Category

Proverbs

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A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbial expression is a type of a conventional saying similar to proverbs and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. Collectively, they form a genre of folklore.

expression supporting proportional punishment; no more and no less

Netherlandish Proverbs

painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Gemäldegalerie Berlin

Si vis pacem, para bellum

Latin adage translated as, "If you want peace, prepare for war"

body of informal folklore related to the prediction of the weather

Judgment of Solomon

bible story and art theme

Qué Será, Será

1956 song recorded by Doris Day

The Ass in the Lion's Skin

thumb|upright|Sam Weller, from a watercolor by 'Joseph Clayton Clarke|Kyd' Wellerisms, named after sayings of Sam Weller in Charles Dickens's novel The Pickwick Papers, make fun of established clichés and proverbs by showing that they are wrong in certain situations, often when taken literally. In this sense, Wellerisms that include proverbs are a type of anti-proverb. Typically a Wellerism consists of three parts: a proverb or saying, a speaker, and an often humorously literal explanation.

Paremiology () is the collection and study of paroemias (proverbs). It is a subfield of philology, folkloristics, and linguistics.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend

ancient proverb

list of proverbial phrases

Wikimedia list article

The Honest Woodman

Washing the Ethiopian White

The Bear and the Travelers

Poor Richard's Almanack

18th-century American almanac

The Farmer and the Viper

The Crow and the Snake

Alphabet of Sirach

anonymous medieval text; compilation of two lists of proverbs, 22 in Aramaic and 22 in Hebrew, both arranged as alphabetic acrostics

The Hawk and the Nightingale

The Mountain in Labour

The Eagle and the Beetle

one of Aesop's fables

The Young Man and the Swallow

The Frog and the Fox

one of Aesop’s Fables

The Ass Carrying an Image

The Dog in the Manger

fable falsely ascribed to Aesop

Speech is silver, silence is golden

proverb extolling the value of silence over speech

The pen is mightier than the sword

The Oxen and the Creaking Cart

The Cat and Venus

the pot calling the kettle black

The Lion Grown Old

Hercules and the Wagoner

The Walnut Tree

The Eagle and the Arrow

As above, so below

aphorism associated with sacred geometry, Hermeticism, and the Tarot

Ordnung muss sein

thumb|A fishing pun on the proverb "Good things come to those who wait." thumb|Graphic spoof on the proverbial concept of "big fish eat little fish", from Spanish context. (The text translates as "Don't panic, organize!")

thumb|Books of proverb collections, examples of paremiography Paremiography (from Greek παροιμία - paroimía, "proverb, maxim, saw" and γράφω - grafō, "write, inscribe") is the study of the collection and writing of proverbs. A recent introduction to the field has been written by Tamás Kispál. It is a sub-field of paremiology, the study of proverbs.

perfect is the enemy of good

aphorism commonly attributed to Voltaire

aphorism about the board game gained from experience

The Cobbler and the Financier

La Fontaine's fable

No friends but the mountains

Kurdish proverb

Samoan proverbs

Antisemitism is the socialism of fools

statement opposing antisemitism attributed to August Bebel or Ferdinand Kronawetter