Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Book of Quotations and Proverbs
The Book of Quotations and Proverbs
Proverbs
Introduction...................................................................................................................3
Top 10 Buddha Quotes....................................................................................................4
Action.........................................................................................................................5
Anger, Forgiveness, and Compassion...........................................................6
Life and Living........................................................................................................8
Love, Connection, and Unity...........................................................................10
Mind, Thought, and Thinking..........................................................................11
Personal Development......................................................................................12
Self-Reliance..........................................................................................................13
Speech.....................................................................................................................13
Truth.........................................................................................................................15
..............................................................................................16
10 Golden Islamic Quotes For A Muslim.....................................................................16
10 Great Jewish Proverbs..............................................................................................16
Self Improvement...................................................................................................16
Pride..........................................................................................................................16
Giving........................................................................................................................17
Friends......................................................................................................................17
Knowledge................................................................................................................17
Aspiration.................................................................................................................17
Prayer........................................................................................................................17
Endure......................................................................................................................17
Good Deeds..............................................................................................................17
Learn.........................................................................................................................17
Confucius says: The Top 10 Quotes by Confucius.........................................................17
Your Top Ten Hopi Tribe Quotes:..................................................................................18
.......................................................................................................................................20
Proverbs-Pulareeje.........................................................................................................20
SOME POPULAR ETHIOPIAN SAYINGS AND PROVERBS WITH THEIR
TRANSLATION AND EXPLANATION IN ENGLISH. 8..........................................31
Egyptian Proverbs..........................................................................................................36
German Proverbs and Quotations..................................................................................41
56 Ukrainian Proverbs................................................................................................45
Introduction
This compilation of sayings and proverbs is intended to further assist us in
coming to terms with the environment in which we live, to facilitate the
deepening of our understanding of the challenges and opportunities provided
by the society, to enable us to better understand our own state of being
within the existing socio-economic system in which we live.
Most importantly it is intended to help us to better guide our own efforts and
the efforts of the youth among us. It is the nature of youth to measure from
now to some place in the future while it is the nature of those who have
lived to measure from some given point in the past to a given point in the
present. It is human nature , that those who have lived and have seen the
world to tell the youth of the worlds they have seen and in so doing help the
youth to avoid some of the errors they made and in the selecting of safe and
reliable paths to that future, which the youth seeks. In this cycle of life, those
who have seen the world and the youth stands as equal partners in the
creation of now and co-creators of the sense of I am. Proverbs and
sayings are in their essence summaries of the experiences of those who have
lived and have seen the world. These two sources of knowledge are in this
sense gifts from those who have lived before, to us, to act as guides and sign
posts in our building of the various nows in which we live.
The location of Atlantis , that place of excellence, is probably not to be
found in the city, town or in the village but rather in one or more of the
dimension of our sense of I am , i.e. a place internal to the individual, and
in my approach and attitude to the world. Here again, proverbs and saying,
play can play a critical role in the development of our senses of I am and in
the molding and forming of our attitude and approach to the world.
One however, must realize the role played by the questions :-Who? Where
When? What? And How? In determining what is reasonable and what is not, in
determining what is possible and what is not. A person who wishes to
emulate Picasso and to excel in that school of art, does not go living in Saudi
Arabia, there that place of excellence, Atlantis will not and can never be
found. If one wishes to be a student of Greek philosophy and the Greek
system of governance , does not go living in China ; there Atlantis will not be
found. I one wishes to practice cutting edge medicine, one does not go living
in Nepal; there that place where excellence is normal and possible, Atlantis
will not be found.
In other words, one has to take the socio=cultural environment into
consideration, if one has an interest in striving for excellence in a given
defined field. By taking them into consideration, one avoids conflicts and
externally imposed and enforced conflicts and frustrations in the search for
professional excellence and success. It is better to run behind the leaders in
ones field than to become a prisoner of failures. The study of proverbs and
sayings help us in guiding our choices, in our selections of what we do and
where we live.
Here I wish to hasten to point out, that this compilation, does not in any way
seek to replace the Books of Solomon as are written in the Bible , but rather
to compliment these books as sources of guidance to living in the world as it
is today. I also hope that the compilation meets the needs of the lawyers of
the families.
This compilation is presented with the needs of the Fletchers, Manakers and
Morgans families in mind and I do hope that it will if only in part, satisfy
those needs.
Basil Fletcher
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
Buddha
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life;
foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
Buddha
Anger, Forgiveness, and Compassion
Buddha
To understand everything is to forgive everything.
