50 famous proverbs meaning and examples

Proverbs are wise sayings in a language based on the practical experiences of different kinds. They can mostly be used independently to explain a situation in very few words.

Here are some common proverbs used in English which you can also use in your day to day talks to cut the long talk short and still convey it with same conviction.

1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder Our love for the loved ones grows more with the distance.

The two brothers deeply wish to meet as they havent seen each other since 10 years. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

2. Accidents will happen in the best regulated families Unforeseen can happen with anybody.

You need to be extremely cautious with electricity The accidents will happen in the best regulated families.3. Actions speak louder than words What people do shows more about them than what they just say.Hearing about her friends illness, she directly reached the hospital with a cheque of 50,000 Rs/-. Her concern was evident after all, actions speak louder than words.

4. Appearances are deceptive Internal truth of a person is usually different from what is visible outside.You should not believe strangers immediately. Appearances can be deceptive.

5. Never judge by appearances Dont use looks as the criteria to assess someone.I saw the CEO of a big blue chip company hanging out with his friends at a local market in casual attire. Its true that you cant judge someone by their appearance.

6. An apple a day keeps the doctor away An apple eaten everyday keeps you in good health.My father has always stayed in a good health with his habit of eating an apple everyday. For him, An apple a day keeps the doctor away has worked well.

7. Art is long, life is short. Life is too short to learn all the art in this world.

She always complained of getting bored. I advised her to learn some music or painting. After all, Art is long, life is short.

8. Dont throw the baby out with the bathwater Be careful to not throw away good things with bad while cleaning.

She deleted some useful files also along with the useless ones while cleaning her computer. I had advised her to be careful and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

9. You scratch my back, Ill scratch yours If you help me, Ill help you.America is pushing the Indian government for FDI in retail. Indian government will get the foreign currency while America gets a big market for its goods. The principle is simple You scratch my back, Ill scratch yours.

10. Beauty is only skin deep Never judge by appearance A good looking woman may not necessarily be good by character.My daughter-in-law is very beautiful but very cunning Beauty is only skin deep.

11. As you make your bed, so you must lie in it. Be prepared to face the consequences of your wrong actions.To full his dreams, he had left his parents alone in their old age. Now his son wants to go abroad with his wife and settle there. He has made his bed, now he must life in it.

12. Honesty is the best policy Being truthful saves you from many problems. It is the best thing to do.

You may make a quick buck with dishonest means but ultimately you may not get a good nights sleep. Honesty is the best policy to follow for a happy life.

13. Beggars cant be choosers A needy person should accept what is offered without complaining.

She was complaining about the amount of money they had sent. I asked her to accept gratefully what she has got Beggars cant be choosers.

14. Big is beautiful Large size is advantageous.

One way to separate good fruits from bad is the size. Big is beautiful.

15. Birds of a feather flock together People with similar qualities, seek each others company.

I am sure she must be a genius doctor. She is a close friend of Dr. Ram, who referred me to her Birds of a feather flock together.

16. The early bird catches the worm The quicker one/ first in line gets the opportunities.

He reached first and picked up the best deal. The early bird caught the worm.

17. Once bitten, twice shy From experience, we learn to avoid situation causing trouble or distress.

Its three years since she divorced her husband. Everyone is forcing her to re-marry but she doesnt want to. Once bitten, twice shy is the situation she is in.

18. Theres a black sheep in every family One member in every family doesnt fit into the characteristic of the family.

My son is the black sheep of our family. All of us are very talkative while he is very reserve.

19. Two blacks dont make a white You can not justify something wrong you have done because someone else has also done it.

You can not justify your late night parties just because your friend attends them. Two blacks dont make a white.

20. If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall- If a person lacking in some expertise leads others, all of them shall fail.

They mistook me to be a great singer and sent their children to learn singing. If a blind leads the blind, both shall fail.

21. In the country of the blind, the one eyed man is king The person with a little ability in a group of those with absolutely no ability is at an advantage.

In the whole group, Marie is the only one who knows the basics of coding. She is like that one eyed man who is a king in the country of blind.

22. There are none so blind as those who will not see It is useless explaining those who do not want to understand.

Her son usually misbehaves with the relatives but she doesnt find anything wrong in him. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

23. Blood is thicker than water Family relationship is stronger than others.

His brother was aware about his life threatening ailment but he did not call up even once to inquire and they say blood is thicker than water.

24. Half a loaf is better than no bread Be grateful for what you get rather than complaining for what you dont have.

Judiciously use the money your father sends you rather than complaining for the things he cant afford. Half a loaf is better than no bread.

25. You cant make bricks without straws You cant accomplish something without the right material.Of course, you need to study hard to win a gold medal. You cant make bricks without straws..26. Dont cross a bridge until you come to it Dont try to deal with anticipated problems. Let them become realities.The team captain was asked if he believes there are any match fixers in his team and would he like to drop them. He replied, I dont think so about any of my boys. We have to wait for that bridge to come to cross it.

