Polish Proverbs

• What would Adam do if God had not planted Eve in Paradise?
  • let the lawyer have his head, and the horse should have legs
  • appetite grows during the  eating of the meal
  • A woman down  from a cart, horses have an easier job
  • without curiosity there is no wisdom
  • no cake, not a wedding
  • without people even a  paradise will get bored
  • no pain, no gain
  • there is no matzo without work
  • without a job there is no pay
  • honor is hard to come without a job
  • there is no honey without the effort
  • poor with children, even poorer  without children
  • a poor wife who has a drunkard husband
  • When you are poor, there is always wind blowing  in your eyes
  • It does not matter what  size of the person is  if there is no wisdom in the head
  • an apple falls near its apple tree
  • God gives nothing without work
  • God has given, God has taken
  • God will not forsake whoever falls on him
  • God helps those who help themselves
  • God on his tongue, and the devil is in his heart
  • for the rich, the devil rocks children
  • Bow down to God, and do not anger the devil
  • Serve God, and do not anger the devil
  • A candle to God and a stump to the devil
  • be afraid in January of spring because March is jealous
  • be in Rome and not see the Pope
  • there were two wise brothers, and the third was married
  • all wisdom does not fit in one head
  • the ends justify the means
  • if you want to meet a friend, you have to eat a barrel of salt with him

• you want to get to heaven, do not pity the poor for a bite of bread
  • bread cries when they eat it for free
  • Bread acquired by work, it can be tasty and filling
  • he lost the bread, but he did not find the bun
  • Saint Agatha’s bread guards the hut from the fire
  • the bread on the way is not heavy
  • bread, beer, and light adorn the nobleman
  • people enslave people with bread and salt
  • a speaking peasant, and the hunting cat will not starve to death
  • the peasant will not cross himself until he hears lightning
  • the peasant will do what he must
  • they do not measure the peasant with a bushel
  • although the sun is warming up in April, sometimes the field will blow snow
  • the still waters rips the shore
  • curiosity is the first step to hell
  • virtue passes learning
  • virtue always comes out for good
  • two heads are better than one
  • every country is a custom
  • every March will bake, April will dry
  • what a husband is a serpent, what a wife is a martyr’s crown
  • What has done  is done
  • what’s mine, it is not a stranger
  • out of sight, out of heart
  • what too much is not healthy

• someone else’s work does not enrich you
  • practice makes perfect
  • time heals wounds
  • time is money
  • sometimes in February it is sharply forged, sometimes in February it is only spilled
  • sometimes February takes pity that a man feels like spring;  but sometimes he gets so angry that a man can hardly bear it
  • what little Johnny does not learn at school , the grown-up John will not know
  • what Christ does not take, the tax office will kidnap
  • what the eye cannot see, the heart does not regret
  • June – a break because it interrupts the economy until the harvest
  • June after rainy May is often rainy in our country
  • June turns red.  There will be enough in your pocket
  • June was constant, December was perfect
  • man thinks, God draws
  • man shoots, God carries bullets
  • what the shell soaks in when it is young, it smacks in old age
  • give the hen a perch, and she: I will go higher
  • a gift horse is not looked into the teeth
  • the rains on the first and second July herald a forty-day rain
  • the devil is not sleeping
  • the devil puts on his chasuble and calls the masses with his tail
  • the devil is in the details
  • not difficult for one who wants it
  • for bread, not for heaven, he wants to be a priest
  • for two cocks there is not enough space for one manure
  • pleasing children for every mother
  • too much for the cat, too little for the dog
  • to my father for a penny, to my mother for a shirt
  • pray to the Lord God, and do not offend the devil
  • third time a charm
  • good wife -is a  husband’s crown
  • a good wife prides herself on cooking what her husband likes
  • a married couple is a paradise on earth
  • good nest good tribe
  • a good son is never forgotten by God
  • good bread with salt, as long as it is with good will
  • good bread when you do not have cake
  • good joke worth a coin
  • hell is paved with good intentions