Buddha
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by
your anger.
Buddha
Fear
What do Buddha quotes teach us about fear? Trade your fear for
freedom.
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.
Buddha
The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will
become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all
help are you freed.
Buddha
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil,
one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these
feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
Buddha
Health
What do Buddha quotes teach us about health? A healthy mind and
body empower us for life.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings,
and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an
impartial eye.
Buddha
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a
spiritual life.
Buddha
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears
from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful
mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the
light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
Buddha
Life is suffering.
Buddha
On lifes journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter,
wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by
night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
Buddha
The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.
Buddha
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.
Buddha
To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as ones own in
the midst of abundance.
Buddha
When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head
back and laugh at the sky.
Buddha
You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.
Buddha
Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to
give yourself to it.
Buddha
Love, Connection, and Unity
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Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea
of Unity are already two.
Buddha
You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is
more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and
that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as
anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.
Buddha
You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve
your love and affection.
Buddha
Buddha
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no
matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and
your own common sense.
Buddha
He is able who thinks he is able.
Buddha
It is a mans own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil
ways.
Buddha
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
Buddha
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.
Buddha
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With
our thoughts, we make the world.
Buddha
Personal Development
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Buddha
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good
principle was never found solitary in any breast.
Buddha
To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.
Buddha
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
Buddha
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the
mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Buddha
Self-Reliance
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Truth
What do Buddha quotes teach us about truth? Its all around us.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create
distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Buddha
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth;
not going all the way, and not starting.
Buddha
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the
truth.
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Buddha
Note that many of these quotes are not actual quotes from Gautama
Buddha, as you can see at www.fakebuddhaquotes.com. That said,
find the words that inspire you in some way.
by Confucius
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5.
5. "The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the
inferior man is aware of advantage."
6. 6. "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."
7. 7. "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in
getting up every time we do."
8. 8. "He who learns but does not think, is lost. He who
thinks but does not learn is in great danger."
9. 9. "He that would perfect his work must first sharpen
his tools."
10.
10. "If you look into your own heart, and you find
nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about?
What is there to fear?"
49 Ashanti
Proverbs
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29. Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the
spots.
30. The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town.
The poor man and the rich man do not play together.
32. The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.
33. There is no medicine to cure hatred.
34. True power comes through cooperation and silence.
35. Two men in a burning house must not stop to argue.
36. Two small antelopes can beat a big one.
37. What is bad luck for one man is good luck for another.
38. When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful.
39. When a man is coming toward you, you need not say:
"Come here."
40. When a man is wealthy, he may wear an old cloth.
41. When a woman is hungry, she says, "Roast something for
the children that they might eat."
42. When rain beats on a leopard it wets it, but rain does not
wash out its spots.
43. When the cock is drunk, he forgets about the hawk.
44. When the fool is told a proverb, its meaning has to be
explained to him.
45. When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you
are despised.
46. When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to
walk like him.
47. When you go to someone else's house and the owner is
squatting there on the ground, you do not ask for a stool.
48. Wood already touched by fire is not hard to set alight.
49. You must act as if it is impossible to fail.
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Proverbs-Pulareeje
In serious talk or in ordinary conversation, Africans liked to start with
a proverb that speaks about the topic of the moment. The use of
proverbs in Africa is a very powerful communication form. It allows
people to understand the meaning quickly and also to remember what
was said long after the conversation or the meeting is over. Indeed in
the African context, a proverb is worth a thousand words!
Although they may be based on given cultures and traditions,
proverbs are usually essentially expressions of universal truths. In
their application proverbs are not necessarily tied down to the
community that first produced them. A Fulani can easily adopt a
proverb from another ethnic group and make it appropriately fit
his/her circumstance. Proverbs are usually short and highly
condensed sayings, which are generally anonymous in their
authorship and authoritative in its application. Brevity is, therefore,
one characteristic of a proverb, and this brevity helps to make
proverbs memorable, that is, easy to learn and retain in memory.
Some proverbs are musical, and rhythmic as is shown by the
following Fulani proverb, Feere fendi fettande kono virazam haazaani
(The need to create made sour milk, but fresh milk is not bitter).
The use of proverbs as a source of moral authority is facilitated by
their nature. In their brevity, musicality, and depth of meaning,
proverbs are not only easily memorable, they are also easy to apply at
appropriate occasions. It is their nature, incidentally, that makes it
possible for them to be easily used in everyday speech. They help
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enrich and add color to everyday speech, as they help a speaker make
a point briefly, sometimes with devastating effect.
