Introduction
Proverbs are timeless expressions of wisdom, offering insights into human nature, culture, and life lessons. Whether you’re an English language learner looking to expand your vocabulary or a curious reader seeking popular proverbs with meanings, this A-Z list of proverbs will help you understand their significance.
In this first part (A-H), we’ve organized common English proverbs alphabetically, added simple explanations, and included famous quotes where relevant. Use this guide to:
- Improve your English fluency through idiomatic expressions.
- Gain cultural knowledge embedded in these sayings.
- Enhance writing/speaking with proverbial wisdom.
Check Part 2 of this English proverb list
List of Proverbs in English (A to H) with Meanings
Jump to: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H
🌸 Section A
- A big tree attracts the woodsman’s axe.
→ Those who appear great often attract trouble. - An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
→ Eating healthy helps you avoid sickness. - A bad workman always blames his tools.
→ People blame external things instead of themselves. - A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
→ It’s better to hold onto what you have than risk it for more. - A burnt child dreads the fire.
→ Past bad experiences make us cautious. - A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor. (African proverb)
→ We grow stronger through tough times. - A closed mouth catches no flies.
→ Sometimes it’s safer to stay quiet. - A coward dies a thousand times before his death; the valiant taste of death but once. (Shakespeare)
→ The brave face less fear than the cowardly. - A fool and his money are soon parted.
→ Foolish people quickly lose their wealth. - A friend in need is a friend indeed.
→ A true friend is there when you’re in trouble. - A friend to all is a friend to none.
→ You can’t truly be close to everyone. - A good man in an evil society seems the greatest villain of all.
→ Society defines what’s seen as good or bad. - A half-truth is a whole lie.
→ Being partially honest is still dishonest. - A jack of all trades is master of none.
→ Knowing a little about everything can mean mastering nothing. - A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on.
→ Lies spread quickly; truth takes time. - A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. (Alexander Pope)
→ Shallow understanding can lead to mistakes. - A loaded wagon makes no noise.
→ Truly wealthy or skilled people don’t boast. - A penny saved is a penny earned. (Benjamin Franklin)
→ Saving money is as good as earning it. - A pot of milk is ruined by a drop of poison.
→ One small bad thing can spoil the whole. - A stitch in time saves nine.
→ Fix small problems early to avoid bigger ones. - Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
→ We miss loved ones more when they’re away. - Act today, only — tomorrow is too late.
→ Don’t procrastinate. - Actions speak louder than words.
→ What you do matters more than what you say. - Advice most needed is least heeded.
→ People often ignore the most important advice. - All the world is your country, to do good is your religion.
→ We should aim to do good everywhere. - All for one and one for all. (The Three Musketeers)
→ Stand together in unity. - All’s well that ends well. (Shakespeare)
→ A happy ending makes everything okay. - All that glitters is not gold. (Shakespeare)
→ Not everything that looks valuable is valuable. - All things come to him who waits.
→ Patience pays off. - An empty vessel makes the most noise.
→ People who know less often talk more. - An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
→ Revenge doesn’t solve problems. - Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies.
→ Don’t ask things you might not want truthful answers to. - As soon as a man is born, he begins to die.
→ Life is fleeting. - A watched pot never boils.
→ Time feels longer when you’re waiting.
🌸 Section B
- Barking dogs seldom bite.
→ Loud complainers rarely take real action. - Before criticizing a man, walk a mile in his shoes.
→ Understand others’ situations before judging. - Better late than never.
→ It’s better to arrive or act late than not at all. - Better safe than sorry.
→ It’s wise to be cautious. - Better the devil you know (than the one you don’t).
→ Familiar problems are easier to handle than unknown ones. - Blood is thicker than water.
→ Family ties are the strongest.
🌸 Section C
- Can’t see the forest for the trees.
→ You miss the big picture because of small details. - Chance favors the prepared mind.
→ Preparation increases your luck. - Charity begins at home.
→ Take care of your own first. - Clothes don’t make the man.
→ Appearances can be deceptive. - Common sense ain’t common.
→ What seems obvious isn’t always so. - Cut your coat according to your cloth.
→ Live within your means. - Cleanliness is next to godliness.
→ Being clean is a virtue.
🌸 Section D
- A dull pencil is greater than the sharpest memory.
→ Writing things down beats trying to remember. - Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
→ You’ll face criticism no matter what you do. - Desperate times call for desperate measures.
→ Tough situations require bold actions. - Does life stop when a pen is out of ink?
→ Life goes on despite small setbacks. - Don’t ask God to guide your footsteps if you’re not willing to move your feet.
→ You need to act, not just pray. - Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
→ Don’t harm those who help you. - Don’t burn your bridges before they’re crossed.
→ Don’t destroy opportunities you might need. - Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
→ Don’t assume success too early. - Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
→ Don’t take on more than you can handle. - Don’t cry over spilt milk.
