“A proverb is the wit of one and the wisdom of many”— Lord John Russell
Sometimes what can be expressed in six words has more wisdom than something expressed with sixty, or even six hundred. Even the aforementioned sentence can be boiled down to the maxim: “Less is more.”
Proverbs are shared wisdom and are understood by people through experience and time. To some, they’re witty quotes and nothing more. To others, they are fundamental truths to live by. However, as Lord John Russell said, they are undeniably the wit of one yet the wisdom of many.
Proverbs connect humans in many incredible ways. They’re shared across cultures and civilizations. They connect the young with the old. Ultimately, proverbs are beacons of light to guide all of humanity.
One of my favorite ways of explaining this is a quote by Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski:
“Different people in different parts of the world can be thinking the same thoughts at the same time. It’s an obsession of mine: that different people in different places are thinking the same thing but for different reasons.”
Today, the truth is constantly muddled by our politicians, media, and celebrities. Proverbs, however, guide us to what’s really important during the chaos.
Here are 31 essential proverbs, in no particular order. I hope they enlighten you as they have for me.
1. “If you want your dinner, don’t offend the cook”— Chinese Proverb
Meaning — Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. A great writer once reinterpreted the proverb and wrote “A child should not criticize his parents with the roast beef they bought and cooked still in his mouth.”
2. “To fall into sin is human, to remain in sin is devilish”— Unknown
Meaning — It’s ok to make mistakes. However, once you learn from them, try not to make them again. You’re better than that.
3. “Better to eat food than read the menu”— Unknown
Meaning — Taking time to choose is important, but try not to overthink as much. Also, if you’re the type of person who takes forever to decide at a restaurant — hurry the hell up!
4. “However vast the ocean, the diver’s dimensions remain unchanged”— Unknown
Meaning — Life is a singleplayer game. As the U.S. Air Force says, “Be the calm and the storm.”
5. “If you wish good advice, consult an old man”— Romanian Proverb
Meaning — Wisdom comes with age. Life is a balance of knowing when to diminish your ego in order to learn. Humble yourself around others and listen. They may have something important to say.
6. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”— Latin Proverb
Meaning — Sometimes holding on to something is better than risking it. Ambition shouldn’t be confused with taking unnecessary risks.
7. “No man can guess in cold blood what he may do in a passion”— Unknown
Meaning — Put yourself into new and challenging situations every day. This will prepare you for the inevitable chaotic moments of life. When those situations happen you will be much more level-headed or cold-blooded. Think pragmatically not emotionally.
8. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”— Andrew Grant
Meaning — This proverb isn’t exclusive to interviews. You never know what the day holds in store for you and who you might meet. The great author Dostoevsky wrote to walk with a smile on your face so that you don’t accidentally detour people with your presence
9. “No book is a best seller before it’s published”— Unknown
Meaning — I recently wrote my first book. It was hard but a lot of fun. You need to be on top of yourself like a drill sergeant screaming at new recruits. However, it’s worth it in the end. Especially since who knows the kind of reach you will have.
10. “Still waters run deep”— Latin Proverb
Meaning — Reserved people are often the most interesting. Additionally, William Shakespeare wrote in “Henry VI” that they could also be the most dangerous people. “Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep / And in his simple show he harbors treason.”
11. “Don’t cast your pearls before swine.”— Matthew 7:6
Meaning — Do not waste good advice or work on people who do not appreciate it. It’s their loss.
12. “Learning without wisdom is a load of books on an ass’s back”— Japanese Proverb
Meaning — When knowledge meets experience it creates wisdom. It’s why old people are often so wise. Learn as much as you can and they go and apply it.
13. “United we stand, divided we fall”— Aesop
Meaning — This is 2020 in a nutshell. Empires destroy themselves from within. Try not to demonize someone you disagree with. Instead, try to understand them and what made them that way. We’re all wired differently but at the end of the day, most of us want peace, love, and happiness. Don’t let someone’s political affiliation complicate that for you.
14. “One hates not the person, but the vice”— Unknown
Meaning — Once again, try not to demonize people, but instead, their behaviors.
15. “One volunteer is worth two pressed men”— Thomas Hearne
Meaning — People will take notice of your enthusiasm to help them out. If they have to press you for help — they’ll remember that too.
16. “Vows made in storms are forgotten in calms”— Thomas Fuller
Meaning — When the pressure is on many of us will rise to the challenge. If we get a great workout with a friend or stay after hours to get ahead on a project, we proclaim we will do it again! However, when our lives get hard, or no one is around to give us motivation — when we’re in a “calm”— we abandon our sanctimonious proclamation.
17. “A watched pot never boils”— English Proverb
Meaning — Time goes slower when you are anxiously waiting for something to happen. Be like Warren Buffet when he’s investing: “Set it and forget it.”
18. “Even Homer sometimes nods”— Unknown
Meaning — In reference to the genius Greek poet Homer, whose epic poems contain several apparent errors in continuity. Even the most gifted can fall victim to mistakes.
19. “Ignorance and incuriosity are two very soft pillows”— French Proverb
Meaning — Two characteristics that are the most crippling in modernity. Learn until you die.
20. “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”— British Proverb
Meaning — Money is best used for professional work. If you aren’t passionate about something then outsource it. For example, I designed the cover of my eBook because I like graphic design, but I paid good money to a pro for the page layout. Use money to alleviate stress.
21. “If the beginning is good, the end must be perfect”— Iranian Proverb
Meaning — Some will say it’s the journey, not the destination. It’s somewhat true, but it’s the cherry on top that makes the sundae, I always say. The ending makes the masterpiece.
22. “Piss not against the wind”— Unknown
Meaning — It’s good figurative and practical advice.
23. “Prettiness dies first”— English Proverb
Meaning — Your good looks will be the first thing to fade. Hopefully, your character and virtue will be the last.
24. “The best fish swim near the bottom and they are therefore the most difficult to catch”— Unknown
Meaning — As clinical psychologist and philosopher Jordan Peterson puts it, “do what is meaningful, not what is expedient.” The best things are hard to come by. If you’re patient, prudent, and disciplined, they will come to you.
25. “To err is human, to forgive is divine”— Alexander Pope
Meaning — Forgiveness is our most holy quality. Love starts with forgiveness.
26. “Envy shoots at others and wounds herself”— Costa Rican Proverb
Meaning — As I once wrote, comparing ourselves is natural and unavoidable. However, once negative emotions are attached to those comparisons, we begin to lose ourselves.
27. “A man apt to promise is apt to forget”— Thomas Fuller
Meaning — My dad never made promises to me as a kid. He‘d tell me he was going to do something and then would do it. Additionally, he never used the word promise. I think it’s an unnecessary word. Tell someone you’re going to do something and then do it.
28. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”— Matthew 19:24
Meaning — No, this doesn’t mean that rich people are damned to burn in the eternal lake of fire. I interpret this scripture as the more money and success you get, the harder it is to hold yourself accountable.
29. “Anger ends in cruelty”— Unknown
Meaning — Once again, love starts with forgiveness.
30. “Murder often: divorce NEVER!”— Joyce Brothers
Meaning — It’s not as cynical as it sounds. If your friend, family member, or significant other has annoyed, aggravated, or even hurt you, consider murder, not divorce. In other words, express your disappointment, get loud, tell them how much they hurt you. Moreover, do not do something in one second that ends that relationship forever. “Divorce NEVER.” (Well, unless it really is unsavable; which in that case, I’m sorry).
31. “Proverbs cannot be contradicted”— Unknown
Meaning — Oh yes, yes they can.