27. If it isnt broken, dont fix it If something is working well, dont try to improve upon it.

He has already made a name for himself in the society. His new campaign was absolutely un-required as the results tell us. I had told him, if it isnt broken, dont fix it.

28. A new broom sweeps clean- A new person at a new position implements an aggressive and enthusiastic reform.

The new Marketing manager got a new advertising strategy implemented for a complete makeover in the brand image of the company. The results are awesome. The new broom has worked for them.29. Let bygones be bygones Forget you past complains and start over afresh.

Theres no way you can save your relationship with your brother unless you let bygones be bygones.

30. If the cap fits, wear it Accept the words of criticism if you think they are correct.

There was a major goof up in deal. The boss said, the cap fits me and I am ready to wear it. Lets get on to fix the problem now.

31. Dont count your chickens before they are hatched One should not assume himself to be successful, unless the actual result is out.

The deal is not final yet, we dont want any publicity for it right now. So, keep the information confidential and lets not count the chickens before they are hatched.

32. Every cloud has a silver lining Look for positivity in every tough situation.The silver lining to the cloud is that untimely high tide will help all the debris of ship wreck to be thrown out to the sea shore in next few hours.

33. Cut your coat according to your cloth Adjust your expenditures according to your income.

She wanted to buy the biggest house in the area but the mother advised her to cut her coat according to the cloth.

34. Comparisons are odious Comparing once person with another make them feel offensive.

Mark pulled up this project way better than Phillip could was the bosss statement in the meeting. Phillip felt belittled obviously comparisons are odious.

35. Youve got to be cruel to be kind For the benefits in long term, you may need to do something unpleasant at present.

To instil the virtues of good behaviour and discipline in your children may need you to be cruel to be kind.

36. Desperate diseases demand desperate remedies Big problems need bold and extremes steps to solve them.

Terrorist attacks in the country city were on the rise. Realising that desperate diseases require desperate remedies, the home ministry ordered a death sentence to the two most deadly terrorists.

37. Speak the truth and shame the devil Avoid speaking lies to save any future problems.

You seem to be not so serious about your relationship with her. Im sorry if it offends you but being her friend, I have got to speak he truth and shame the devil.

38. Love me, love my dog If you love me, you must accept me as I am.

Knowing that her love for boxing will consume most of her time, he married her. She had already told him, for a successful relationship if you love me, you have got to love my dog.

39. Dont put all your eggs in one basket Redistribute your resources. Dont keep all your hopes on one.The boss re-structured the team and re-distributed the accounts. He did not want to put all his eggs in one basket.

40. The eye is bigger than the belly The visual appeal of the food tempts us to eat more even when we have no appetite.

Delicacies from all over the world were served in the party. I had had as much as I could but couldnt resist eating the ice cream as the eye is bigger than the belly.

41. Forbidden fruit is the sweetest- If something is forbidden, our attraction to do that increases all the more.

If you prevent your child from eating chocolates, he will be all the more attracted to eat them. Forbidden fruits are often the sweetest ones. So, limit them but dont ban them.

42. Man proposes but God disposes We may make plans but cant control the outcome.

They had got their tickets reserved for the pilgrimage but had to cancel it due to heavy snow fall. God disposed their proposal.

43. All that glitters is not gold Everything that looks good is not necessarily good. Dont judge things by looks.

My colleague was very good and polite to me on face but he kept complaining about my every small mistake to the boss. All that glitters is not gold.

44. The grass is always greener on the other side Applies to people who are always dissatisfied.

She always thought her friends were extremely happy in foreign countries but in reality they were just making the ends meet. Her husband told her that grass is always greener on the other side.

45. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts Be careful of rivals kindness.They are biggest political rivals in the area but James speaking good of Davids plan to combat terrorism made Dave suspicious of Johns Greek gifts.

46. Handsome is as handsome does Deeds define a mans character.My father was a man of principles and he always lived up to them. Since childhood, he taught us, your actions speak for you because handsome is as handsome does.

47. Give a man enough rope and hell hang himself If you give excess freedom to someone they will eventually make themselves fall in trouble.He gave his children a lot of freedom. However, the younger one got into a bad company and became a drug addict. He hung himself with the enough rope his father had given him.

48. Make hay while the sun shines If you get an opportunity, you must try to take immediate benefit out of it.The world renowned physics scientist was visiting the college. Trying to make the hay while sun was shining, I decided to show him my research papers and ask him for an opportunity to work under him.

49. The road to hell is paved with good intentions Without actions, good intentions are useless.

The idea to build a network joining all the water bodies in the country was a great one but the road to hell was paved with them never being put into action.

50. A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay Right activity in the season produces good yield.

The paddy crop was a major failure this year. It did not rain sufficiently at right time A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay.

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