Romanian Download or Share

If you wish to know what a man is, place him in authority.

- Yugoslav

If you refuse to be made straight when you are green, you will not be made straight when you are dry.

- African

Hold a true friend with both hands.

- Nigerian

Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire.

- Arab Sayings

Four things come not back: The spoken word, The sped arrow, The past life, The neglected opportunity.

- Arabian

Courting and wooing brings dallying and doing.

- French

Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.

- Eskimo

Keep five yards from a carriage, ten yards from a horse, and a hundred yards from an elephant; but the distance one should keep from a wicked man cannot be measured.

- Indian

Good bargains empty the purse.

- Italian

A book is the only immortality.

A bad day never hath a good night.

- Spanish

A brave man may fall, but he cannot yield.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

A bird is known by its note, the man by his words.

A beautiful face is a letter of recommen-dation.

A brave man's wounds are seldom on his back.

A bad tree does not yield good apples.

- Danish

Love and eggs are best when they are fresh.

- Russian Download or Share

A bad penny alaways comes back.

A bad dog never sees the wolf.

It is nothing for one to know something unless another knows you know it.

- Persian

Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse.

African

You can out distance that which is running after you, but not what is running inside you.

Rwandan

Deep rivers move with silent majesty, shallow brooks are noisy.

- Danish

Faults are thick where love is thin.

Danish

Japanese Proverb in English

Don’t stay long when the husband is not at home.

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Fall seven times, stand up eight.

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If you believe everything you read, better not read.

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Never rely on the glory of the morning nor the smiles of your mother-in-law.

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One kind word can warm three winter months.

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The reverse side also has a reverse side.

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When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.

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We are no more than candles burning in the wind.

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Jewish Proverb in English

Ask about your neighbors, then buy the house.

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Don’t be sweet, lest you be eaten up; don’t be bitter, lest you be spewed out.

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Don’t live in a town where there are no doctors.

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As you would have a daughter so choose a wife.

- Italian Download or Share

By asking for the impossible we obtain the best possible.

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Don’t look for more honor than our leaning merits.

- Jewish

You cannot exchange peace for war.

- African

Deep swimmers and high climbers usually don't die in their beds.

- Dutch

Cream doesn't rise to the top, it works its way up.

- Dutch

He that can’t endure the bad, will not live to see the good.

- Proverb quotes Jewish

If God lived on earth, people would break his windows.

- Jewish

Make sure to be in with your equals if you’re going to fall out with your superiors.

- Jewish

Rejoice not at thine enemies fall – but don't rush to pick him up either.

- Jewish

What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your mouth.

- Jewish

Worries go down better with soup than without.

- Jewish

A cat in gloves catches no mice.

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Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth.

- French

Even that fish may be caught that strives the hardest against it.

- Danish

He that beats the drum for the mad man to dance is no better than the mad man himself.

- African

Do not throw the arrow which will return against you.

- Kurdish

Every potter praises his pot, and most of all the one that is cracked.

- Italian

Good looking apples are sometimes sour.

- Dutch

Drunkenness does not itself cause bad qualities but it does show them up clearly.

- Chinese

Do something good and your neighbor will never know, do something bad and they will hear about it a hundred miles away.

- Chinese

Everyone stretches his legs according to the length of his coverlet.

- Chinese

A man is not a man until he has a house of his own.

- African

Getting only a beautiful woman is like planting a vine on the roadside everyone feeds on it.

- African

If the wind will not serve, take of the oars.

- Latin

It is the part of a good shepherd to shear his flock, not to skin it.

- Latin

Believe that you have it, and you will have it.

- Latin

Never give a child a sword.

- Latin

A bribe will enter without knocking.

- Latin

Conscience is only another name for truth.

- American

Fools are more useful to the wise than wise are to fools.

- French

Born by the fire and die by the fire.

- African

He who has not traveled widely thinks that his mother is the best cook.

- African

The calm before a storm.

Delays increase desires and sometimes extinguish them.

- American

A party of two is that of God; of three of the king; of four is of the devil.

French

Fair flowers do not remain long by the wayside.

- French

A cat may look at a king.

Deep draughts, and long morning slumbers, soon make a man poor.

- Danish

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.

- American

A burnt child dreads fire.

Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm.

- Malayan

Begin with an error of an inch and end by being a thousand miles off the mark.

- Chinese

Trumpet in a herd of elephants; crow in the company of cocks; bleat in a flock of goats.

- Malayan

Constant occupation prevents temptation.

- American

Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.

- Native American

Buying on credit is robbing next year's crop.

- American

By coming and going, a bird constructs its nest.

- African

If your wish your merit to be known, acknowledge that of other people.

- Oriental

Use your enemy’s hand to catch a snake.

- Persian

Go often to the house of thy friends; for weeds soon choke up the unused path.

- Scandinavian

Perfect love cannot be without equality.

Scottish

Better be ill spoken of by one before all than by all before one.

- Scottish

What may be done at any time will be done at no time.

- Scottish

Speak the truth, but leave immediately after.

- Slovenian

He that finds something before it is lost, will die before he is sick.

- Dutch

A smiling face is half the meal.

- Latvian

A smile will gain you ten more years of life.

Chinese About Life Download or Share Images

Category: Chinese

He helps little that helps not himself.