As distilled accumulation of time-tested experiences, and ancestral
wisdom, proverbs are also useful in the transmission of what are
perceived as adequate and desirable moral standards and healthy
social interaction. Proverbs initiate youth into adulthood, especially
in societies where they are the preserve of elders. And as the youth
are initiated into adulthood, they absorb the codes of human behavior
as they prepare for future roles as guardians of ancestral wisdom and
culture.
The following are proverbs from all over Africa. They are grouped into
categories, but with many overlapping.
Proverbs
Common sense
* A hunter who has only one arrow does not shoot with careless aim.
When a palm-branch reaches its height, it gives way for a fresh one to
grow.
* One cannot go back to the farmer from whom one borrowed seedyams to plant to say that the beetles have eaten up the seed-yams.
* If one were to remove every smoking wood from a fire and condemn
it as bad, one would be killing the fire itself.
* It is the brutally outspoken man that earns enmity.
* The elephant and the tiger do not go hunting on the same pasture.
* A farmer does not boast that he has had a good harvest until his
stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season.
* He who pursues an innocent chicken always stumbles.
The fish that can see that its water is getting shallower cannot be
stranded.
* Without knowing a way thoroughly at day time, never attempt to
pass it at night.
* It is not enough to run, one must arrive and know when one has
arrived.
It is a lazy man who says "it is only because I have no time that my
farm is overgrown with weeds".
* Every river knows where its water would not be soaked up into the
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Hard work
away.
* A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is bad.
Cooperation
* The calf shouldnt be in a hurry to grow horns; hell have them until
he dies.
* A speedy wrestling and a bad fall go hand in hand.
* Patient people are patient to gain longevity.
* However long the moon disappears, someday it must shine again.
It is little by little that a bird builds its nest.
* The thirsty fig sits waiting patiently, waiting for the arrival of the
rains.
* One does not become a master diviner in a day. A forest is not made
in a season. The swoop of an eagle has seen many seasons and
floods...
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* It is not only the hare, the tortoise arrives also at the destination.
Kindness
Honesty
Thoughtfulness
Sharing/Generosity
Greed
* A bag that says it will not take more, and a traditional doctor who
says he would not leave anything behind are both sure to suffer.
Good Behavior
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* A man who is advised and he takes it, is still a man who acts from
his own free will.
* When a ripe fruit sees an honest man, it drops.
* When a fowl gets to a new town, it stands on one leg until it knows
that
* it is a town where people stand on their two legs.
A man who has one finger pointing at another has three pointing
towards himself.
* The man who is honored, has first honored himself.
* Greatness and beauty do not belong to the gods alone.
* Antagonism is not good for fowls, and it is not good for goats; worse
still, it is not good for human beings.
* Our examples are like seeds on a windy day, they spread far and
wide.
* A clay pot of water is never hot-tempered.
* A person who picks something and decides to make it his own,
ought to think how he would feel if he was the person who lost the
property he picked.
* He who is called a man must behave like a man.
* One must have to wait till the evening of one's life time to know
what gratitude to pay to one's guardian spirit.
Consequences
* A man who is advised and he takes it, is still a man who acts from
his own free will.
* If hunger forces a farmer in a particular year to eat both his yam
tubers and the seed-yams, the succeeding years would still be worse
because hewould have no yams to eat and none to plant.
* Sometimes the rain might force a man more than once to seek
shelter under the same tree.
* When the roots of a tree begin to decay, it spreads death to the
branches.
* It is the fear of what tomorrow may bring that makes the tortoise to
carry his house along with him wherever he goes.
* He who digs a pit for others must invariably fall into it.
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Peace
* Let's fight, let's fight, no one knows whom fighting would favor.
* Two men quarreling do not share the same seat on a canoe.
* To have no enemies is equivalent to wealth.
* If the owner of two adjacent farms cannot be friends, then they
must wait till their next reincarnation to be able to make friends.
* Whoever says "let's fight" does not know who will be victorious.
* When a man finds that he was wrong to have refused to eat, he
should leave his anger and play a harp to call for harmony.
* Without retaliation evils would one day become extinct from the
world.
* A spacious ground is the right place to demonstrate one's skill in
wrestling.
* If you come to the village of the blind, close an eye until you leave.
An old banana leaf was once young and green.
* Old age does not come in just one day.
Courage
Family
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* We can not choose who our relatives should be, even though we may
come to like some better than others.
* When a man loses his prestige, he does not regain it by going to
where he is not known.
* A good name is better than gold.