• the jug carries the  water until its ear won’t  breaks off
  • children and fish have no voice
  • fortune goes on and on
  • when February is without winds, in April the wind does not disappoint
  • When it is warm in February, cold in March, winter lasts for a long time, it is undoubtedly
  • when the cat is away, the mice play
  • when the frost is harsh in February, then the winter is not long
  • when October keeps warm, winter is usually cold
  • when the family lives in harmony, its poverty will not prosper
  • when you are in a hurry, the devil is happy
  • when the devil gets old he wants to become a monk
  • Whenever a tree is felled, all the chips are collected
  • when the thunder in July hits from noon, the trees are harmed and unwell
  • when January is not cold, March and April will cool down
  • when the sun bakes in July, the storm is near
  • When  it rains in January, it makes bad hopes
  • when the wolf grows old, the crow will nibble on him
  • when the hair turns gray, the mind will mature
  • if grandma had a mustache, she would be grandfather
  • if the goat had not jumped, it would not have broken its leg
  • wherever there is bread, there will be teeth
  • where the devil cannot, he will send a woman there
  • where the wood cuts, the chips fly
  • where two are fighting, the third is benefiting
  • where one bone, and two cubs – there is a room unknown
  • where  there is six cooks , there is nothing to eat
  • where work, diligence on guard, there is no need to enter
  • The same in  Rome, as is Crimea
  • wherever you like to work, the effort is generously paid
  • where many commanders are, the battle is lost
  • hunger – the best cook
  • bread is the only thing to the hungry mind
  • hungry will remind the hungry
  • you cannot pierce the wall with your head
  • they do not sow stupid ones; they are born themselves
  • guest in the house God in the house
  • the habit does not make a monk
  • fool the soul – there is no hell
  • rogue work is wasted
  • Even the king will be eaten by worms
  • and on the old bush the roses bloom
  • and you need to share the last bite of bread with your brother
  • Even in Paris they will not make rice out of  oats
  • When  the wolf is full,  the sheep are safe
  • as much wine in the head, so much truth in the word
  • the older the cat, the harder the tail
  • the bigger the work, the nicer the toil is
  • the turkey thought about Sunday, and on Saturday it was beheaded
  • an apple from an apple tree is rolling nearby
  • the egg wants to be smarter than the hen
  • an egg smarter than a chicken
  • How they see you, that is how they perceive you
  • Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
  • when a dog eats, it does not bark, because its bowl is escaping
  • if you do not have what you like, you like what you have
  • when you do not have what you say, you lie, who you play with
  • as he courted, he promised it;  when he got it, he stopped
  • when you make your own bed, this is how you  will sleep
  • what an apple tree, such an apple
  • what to have, so to eat
  • what a mother, such a daughter
  • what wages, such work
  • what work, such pay
  • like bread, like crust, like mother, like daughter
  • like father Like Son
  • what mothers, such children
  • One swallow does not make spring
  • if it is hot with hay and harvest, it is a harsh and troublesome winter, and if it is rainy, a lot of mud in winter
  • if you step among the crows, you must croak as them
  • it is a virtue to keep one’s mouth shut off
  • he had not yet been born that would please everyone
  • yet there was nothing for an egg to teach a hen
  • if a bee flies out of the hive in January, it seldom promises us a successful year
  • every dog  praises its tail
  • each wagtail praises its tail
  • every job has a payoff
  • when a peasant has many children, he is rich;  when you have a lot of children, he is poor
  • you will not get far with a lie
  • lie has short legs
  • whom God does not give reason, the smith does not teach him
  • who will be hurt by the bread, and who will be helped by the stick
  • whom the bread harms, the stick will help
  • for whom work is a problem, oh!  oh!  he will cry out later
  • Who in the way this time
  • the horse has four legs and will stumble too
  • they forge the horse, the frog takes the leg
  • the cat has maimed the kitten, the cat will heal the kitten
  • the cat is washing, there will be guests
  • the blacksmith was at fault, and the
  • stolen food  does not make you fat
  • a cow that makes a lot of  noise gives very  little milk
  • the crow will not cut the eye of the crow
  • the curve of work does not pay off
  • the priest does not speak the sermons twice
  • whoever serves God, lends it happiness
  • whoever wants heaven must suffer, and whoever wants bread must work
  • if you want to live off your job, you do not need to worry
  • You will catch more flies with honey than with the vinegar
  • whoever despises bread, it is the Lord God more
  • whoever gives and take it back , he will boils in hell
  • those who work in summer do not feel hungry in winter
  • whoever has hands to work will eat a cup of cake
  • whoever is lucky, an ox will bear a calf to him
  • Whoever lives by the sword dies by the sword
  • whoever refuses to bear work has nothing to eat
  • whoever has no daughters has no children
  • who is unlucky in cards is lucky in love
  • whoever is not in the head is in the legs
  • whoever does not take advantage walks without shoes
  • whoever does not listen to his brother will hear the whip
  • whoever does not listen to their father or mother will be beaten by their own children
  • whoever brings it to the mill first, they will grind it first
  • first come first serve
  • whoever digs the holes under whom, the same falls into them
  • who comes late hurts himself
  • whoever gets up in the morning, God gives them
  • Those who are lazy to work are not worth eating roasts
  • who likes it, it cares
  • whoever gets burned when hot, blows cold
  • whoever is not lazy makes gold out of stones
  • whoever is born in May is doing well
  • who is ashamed of work, not worth the bread and cakes
  • who sows the wind reaps the storm
  • whoever seeks will find it
  • whoever looks at the cold in July will suffer hunger in the winter
  • whoever sows, reaps the storm
  • whoever starts with God, he will do carefully
  • who is with God, God is with him
  • whoever drinks with the peasant lies also with him under the fence
  • who stops with whom becomes so
  • whoever lives by the work of his hands will soon become fat
  • who is foolish by nature, will not buy a brain in Paris
  • strike while the iron is hot
  • April plait, because it intertwines a bit of winter, a bit of summer
  • April, which is wet with rain, bears a lot of fruit
  • it came lightly, it went lightly
  • better to give to children than to take from children
  • better late than never
  • it is better to lose with the wise than to find with the fool
  • prevention is better than cure
  • the better is the enemy of the good
  • better woodpecker in hand than eagle on a knot
  • Half a loaf is better than nothing

