Proverb Examples from around the world

Proverbs Starting with letter W - part 2
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What makes us discontented with our condition is the absurdly exaggerated idea we have of the happiness of others.
What makes you happy, makes you rich.
What makes you tired makes you stronger.

What man can do, God can undo.
What man has made, man can destroy.
What matter if I suffer, if only my neighbor suffers too.
What may be done at any time will be done at no time.
What men usually ask for when they pray to God is, that two and two may not make four.
What more sacred, what more strongly guarded by every holy feeling, than a man's own home?.
What much is worth comes from the earth.
What must be, must be.
What my neighbour eats does my stomach no good.
What nectar can be drunk with the ears? Good advice.
What need has a blind man of a looking glass?.
What nourishes me, destroys me.
What once was up now is down and what once was down now is up.
What one desires is always better than what one has.
What one dishes out, he must also eat.
What one does not bake, another brews.
What one does, one becomes.
What one fool can ensnare, not a thousand sages can fix.
What one hopes for is always better than what one has.
What one is accustomed to in youth, one does in old age.
What one knows it is useful sometimes to forget.
What one learns while young, one masters when old.
What one learns without joy, one forgets without grief.
What one trains frequently, will become part of his character' Ovidius.
What orators lack in depth, they make up for in length.
What people in distress most wish for, they most readily believe.
What percolates out of the jug is what's inside it.
What reaches the mother's heart will only reach the father's knees.
What ripens fast does not last.
What shall I say when it is better to say nothing?.
What should a cow do with a nutmeg?.
What signifies the barking of a dog that don't bite?.
What smarts teaches.
What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.
What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals.
What starts with a needle, will often end with a silverbowl' I.e a person that steels something little/done somthing bad/ will probably end up steeling more valuable things/as a criminal.

What the child says, he has heard at home.
What the child sees, the child does. What the child does, the child is.
What the colt learns in youth his continues in old age.
What the eye does not admire the heart does not desire.
What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over.
What the eye rarely sees, the heart soon despises.
What the eye sees not, the heart craves not.
What the eyes don't see the heart doesn't feel.
What the eyes see, the heart believes.
What the farmer does not know he doesn't eat.
What the farmer doesn't know, he doesn't eat.
What the fool does at last the wise man does at first.
What the gauntlet wins the gorget consumes.
What the gods make, the planet can find use for.
What the heart doesn't see, the eye will not see either.
What the heart is full of, the mouth overflows with.
What the heart thinks, the mouth speaks.
What the heart thinks, the tongue speaks.
What the law will compel you to do, do of your own free will.
What the lion cannot manage to do the fox can.
What the lion cannot, the fox can.
What the old ones sing, the young ones whistle.
What the peasant doesn't know, he doesn't eat.
What the people believe is true.
What the poor man says is not listened to.
What the she-wolf does (or brings forth) pleases the he-wolf.
What the sober man has in his heart, the drunkard has on his lips.
What the sober man thinks the drunkard tells.
What the sober man thinks, the drunkard tells.
What the soldier said isn't evidence.
What the thief stole has always been called expensive.
What the wolf does pleases his mate.
What the wolf mourns is food for the fox.
What the young one begs for, the grown-up throws away.
What three know will soon be known to thirty.
What three know, everybody knows.
What three men know then the whole world knows.
What use is wisdom when folly reigns?.
What used to be - is now gone (and overgrown with grass).
What value is a needle without an eye?.
What was hard to bear is sweet to remember.
What was hard to endure is sweet to recall.
What was is no more, what if is just if.
What was written by a pen, cannot be taken out with an axe.
What water gives, water takes away.
What we own, we don't safekeep properly; when we lose it, we cry.
What we possess is always beautiful.
What we want in hay we make up in straw.
What whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for.

What will be, will be.
What will not performance achieve?.
What wise men suppose is worth more than the certainties of fools.
What won't kill you, will feed you.
What worth has beauty if it is not seen?.
What would kill the bad; God doesn't want them, and the devil is not in a hurry.
What you are doing do thoroughly.
What you can do today do not leave off for tomorrow. (Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.).
What you can't get is just what suits you.
What you can't have, abuse.
What you cannot avoid, welcome.
What you cannot see during the day, you will not see at night.
What you dislike for yourself do not like for me.
What you do yourself is well done.
What you do, do quickly.
What you don't know can't hurt you.
What you don't know doesn't hurt you.
What you don't know is bigger than you.
What you don't know, you will not recognize.
What you don't see with your eyes, don't invent with your mouth.
What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth.
What you give away you keep.
What you give to others bears fruit for yourself.
What you give you get, ten times over.
What you go looking for, you will find.
What you have, hold.
What you keep rots; what you give flourishes.
What you know, I already forgot.
What you learn to your cost you remember long.
What you leave behind, you will find in front of you.
What you lend to a friend, an enemy sues for.
What you lose in the fire, you will find amongst the ashes.
What you lose in the fire, you will find in the ashes.
What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.
What you love is always beautiful.
What you plant, that you will harvest.
What you save is, later, like something found.
What you say when you're drunk should have been thought about beforehand.
What you see in yourself is what you see in the world.
What you see is what you get.
What you sow is what you reap.
What you sow, so shall you reap.
What you spend, you have.
What you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you.
What you've never had you never miss.
What youth learns, age does not forget.
What! give the lettuce in charge to the geese!.
What! keep a dog and bark myself?.
What! you a hare, and ask for hare-pie!.

