American proverbs

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American Proverbs

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

[edit] A

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
- It's better to keep what little you have, than to risk it for something more.

Act your age, not your shoe size. (Also, "Act your age, not your IQ")
- Act maturely.

A good friend is someone who will bail you out of jail, but your best friend is the one sitting next to you saying "that was awesome"
- A close friend will help you out of a dark situation, but your best friend will always be with you even in the darkest of days.

A fool and his money are soon parted
- spend wisely

A horse with two heads wins no races. (another variant: Too many chiefs, and not enough Indians)

All hat, no cattle
- used to describe someone who is pretending to be something they're not (such as wearing a cowboy hat and acting like a cowboy, when you don't have any cows).

All's fair in love and war.

Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Variant: Close only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades, and tactical nuclear weapons

Variant: Close only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades, and carpet bombings

Explanation: In the game of horseshoes, if the horseshoe lands within a certain distance of the target, it gets a point. Grenades only need to be thrown within a certain distance of a person to work, and with nuclear weapons and carpet bombings, accuracy is only moderately necessary

A man who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. - Ben Franklin

An idle mind is the devil's workshop/playground
- Referring that the more lazy or less productive you are, the more prone you are to bad temptation and ideas.

An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. - Unknown

A penny saved is a twopence earned.
- Saving is another form of earning. - Ben Franklin

As California goes, so goes the nation.
- If one person does something interesting, people will soon follow. [Referring to fads or bandwagon appeals]

As the crow flies
- A statement-ending expression meaning, "if you could go in a straight line to your destination." Often used when referring to the location of a destination in terms of time or distance. For instance, "It is six miles away as the crow flies" or, "It takes two hours as the crow flies but the creek is flooded so you'll have to take the long way around."

A bad guy is another man's good guy
- Meaning: Everyone has his or her own opinion

A wise man admits his ignorance; an ignorant man admits he's wise

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

[edit] B

Behind every great man, there stands a woman.
Be careful what you wish for.
Be the best that you can be.

[edit] C

Curiosity killed the cat

Variant: Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

- Close is nice, but it isn't enough

Clothes make the man, naked people have little or no influence in society. - Mark Twain
Close enough for government work.

[edit] D

Different strokes for different folks
- Different people have different opinions on things. [From the chorus of "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone]
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time
- If you are going to do something you are not supposed to, be ready to accept the consequences.
Don't get high on your own supply
- Don't get greedy or Don't get too much stuff that most of its useless.
- Explanation: From drug dealers using their own drugs, which severly cuts into one's profit.
Don't take any wooden nickels
- Don't get cheated.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
- Don’t assume that you’ll get the things you want until you have them.
Don't say it, Do it
Don't walk around with your butt on your shoulders
- Don't be overly proud based on your achievements. The quote refers to a star athelete (or hero) being carried off the field on the shoulders of praising fans or teammates. This quote may also refer to walking around with ones head up their butt. Which would result in one not knowing what is going on around them because they are focusing on themselves.
Do unto others as you would hath them do unto you

[edit] E

Even the smallest pebble dropped in a silent pond moves the entire pond.
Everyone gets fifteen minutes of fame. - Andy Warhol
Every dog has his day.
- Everyone has their moment of recognition.
Every man looks the same dipped in tar.
- Underneath the skin, we are all human.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend

[edit] F

Fortune favors the bold.

[edit] G

Good enough for Government work.
- Something done at a minimum passing standard. Taken from the idea that most military equipment is bought from the least expensive contract. Therefore it is not the best, it is the cheapest that meets the criteria given.

[edit] H

Haste makes waste. - Ben Franklin
- Doing things too fast is inefficient.
Hay is for horses.
- Play on words. A gentle rebuke that one shouldn't greet another with the expression "Hey, you!"
He who has the gold makes the rules.
He who laughs last laughs the loudest.
Ben Franklin said as Poor Richard, "He who teaches himself hath a fool for a teacher", but I must tell you that he who does not teach himself has no teachers at all
- Without teachers we are nowhere. [Christopher Berkeley, Professor of History]

