German proverbs
Traditional saying. The library holds 1380 of them. Here are the 60 most quoted; search the library in the maker for the rest.
Often about: wisdom, nature, money, faith, time, love
The 60 best known
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The dog that starts the hare is as good as the one that catches it.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Poverty and hunger have many learned disciples.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
When God says to-day, the devil says to-morrow.
translated by Walter K. Kelly -
We hang little thieves, and take off our hats to great ones.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Talking is easier than doing, and promising than performing.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Offend one monk, and the lappets of all cowls will flutter as far as Rome.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
To-day must borrow nothing of to-morrow.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The husband’s mother is the wife’s devil.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Dear physic always does good, if not to the patient, at least to the apothecary.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
A drop of honey catches more flies than a hogshead of vinegar.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
He who would rule, must hear and be deaf, see and be blind.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The priest loves his flock, but the lambs more than the rams.
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Make yourself an ass, and you’ll have every man’s sack on your back.
translated by Walter K. Kelly -
Who deceives me once, shame on him; if he deceives me twice, shame on me.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
“Red is Love’s colour,” said the wooer to his foxy charmer.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
All are not hunters that blow the horn.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Flatterers are cats that lick before and scratch behind.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Like will to like, as the devil said to the coal-burner.
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Be silent, or say something that is better than silence.
translated by Walter K. Kelly -
Love without return is like a question without an answer.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Doctor Luther’s shoes do not fit every parish priest.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
When the tale of bricks is doubled, then comes Moses.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
A burnt child dreads the fire.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
To spend much and gain little is the sure road to ruin.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Unlaid eggs are uncertain chickens.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Many cooks spoil the broth.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The beginning hot, the middle lukewarm, the end cold.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Children and fools speak the truth.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
One ass nicknames another Longears.
translated by Walter K. Kelly -
One foe is too many, a hundred friends are too few.
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They must hunger in frost who spring-time have lost.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Speaking comes by nature, silence by understanding.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Revenge converts a little right into a great wrong.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The eyes believe themselves; the ears other people.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Were there no fools, there would be no wise men.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The bites of priests and wolves are hard to heal.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Of big words and feathers many go to the pound.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
One hair of a woman draws more than a bell-rope.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Better one living word than a hundred dead ones.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
One beats the bush, and another catches the bird.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Who digs a pit for others falls into it himself.
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Many see more with one eye than others with two.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The master’s eye does more than both his hands.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
He who holds the ladder is as bad as the thief.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Don’t carry your head too high, the door is low.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Raise no more spirits than you can conjure down.
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Marrying is easy, but housekeeping is hard.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
The fewer the words, the better the prayer.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
He is a bad shot who cannot find an excuse.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
A pack of cards is the devil’s prayer-book.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Where the will is ready the feet are light.
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Stretch your legs according to your coverlet.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
One link broken, the whole chain is broken.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Good counsel never comes too late.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Thoughts are toll-free, but not hell-free.
translated by Henry G. Bohn -
Common fame is seldom to blame.
translated by Henry G. Bohn