English Download or Share Images

Every little fish expects to become a whale.

Danish Download or Share Images

Soon fire, soon ashes.

Dutch Download or Share Images

Likeness is the mother of love.

French in English Download or Share Images

Shining I Inside, let Him guide my heart.

Egyptian Download or Share Images

The drunk ones will sober up, but the mad ones will not clever up.

Bengali in English Download or Share Images

A dog is a man's best friend.

- American Download or Share Images

Fortune is blind.

British in English Download or Share Images

Honesty makes you rich, but she works slowly.

- German Download or Share Images

If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.

- African Download or Share Images

He who can read and write has four eyes.

Albanian Download or Share Images

Choose a friend with the eyes of an old man, and a horse with the eyes of a young one.

Armenian in English Download or Share Images

One man's happiness is another man's sadness.

Brazilian Download or Share Images

Every frog has his own pond.

Bulgarian in English Download or Share Images

Old cows like young grass.

- Burmese Download or Share Images

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.

Biblical Download or Share Images

Don't reject the crooked road and don't take the straight one, instead take the one traveled by the ancestors.

Cambodian Download or Share Images

The Lord will drench you with His showers, but he will dry you with His sun.

Czech Download or Share Images

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.

Eskimo Download or Share Images

When the heart is overflowing, it will come out through the mouth.

Ethiopia Download or Share Images

He who sowed wind, reaps a typhoon.

Filipino Download or Share Images

Water runs a whole mile downstream easier than an inch upstream.

Finnish Download or Share Images

Repentance won't cure mischief.

Gaelic Download or Share Images

To have five drachmas in the hand is better than ten drachmas on paper.

Greek Download or Share Images

Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you.

Gypsy Download or Share Images

Beat the dog; wait for its master.

Haitian Download or Share Images

Category: Haitian

Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout.

Ghanaian Download or Share Images

Category: Ghanaian

Man is like a breath, his days like a passing shadow.

Hebrew Download or Share Images

Thoughts are like arrows: once released, they strike their mark. guard them well or one day you may be your own victim.

Hopi Download or Share Images

It was needed as a Slovak glazier needed falling on his back.

Hungarian Download or Share Images

Rains always follow the forest.

Hawaiian Download or Share Images

Category: Hawaiian

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

Iranian Download or Share Images

You can only lean against that which resists.

Indian Download or Share Images

Category: Indian

You do not really know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks.

Icelandic Download or Share Images

The piglet has the same type of snout as her mother.

Igbo Download or Share Images

Live a good and useful life.

Indonesian Download or Share Images

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.

-Dutch Download or Share

Wait until it is night before saying that it has been a fine day.

- French Download or Share

A boisterous horse must have a rough bridle.

- Romanian Download or Share

Strife is better than loneliness.

Irish Download or Share Images

Time heals old pain, while it creates new ones.

Israeli Download or Share Images

He that is busy is tempted but by one devil, he that is idle by a legion.

Italian Download or Share Images

Happiness rarely keeps company with an empty stomach.

Japanese Download or Share Images

He that does not bring up his son to some honest calling and employment, brings him up to be a thief.

Jewish Download or Share Images

A trick is not an arrow.

Kikuyu Download or Share Images

Eleven persons take eleven paths.

Kashmiri Download or Share Images

Category: Kashmiri

No pain, no gain.

Klingon Download or Share Images

Man's extremity, God's opportunity.

Korean Download or Share Images

Habit becomes second nature.

Kurdish Download or Share Images

Category: Kurdish

To be loved, be loveable.

Latin Download or Share Images

Category: Latin

Love overlooks defects; hatred magnifies them.

Lebanese Download or Share Images

Category: Lebanese

God gave teeth; He will give bread.

Lithuanian Download or Share Images

Category: Lithuanian

He who is unable to dance says that the yard is stony.

- Maasai Download or Share Images

Category: Maasai

Courage is the father of success.

Nigerian Download or Share Images

Category: Nigerian

Water is muddy at the fountainhead.

Persian Download or Share Images

Category: Persian

Love is blind, but marriage finds a cure.

Romanian Download or Share Images

Category: Romanian

Love is like the moon: now full, now dark.

Polish Download or Share Images

Category: Polish

Love should be paid with love.

Portuguese Download or Share Images

Category: Portuguese

Love has its own language, but marriage falls back on the local dialect.

Russian Love Download or Share Images

Category: Russian

Love and jealousy always keep company.

Sicilian About Love Download or Share Images

Category: Sicilian

Love does much, money does everything.

Spanish Love Download or Share Images

Category: Spanish

Love is like dew that falls on both nettles and lilies.

Swedish Download or Share Images

Category: Swedish

Love rules his kingdom without a sword.

Traditional Download or Share Images

Category: Traditional

Life is like riding a bicycle; you don't fall off unless you stop pedalling.

African Download or Share Images

Category: List of Sayings about Life

Love is like cough you can't hold it back.

African About Love Download

Category: List of Sayings about Love

Sleep is the cousin of death.

Categor: List of African Sayings

Hear the evidence before you pass sentence.

Category : List of American Sayings

A good smile shows how happy the soul is.

- African Download or Share Images

Category : about Smile

List of Proverbs

Gentility without ability is worse than plain beggary.

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