[edit] I

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
- Don't meddle with things just for the sake of change, if they're working fine already.
If its too good to be true then it probably is.
If three people tell you that you are drunk, you better lie down.
- If many people tell you that you're acting inapproprately, you must act appropriately.
If you wait till the last minute, it'll only take a minute.
- Procrastinators' credo; Also credo of subordinate workers who are given a task by their boss with a deadline completely inadequate to allow for a well-researched respone or product.
If you want it bad, you'll get it bad.
- Credo of subordinate workers who are given a task by their boss with a deadline and/or budget/manpower resources completely inadequate to allow for a well-researched response or product.
It is better to say nothing and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
It's always darkest before the dawn
It is easier to stay ahead than to just keep up. - Bob Sander-Cederlof
It is easier said than done
It takes a village to raise a child
If knowledge of all is power, then knowledge of self is divine. - Carlos Lugo II
I'd be a failure if it weren't for all the mistakes I've made
- Success is achieved through an iterative process of learning from mistakes
It's not over till the fat lady sings. - actual quote: “The opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings” [Dan Cook, KENS-TV sportscaster, San Antonio, TX] meaning: Don't assume a winner until the game is over.

[edit] J

Jack of all trades, Master of none.

[edit] K

Kill two birds with one stone.
- To accomplish two objectives with a single action.
Knowledge is like manure, it's only good when spread.
- It's best to spread information, or good word, of any kind.

[edit] L

Let bad situations roll off of you like water on a duck. It's not worth clinging on to any longer. - Shaylyn Galvin
Life is a journey, not a destination
Life is like a box of chocolate; it's full of surprises
- Variant: Life is like a box of chocolates; You never know what you will get next - Forrest Gump

[edit] M

Many hands make light work
- Working together can get the job done easier, and more efficiently
Money is like manure, it does no good until it is spread.
Money talks, BS walks
- In business, "show me the money" is the rule of thumb, papers must be signed, collateral promised, not much trust is placed on "good faith."

[edit] N

Nice guys finish last - quote from Leo "the Lip" Durocher, major league baseball manager.
Nobody leaves us, we only leave others.
- Explanation: A memory will stay forever

[edit] O

One fly makes a summer - Mark Twain
- One person can make a difference.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[edit] P

Practice makes perfect
"Procrastination is the key to failure"
People who don't talk are thought to be stupid; people who do prove it.
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

[edit] Q

Quitters never win and winners never Quit -- Cathalen Reece

[edit] R

Rome wasn't built in a day
- Great things take time

[edit] S

Six of One, Half a dozen the other.
Second place just means first loser.- Kevin Costner
Some things just take time. You can't have a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.-Warren Buffet

[edit] T

The best way to get someone to stop digging his heels in is to dig out the sand around him
- The best way to deal with a stubborn person, is to take away his reasons for being stubborn.
The early bird catches the worm
The early bird may catch the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese
- There are situations in which it is better not to be the first.
The grass is always greener on the other side
- We tend to want the opposite of what we have, while those who have the opposite want what you have.
The pot calling the kettle black.
- A rebuke to someone who is criticizing flaws in others that they themselves have.
The straw that broke the camel's back.
- There comes a point when just a little more pressure will cause one to fail.
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch
- No one offers something without expecting something in return. (This proverb or its acronym "TANSTAAFL" are often attributed to the author Robert A. Heinlein who used them in his novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966), but the expression has been dated to the late 1930s, and the acronym to at least as early as October 1949. Another common variant is: There's no such thing as a free lunch.)
There's no place like home. - Dorothy, in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.
There're plenty of fish in the sea.
- There are plenty of men or women to choose from, in regard to marriage.
Time flies when you're having fun.
- Time passes quickly when you're enjoying yourself.
Time will tell.
There are no shortcuts to life's greatest achievments
To each their own.
- Varient: Different strokes for different folks
- Meaning: Different people have different preferences.
There is no as powerful as truth

[edit] U

Ugly women are like-- well, ugly women.

[edit] V

[edit] W

Words uttered only causes confusion. Words written only causes history.
What goes up must come down.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
When you aren't ready you're scared, when you are ready you're nervous
When there's a will there's a way
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
When life hands you lemons make lemonade
- This quote generally means to make do with what is handed to you in life.

Variant: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Then find someone who's life has given them vodka, and have a party. -Ron White

When life hands you lemons, add vodka and chill.
- A saying advocating drinking to relax

[edit] Y

You can't fix stupid - Ron White
You can't get there from here
- You need to find another starting point to reach your destination.
You can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been... and that is why I always carry a map - Joey Ortega
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
- Something of top quality cannot be produced from something of poor quality.
Your success lies just beyond your next failure. { Eric E. Lutz}
- you cannot succeed if you don't get past your latest failure.

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Category: Proverbs