* A piece of iron can only become what the blacksmith says it should
become.
* It is the habit that a child forms at home, that follows them to their
marriage.
* It is an irresponsible adult that creates enmity because of a
disagreement that arises between two children.
* A child is what you put into him.
* Talks that are considered to be important must be made to drag on
for so long as to make even the deaf begin to hear it.
* Criticism is easy but it does not create.
* Love is better than a whip.
* A child who has no mother will not have scars to show on his back.
* Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow
that remains constant in his hands.
Friendship
* The eyes can see what they dont like to see, but legs will go only to
place they like to go.
* If a person returns to where he/she went yesterday, he/she liked
where he/she went yesterday.
* To eat from the same pot with another man, is to take an oath of
perpetual friendship with him.
* If one imitates the upright, one becomes upright; if one imitates the
crooked, one becomes crooked.
* Rather than tell a lie to help a friend, it is better to assist him in
paying the fine for his offense.
Survival
* It is the toothless animal that arrives first at the base of the fruit
tree, to eat his fill before others arrive.
* If the load is too heavy for someone to carry, one would be better off
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* When one is taking a chicken from its roost, the hen is bound to
attack with at least its claws.
* A pad that breaks a pot of water does not remain on the head.
* A bush fowls' playground is never appreciably spacious.
* If the owner of a calabash calls it a worthless calabash, others will
join him to use it to pack rubbish.
* What affects the nose must also affect the eyes that must weep for it.
* If a greedy eater is near a patient, such a patient can never survive.
* There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk.
No elephant is burdened by the weight of its tusks.
* When the elderly ones in a house travel, the younger ones quickly
grow in experience.
* If a soup is sweet, it is money that cooks it.
* A glorious past is the work of a glorious man.
* The responsibility of power is like holding an egg. Grasp it too
tightly and it will drip through your fingers; hold it too loosely and it
will drop and break.
Misceallaneous
* The need to create made sour milk, but fresh milk is not bitter
* The goat that cries the loudest is not the one that will eat the most.
* It is the self-love of the king parrot that made him become a
talkative.
* The owl is the wisest of all birds because the more it sees, the less it
talks.
* If gold rusts, what will iron do?
* A masquerade does not perform to an outside audience until he
performs well at the home base.
* Our elders quote the cock as saying that "it would not be good if one
becomes the only person in the world, and that is why they crow every
morning to show their number".
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father in the chair. "The criminal code states", said the father/the
judge, "there is exception to theft. If a person steals because he is very
hungry, it can't be a crime." The victimes reply, "Your honour, the kid
was not hungry we have asked him while we come to hear. And, Your
honour, how could a judge's son be hungry enough to steal? We rest
our case." The judge verdicted, "he is not found guilty. He is my son
and only I know how much hungry he was. I have not feed him
yesterday and today. So, he is acquitted." Then he freed the kid. The
victims complain citing the proverb. "How can fairness work, while
judge is the father, and kid is the robber."
43."::::" (Yechegerew erguz yagebal.) [="A
man in trouble will marry a pregnant."]
This one is an expression of difficulty that forces you choose what you
don't want to, had not the trouble has happened to you. If a man is in
dillema, he is likely to be very glad to marry a pregnatnt woman and
alleviate his trouble. This proverb tells, it is good to accept even
unpleasant things that might give a little ease to ones problems. e.g. "I
have no means of transport in this busy week. A man in trouble
marries a pregnant. How do you expect I would refuse to get up 5:00,
cutting my sleep, and wait for your lift!"
44.":::::" (Meblatuan satawq
ejuan tatebech.) [="She washed her hand before she knows
she will eat."]
This one express one has gone a pace/work far forward, before one is
sure he/she will succed in passing the path before the pace one has
reached. It is silly and unnecessary to do something that should have
been done after a preceeding job is finished. e.g. "It is silly of her to
call her friends for a party, before she completely finishes the deal
and process of buying the villa. It has become like, she washed her
hand before she is sure she will be served a meal."
45.":::::" (gulcha mekeyayer wot ayataftm.)
[="Changing the stove do not make the stew any better."]
This famous axiom is told to express when to do something is
completely useless. A thing may not make any difference to your
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problem. You will be told this proverb, if you such meaningless thing.
It is like to change your stove when you prepare your stew, hoping
that will make the stew more delicious. But that is uneccessary and
silly thing. e.g. "Dad? I want to wear the black socks for my soccer
match tomorrow. Swap mine blue with yours, please." "Dont worry
about such things, lad! You win not because you are pedant (about
your socks), but because of your asiduosness and hard work. To
change the stew and the socks makes the stew and the game no
better. Your adeptness decides every thing."
