More Proverbs

16. Great minds think alike, small minds rarely differ

16. Great minds think alike, small minds rarely differ



Smart people often have the same ideas. Say this when someone has the same smart idea that you have.

17. Haste makes waste

17. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again

When you try to work too quickly, you make mistakes. That can waste time, money, or materials. So slow down


Proceeding too quickly can spoil an enterprise, as in Stop trying to rush through three things at once-haste makes waste, you know. This rhyming warning, first recorded in this exact form in 1575, was in John Ray's 1678 proverb collection, where the full text was: "Haste makes waste, and waste makes want, and want makes strife between the good man and his wife."

15. Every cloud has a silver lining

15. Every cloud has a silver lining



When something bad happens to you, don't get too upset. There's usually something good associated with any bad experience. For example, if you get fired from your job, it might push you to get a better job instead.

14. Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man how to fish, he eats for a lifetime.

14. Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man how to fish, he eats for a lifetime.



Don't try to help people by just giving them things. The result will be temporary. If you want to help someone long-term, teach them how to do things on their own.

13. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise

13. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise



This is a quotation from the famous American inventor and diplomat Benjamin Franklin. It means it's healthy and smart to go to sleep early and wake up early.

12. Don't Throw out the Baby with the Bath Water

12. Don't Throw out the Baby with the Bath Water



When you're trying to get rid of something bad, you might accidentally get rid of the good things that are connected with it as well. Don't do that.

11. Don't Talk the Talk If You can Walk the Walk

11. Don't Talk the Talk If You can Walk the Walk



You shouldn't brag about being able to do something if you can't actually do it.What you don't do don't take it's better.

10. Don't put the cart before the horse

10. Don't put the cart before the horse


Pay attention to what's most important. Don't let things which aren't as important take up all of your time and attention.
Today 10th day of our mission

9. Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬.


Sometimes people criticize each other. But it's not fair to criticize someone else if you haven't had the same experiences.

8.Better the devil you know than the other one you don't

Better the devil you know than the other one you don't.
When you have a choice between two bad things, it's safer to pick the bad thing that you've already experienced. The other bad thing might be worse.


7. Better safe than sorry

𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲.
Protect is Better, Don't wait until the problem happen. We must plan it to kill them before they kill us.



You should be careful, even if it seems like it's not necessary. The consequences if something goes wrong are much worse than wasting a little time and effort by being careful.

6. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
We can't work all the time. So you have to relax


This saying appeared first in James Howell's Proverbs in English, Italian, French and Spanish (1659), and was included in later collections of proverbs. Some writers have added a second part to the proverb: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.

5. All is fair in love and war

In love and romance, you sometimes do things that aren't very nice. For example, you might break up with someone or steal another person's partner. This phrase means that that's OK


Nothing is out of bounds when it comes to love and war. The rules of hard play are acceptable in war. In someones eye's "all is fair in love and war" in other words, in a war between love and hate, anything is acceptable or fair.
The only two areas of life in which you can be forgiven for doing anything are love and war. For example, if someone kills one of their relatives on the battlefield, it is more acceptable than murder usually. Similarly, stealing a friend's lover is seen as more acceptable if you love them, instead of say, just wanting them for money.

4.A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Some things, like learning to speak English fluently, take a really long time. It might seem like too much work. But the only way to achieve your goals is to start working now.



Little is known about Lao Tzu's life. His historical existence is strongly debated, as is his authorship of the seminal Taoist work, Tao Te Ching. Some legends say he was born with white hair, having spent eight or eighty years in his mother's womb.

3. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing

𝟛.𝔸 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕕𝕘𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘.
Sometimes when a person knows a little bit about something, they feel like they're an expert. Because they feel like an expert, they try to do things that they shouldn't and they mess everything up.


The implication is that a small amount of knowledge can lead to overconfidence, leaping to invalid conclusions based on what you do know without taking into account the things that you don't know. It's contrasted with a large amount of knowledge, which would presumably lead one to be more cautious or to at least draw better conclusions.

It's not generally intended to imply that "even a little knowledge" is a dangerous thing. In the phrase's terms, more is definitely better.

2. A friend in need is a friend indeed

2. A friend who helps out when we are in trouble is a true friend — unlike others who disappear when trouble arises.

If the former, then the phrase means: “someone who helps you when you are in need is a true friend”. If the latter, it is “someone who needs your help becomes especially friendly in order to obtain it”. So, that gives us four options: A friend, (when you are) in need, is indeed a true friend.



Firstly, is it 'a friend in need is a friend indeed' or 'a friend in need is a friend in deed'? Secondly, is it 'a friend (when you are) in need' or 'a friend (who is) in need'? If the former, then the phrase means: 'someone who helps you when you are in need is a true friend'. If the latter, it is 'someone who needs your help becomes especially friendly in order to obtain it'.

1. A broken clock is right twice a day


A broken clock is right twice a day.
The meaning of the proverb: 
It means that a person can sometimes be right, by chance, for the wrong reason. A working clock passes through all 12 hours (and all 60 minutes of each hour) exactly twice in a day-- this is what makes it an accurate timepiece. The broken clock is right twice a day because its hands are always stuck at the same time, not because it is actually tracking the time.




Basically, if you always give the same answer, eventually a question will come along for which that happens to be the right answer. The expression is meant to point out that being right occasionally is no proof that someone has good judgment on that topic.
Real world example: There are people in finance who are always predicting that the market will crash. In 2008, there was a market crash. This doesn't mean that the people who predict a market crash every single month had actually foreseen the specific signs of the 2008 crash.

Welcome to Proverb 50 Plus

Welcome to our site: Proverb 50 Plus:



Proverbs are wise sayings that are remembered and repeated. The ones below are so popular that you will often hear them in daily conversation.

If you're trying to learn English, it would be a great idea to memorize these proverbs. By memorizing them, you will not only learn some common English sayings; you will also help your brain to become better at forming good English sentences.
This site will post a poster as Picture of Proverbs and meaning in English and translate in Khmer.

Post Footer

loading...