What's a fart for someone who is soiled?
What's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh.
What's bred in the bone will never out of the flesh.
What's done can't be mended.
What's done cannot be undone.
What's done is done.
What's everybody's business is nobody's business.
What's everybody's work is nobody's work.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
What's good is often forgotten; what's bad is often hidden.
What's left over from the thief is spent on the fortune-teller.
What's of no use is too dear at a gift.
What's on sober's mind, is on drunk's tongue.
What's one man's meat's another man's poison.
What's right for one, is fair for the other.
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
What's sport to you is death to us. Fable of Boys and Frogs.].
What's the good of a sun-dial in the shade?.
What's the use of consulting a dead man's horoscope?.
What's the use of putting honey in an ass's mouth.
What's to me today, tomorrow to you.
What's too hard for a man must be worth looking into.
What's written on the forehead (i.e., one's destiny) is.
Whatever I disliked happened to me.
Whatever a fool does, he does it wrong.
Whatever accomplishment you boast of in the world, there is someone better than you.
Whatever begins with stipulations (clear conditions) ends.
Whatever is in the heart will come up to the tongue.
Whatever is to be a hook, bends early.
Whatever is to be a nettle, burns early.
Whatever is written on the forehead is always seen.
Whatever it is, I fear the girls, even those giving kisses.' (a variant on 'Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes').
Whatever man had done, man may do.
Whatever the eye sees, the heart won't forget.
Whatever the heart thinks, the mouth will speak.
Whatever the thoughts of the dervish, so are his formulas.
Whatever the wind brings he takes away with him.
Whatever way you take there is a league of bad road.
Whatever you do, do with all your might.
Whatever you do, may you do it prudently, and look to the end!.
Whatever you eat will rot, whatever you give will blossom into a rose.
Whatever you learn, you learn it for yourself.
Whatever you save is also earned.
Whatever you sow, that's what you'll reap.
Whatever you sow, you reap.
Whatever you teach a stupid person, he will forget.
Whatever you teach, be brief; what is quickly said the mind readily receives and faithfully retains, while everything superfluous runs over as from a full container. Who knows much says least.
Whatever you undertake let it be proportioned to your powers.
Whatever your uncle gives you, take.

When Adam delved and Eve span, where was then the gentlemen?.
When Anger and Revenge get married, their daughter is called Cruelty.
When Christ was along, the devil tempted him.
When Dame Fortune calls, offer her a chair.
When David grew old he sang pious psalms.
When February comes, hobnail your shoes.
When God gives a child, he also gives the clothing.
When God gives light he gives it for all.
When God is on our side there is no cause for despair.' or 'Do not despair, have faith in God' or 'Don't despair, in God we trust'. City of Sunderland (UK) motto since 1849 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunderland_coat_of_arms.
When God pleases, it rains in fair weather.
When God pleases, it rains with every wind.
When God punishes a land, he deprives it leaders of wisdom.
When God says 'today,' the devil says 'tomorrow.'.
When God says To-day, the devil says To-morrow.
When God sends flour the devil carries off the sack.
When God shuts one door, He opens another.
When God throws the dice are loaded.
When God wants to please a poor man, He lets him lose his donkey and then helps him find it again.
When God wants to punish an idiot, He teaches them a few words of Hebrew.
When God will not, the saints cannot.
When God wishes a man well, He gives him insight into his faults.
When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war.
When I am dead the world can be an ocean or a dried up ditch.
When I drown, the whole world drowns.
When I eat your bread, I sing your song.
When I had money everyone called me brother.
When I have money in my purse, I have food in my mouth.
When I was born I wept, and every day brings a reason why.
When I'm dead, everybody's dead -- and the pig too.
When I'm dead, everybody's dead, and the pig too.
When Madame drops her cup of tea it makes no noise.
When Want comes in at the door, Love flies out at the window.
When a Bulgar gets rich he builds himself another house.
When a Greek shakes your hand, count your fingers after.
When a bald man dies the mourners give him curly hair as a present.
When a beautiful woman does not steal, she takes you.
When a blind man bears the standard, pity those who follow.
When a blind man carries a lame man, both go forward.
When a blind man carries the lame man, both go forward.
When a camel is at the foot of a mountain only then judge his height.
When a camel is at the foot of a mountain then judge of his height.
When a cat wants to eat her kittens, she says they look like mice.
When a dead tree falls, the woodpeckers profit from his death.
When a divorced man marries a divorced woman, there are four people in that marital bed.
When a dog bites you, do not bite back.
When a dog has money, he buys cheese.
When a dog runs away, hit him! hit him!.
When a donkey speaks, the others lower their ears.
When a door opens not to your knock, consider your reputation.
When a dove begins to associate with crows its feathers remain white but its heart grows black.
When a dove begins to fly with crows, its feathers remain white but its heart grows black.
When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.
When a father gives to his son, they both laugh.
When a father praises his son, he flatters himself.
When a finger is pointing at the moon, the fool looks at the finger.
When a finger points at the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger.
When a fool has made up his mind the market has gone by.
When a fool has the cow by the horns, the wise man can milk it.
When a fool is cursed, he thinks he is being praised.

When a fox is in his hole, the smoke fetches him out.
When a fox preaches, take care of your geese.

These are Proverb Examples from around the world, some have been translated from their original language to english.


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