46."::::::" (Sew yewushet
eyenore ye ewunet ymotal.) [="Man lives feigning, but die
truely."]
This is told to preach frankness. Who says this proberb believes, ones
life should be genuin, in a sense that, man have to show its true
feelings and needs rather than hiding ones identity and live
pretending. It tells, concealing your exact identity and showing your
false life is to lead a sham life. But you die not in a bogus way as you
lived. Therefore, you have to be straightforward and plain. You must
show your true identity and behave as who you are. Unless you lead a
false life, with a real (true) death coming soon, to culminate your
facade life. e.g. "Hey, Dawit. Let's go to Arba Minch for a week
vacation." "Sorry, Hirrut. I can't stand with false identity any more. I
am poor and I can't afford even my little rent expense. I have seen it
true-man lives pretending but pass away really. I must lead my
genuin life."
47.":::::" (Dirr biabr anbessa yasr.) [="A
cotton fiber, if united, will tie a lion."]
This one teaches unity is strength. 'Dirr' is a very slender fiber made
from unprocessed (raw) cotton with hand, mostly by women. It is not
strong and gets cut very easily. But it is finally united with many
'dirr's in a cottage industry and make what is called 'Gabi' and
'Netella', wh ich are big garments ( used as cloaks and blankets). So, if
the little fiber is united, it will tie a lion. The thing to be learnt here is
that unity adds strength and make difficult or impossible things
easier.
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35
16. The one who persists in asking question he learn the death
of his Mother.
17. The poor man pleads, the judge listens.
18. They snatched from me my own cry.
19. To lie about a far country is easy.
20. When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
21. When they wish to eat a vulture, they call it a guinea fowl.
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Egyptian Proverbs
Egyptian Proverbs were a very important part of the Ancient religion of
Egypt, one of the main religious concepts the Egyptians had was "know
yourself." Their spiritual aspect of this concept held that within man is
the divine essence of the Creator and the heavens. And this finds
expression in their teaching: "The kingdom of heaven is within you; and
whosoever shall know himself shall find it.". Proverbs were held as a
teaching method for a man to understand the universe, thus they were
inscribed intemples and tombs of Egypt, these inscriptions might be the
first Holy Book known by man.
Below are some of the powerful teachings proverbs found in
the temples of Luxor.
- The best and shortest road towards knowledge of truth is Nature.
- For every joy there is a price to be paid.
- If his heart rules him, his conscience will soon take the place of the
rod.
- What you are doing does not matter so much as what you are learning
from doing it. ? It is better not to know and to know that one does not
know, than presumptuously to attribute some random meaning to
symbols.
- If you search for the laws of harmony, you will find knowledge.
- If you are searching for a Neter, observe Nature!
Exuberance is a good stimulus towards action, but the inner light grows
in silence and concentration.
- Not the greatest Master can go even one step for his disciple; in
himself he must experience each stage of developing consciousness.
Therefore he will know nothing for which he is not ripe.
- The body is the house of god. That is why it is said, "Man know
yourself."
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39
40
- The seed includes all the possibilities of the tree.... The seed will
develop these possibilities, however, only if it receives corresponding
energies from the sky.
- Grain must return to the earth, die, and decompose for new growth to
begin.
- Man, know yourself... and you shalt know the gods.
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59. To change and to change for the better are two different things.
Czech Proverbs
44
45
7. You are so many times a human how many languages you know.
8. Consider each day of your life as the best.
9. He who saves shall have as much as three.
10. Only in water can you learn to swim.
11. The fish does not go after the hook, but after the bait.
12. A dog that barks doesn't bite.
13. It is usually dark below the candlestick.
14. The Lord will drench you with His showers, but he will dry you with His sun.
15. After a battle, everyone is a general.
16. Even small fish are fish.
17. Laws without penalties are like bells without clappers.
18. The one who sits on the ground need not fear a fall.
19. As one makes his bed, that way he shall lie down.
20. Everywhere is well, at home it's best.
21. Learn a new language and get a new soul.
22. The person who God shows a treasure to must dig it out himself.
23. As one sows, so shall he reap.
24. Forbidden fruit tastes best. Forbidden fruit tastes best.
25. Love is partner of blindness.
26. The way to be safe is never to feel secure.
27. Beer makes beautiful bodies.
28. God's mills mill slowly, but surely.
29. Love is sweet captivity.
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56 Ukrainian Proverbs
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