French proverbs
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- A l'œuvre, on connaît l'artisan.
- Translation: The craftsman by his work is known.
- Jean de La Fontaine, Fables (1668–1679), I., 21, Les Frelons et les Mouches à miel; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 1.
- Bon sang ne peut mentir.
- Translation: Good blood cannot lie.
- Alain-René Lesage, Gil Blas (1715-1735), X., 1; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 13.
- Alternately reported as Bon sang ne saurait mentir, "Good blood wouldn't know how to lie".
- Chacun pour soi et Dieu pour tous.
- Translation: Every one for himself and God for us all.
- Henri Estienne, Les Prémices (1595), Epigramme CXXX; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 28 (reported in Harbotle as "pour soy", rather than "pour soi").
- Charité bien ordonnée commence par soi-même.
- Idiomatic translation: Charity begins at home.
- Adrien de Montluc, La Comédie de Proverbes, Act III., Scene VII (translated by Le Prevost); reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 29 (reported in Harbotle as "soy-même", rather than "soi-même").
- Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop.
- Idiomatic translation: A leopard cannot change its spots. or If you cast out nature with a fork, it will still return.
- Literal meaning: Chase away the natural and it returns at a gallop.
- Philippe Néricault Destouches, Le Glorieux, Act III., Scene V (translated by Lisette); reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 29.
- Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide.
- Idiomatic translation: Once bitten, twice shy.
- Literal meaning: A scalded cat fears cold water.
- Signification : If you ever have been hurt by something, you'll be over-cautious of anything that even looks the same.
- Adrien de Montluc, La Comédie de Proverbes, Act I, Scene VI (translated by Macee); reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 30.
- Cherchons la femme.
- Literal meaning: Let us look for the woman.
- Idiomatic translation: A woman is probably at the heart of the quarrel.
- Alexandre Dumas, père, Les Mohicans de Paris, Vol. II., Chapter XL (translation by M. Jackal); reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 30. Alternately reported as Cherchez la femme ("Look for the woman").
- Hâtez-vous lentement.
- Literal translation: Make haste slowly.
- Idiomatic translation: More haste less speed
- Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, L’Art Poitiqueé, I., 171; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 54.
- Latin: Festina lente.
- Il faut laver son linge sale en famille.
- Idiomatic translation: Don't air your dirty laundry in public.
- Literal translations: Washing one's dirty laundry must be done as a family.
- Napoleon, reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 61, referencing Balzac, Eugénie Grandet, p. 184.
- Il faut manger pour vivre, et non pas vivre pour manger.
- Idiomatic translation: Eat to live, don't live to eat.
- Literal meaning: One must eat to live, and not live to eat.
- Molière, L'Avare, Act III., Scene V (translated by Valére); reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 61.
- La raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure.
- Idiomatic translation: Might is always right.
- Literal meaning: The motive of the strongest is always the best.
- Jean de La Fontaine, Fables, I., 10, "Le Loup et L'Agneau"; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 116.
- Les absents ont toujours tort.
- Translation: The absent are always in the wrong.
- Philippe Néricault Destouches, L’Obstacle Imprévu, Act I., Scene VI (translation by Nérine); alternately reported as "L’absent a toujours tort" ("The absent are always in the wrong"), Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile, Livre IV; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 140.
- Oignez villain, il vous poindra. Poignez villain, il vous oindra.
- Literal meaning: Anoint a villain, he will stab you; stab a villain, he will anoint you (oindre and poindre being outdated verbs)
- Idiomatic translation: A villain will repay kindness with betrayal, but will flatter those who beat him.
- François Rabelais, Gargantua, I., 32; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 166.
- On n'est jamais si bien servi que par soi-même.
- Idiomatic translation: If you want something done right, do it yourself.
- Literal meaning: One is never so well served as by oneself.
- Charles-Guillaume Étienne, Bruïs et Palaprat, Sc. II. — (translation by Palaprat); reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 169.
- On revient toujours
à ses premières amours.- Literal meaning: One always returns to his first loves.
- Charles-Guillaume Étienne, Joconde, Act III., Scene I (translation by Joconde); reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 172.
- Petit poisson deviendra grand.
- Translation 1: Tall oaks from little acorns grow.
- Translation 2: Boys will be men one day.
- Literal meaning: The little fish will grow big.
- Jean de La Fontaine, "Le petit Poisson et le Péchetir", Fables, V., 3; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian) (1904), p. 177.
- Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
- Translation: The more it changes, the more it's the same thing.
- Origin: An epigram by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal Les Guêpes ("The Wasps").
- Variant: Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil.
- Qui m'aime aime mon chien.
- Idiomatic translation: Love me, love my dog.
- Literal meaning: Who loves me, loves my dog.
- Compare in Latin: Qui me amat, amat et canem meum.
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), French abbot (and who is not the St Bernard for whom that breed of dog is named, that's Bernard of Menthon). Quoted by Nigel Rees in Why Do We Say? (1987).