→ Don’t waste time regretting the past. - Don’t judge a book by its cover.
→ Don’t judge by appearance alone. - Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
→ Don’t exaggerate small issues. - Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
→ Don’t risk everything on one plan. - Don’t put the cart before the horse.
→ Do things in the right order. - Don’t spit into the wind.
→ Don’t act in ways that backfire on you. - Don’t take life too seriously; you’ll never get out of it alive.
→ Enjoy life while you can. - Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom.
→ Questioning leads to understanding. - Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
→ Don’t show up unprepared. - Dreams are not the ones that come when you sleep, but the ones that won’t let you sleep.
→ True dreams drive you to action.
🌸 Section E
- Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
→ Good habits bring success. - The early bird catches the worm.
→ Those who start early get the advantage. - The ends justify the means.
→ Results can make the actions worthwhile. - Every cloud has a silver lining.
→ There’s good in every bad situation. - Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.
→ People want rewards without sacrifice. - Empty vessels make the most noise.
→ Those who know the least talk the most. - Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
→ Learning reveals how much we don’t know.
🌸 Section F
- Faint heart never won a fair lady.
→ Be bold to win love. - Failure is the stepping stone for success.
→ Failure leads to learning. - Falling down does not signify failure, but staying there does.
→ True failure is not getting back up. - First come, first served.
→ The earliest arrivals get the best. - First deserve, then desire.
→ Earn your rewards before wanting them. - Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
→ Learn from being tricked. - For want of a nail the horseshoe was lost.
→ Small things can cause big failures. - Fortune favors the brave.
→ Courage leads to success. - Failure is not falling down; you fail when you don’t get back up.
→ Keep trying after setbacks.
🌸 Section G
- Go with the flow.
→ Adapt to what’s happening around you without resisting too much. - Give and take is fair play.
→ Relationships work best when both sides compromise. - Give a dog a bad name and hang him.
→ Once someone’s reputation is ruined, they will be blamed even if innocent. - Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
→ It’s better to teach someone to be self-sufficient than to offer short-term help. - Give credit where credit is due.
→ Recognize and appreciate others’ contributions fairly.
Variant: Give the Devil his due — even someone disliked deserves fair acknowledgment. - Give, and ye shall receive.
→ Being generous often leads to receiving generosity in return. - Give him an inch and he’ll take a yard.
→ If you allow someone a small favor, they may take much more than you offered. - Give people a common enemy and hopefully they will work together.
→ Shared opposition can unite people who would otherwise not cooperate. - Good fences make good neighbors.
→ Clear boundaries help maintain peaceful relationships. - Good men are hard to find.
→ Truly virtuous or reliable people are rare. - Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ.
→ Smart people may reach similar conclusions, but agreeing doesn’t always mean you’re wise. - Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. — Albert Einstein
→ Innovative or exceptional people are often resisted by the average or narrow-minded. - Green leaves and brown leaves fall from the same tree.
→ Despite differences, we come from the same origin; or, things change over time; or, skill in one area is linked to skill in related areas. - Give respect, take respect.
→ You must show respect to others if you want to be respected in return.
🌸 Section H
- He who is good at excuses is seldom good at anything else.
→ People who constantly make excuses rarely achieve success. - Half a loaf is better than none.
→ Be grateful for what you get, even if it’s not everything you wanted. - Handsome is as handsome does.
→ True beauty comes from actions, not appearance. - Happy wife, happy life.
→ A harmonious relationship often depends on keeping your partner happy. - Haste makes waste.
→ Rushing leads to mistakes and inefficiency. - He who dares wins.
→ Taking risks is often necessary for success. - He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail.
→ Without planning, you are setting yourself up for failure. - Health is better than wealth.
→ Good health is more valuable than money. - He who fails to study the past is doomed to repeat it.
→ Ignoring history leads to making the same mistakes again. - He who hesitates is lost.
→ Delaying decisions can result in missed opportunities. - He who laughs last laughs best.
→ The final outcome matters more than early success. - He who laughs last is the slowest to think.
→ A humorous twist suggesting that delayed laughter may just mean slow comprehension. - He who lives too fast, goes to his grave too soon.
→ A reckless lifestyle can shorten your life. - He who will steal an egg will steal an ox.
→ Small crimes can lead to bigger crimes; someone untrustworthy in little things can’t be trusted in big things. - Help yourself and God will help you.
→ You must make an effort before expecting divine or external assistance. - He who sleeps forgets his hunger.
→ Sleep can provide relief from suffering or unmet needs. - Home is where the heart is.
→ True home is defined by where you feel love and belonging. - Honesty is the best policy.
→ Being truthful is the wisest approach. - Hope for the best, expect the worst.
→ Stay optimistic, but be prepared for possible difficulties. - Hope is life.
→ Hope gives meaning and strength to keep living. - Helping hands are better than praying lips. — Mother Teresa
→ Taking action to help is more effective than just offering words or prayers.