• better peas and cabbage at home than a fat hen in war
  • better sparrow in hand than dove on the roof
  • a wise head enough to have two words
  • The person is wise only  after the damage is done
  • the wise will accept advice, the fool will despise it
  • Vanity of vanities, all is vanity
  • the husband advises, and the wife has authority
  • love is blind
  • love begets love
  • lazy youth, weepy old age
  • the young may die and the old must
  • speech is silver, and silence is golden
  • the mice play when they do not feel the cat
  • the sun shines alike on the manure and the rose
  • on the thief’s cap burning
  • hope is the mother of fools
  • darkest is under the lantern
  • the hardest step is to take the first step
  • most often the fat belly has a hollow head
  • best rule – look at your neighbor’s cards
  • nature drags the wolf into the forest
  • learning without virtue as the sword of the madman: it hurts both oneself and people
  • you brewed beers, you must drink them now
  • even the gallows are nicer in company
  • nothing of  bread when teeth are missing
  • do not praise the day before sunset
  • it is not the time to regret the roses when the forests are burning
  • do not do to others what you unpleasant
  • honey is too good for a bear
  • there is no smoke without fire
  • there is no rose without thorns
  • every cloud has a silver lining
  • a job that is not always paid for is not pleasant
  • do not tell anyone what is happening at home
  • do not let go, it is not my mother who gives me a little: work, willingness, beautiful manners
  • The Time was not built in a day
  • the ox did not remember any more, when he  was a calf
  • do not do what is unpleasant to another
  • man does not live by bread alone
  • not saints make pots
  • no clothes make the man
  • not as terrible as the devil is painted
  • all that glitters is not gold
  • do not call the wolf out of the woods
  • The sons of good parents are not always good
  • let not the left hand know what the right hand is doing
  • the absent are not right
  • misfortunes come in pairs
  • no one is a prophet in his own country
  • no one can serve two masters
  • the full belly does not make the mind sharp
  • opportunity makes a thief
  • an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
  • people get richer with savings and work
  • marry a son when you will, and give birth to a daughter when you can
  • Lord God is slow-paced, but unforgiving
  • God is slow but fair
  • money do not stink
  • the first cats behind the fences
  • the drunkard will find the drunk
  • a drunkard is like an animal: neither to work nor to pray
  • necessity is the mother of invention
  • you said A,  then you should say B
  • Repetition is the mother of knowledge
  • voluntary labor has more value than forced labor
  • work perfects virtue
  • work does not hurt anyone
  • work protects from poverty: whoever does not sow, reaps nothing
  • truth hurts the eyes
  • A friend in need is a friend indeed
  • the law is there to be avoided
  • sincere friendship does not die
  • proverbs are the wisdom of the nations
  • dog’s voices do not go to the heavens
  • the dogs bark, the caravan goes on
  • once on the car once under the car
  • robot no hare, will not run away
  • the fish rots from the head
  • fish, although they are good, overeat on the third day
  • a rare thing between brothers
  • a lonely world a desert
  • the walls have ears
  • sclerosis does not hurt, but you have to walk a lot
  • words cost nothing
  • the word will fly out with a sparrow and will return with an ox
  • the word is spoken, the mare at the fence
  • The fortune favors the bold
  • Laughter is good for health
  • old love never dies
  • the older brother cuts the meat, and the younger brother peels
  • fear has big eyes
  • God, keep me from my friends, because I can deal with my enemies on my own
  • God guards the guarded

• January can be mild, while October is snowy and cool
  • Bright January bodes well for a fertile year
  • you must wash your dirty laundry at home
  • the son does not inherit his fatherly happiness
  • the shoemaker’s children are ill-shod
  • look for work like bread, not knife
  • seek and you will find
  • a tailor cuts as much as his matter becomes
  • the one who laughs last
  • run like brands in hell
  • the drowning person grabs the razor
  • you get lucky just like a blind  chicken with a good grain
  • a lot of water in February – even a hungry calf in summer
  • Heaven and hell in marriage
  • there is more happiness in giving than in receiving
  • much water and few fish
  • the wolf murders for food, the man for fun
  • the wolf’s legs are feeding
  • having climbed among the crows, one must croak like them
  • well everywhere but at home is best
  • all roads lead to Rome
  • exception proves the rule
  • The  uncle traded an ax for a stick
  • tall as a birch, and dumb as a goat
  • you cannot twist a whip out of sand
  • out of vain, neither does Solomon pour
  • work in the morning, pay in the evening
  • you will not buy much for God
  • a bad father rarely has a good son
  • know a cat by its claws
  • a pretty wife is always cheating