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Since the clean-up of this article promised in the AFD discussion has barely materialized, in the spirit of verifiability, I am boldly moving the unreferenced entries here to the talk page. Please do not restore any of them without adding proper citations using reliable sources. Toddst1 (talk) 16:32, 3 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'm restoring some accessibility (and some IMO needed commentary) by subordinating this alpha list to an enclosing section. I may get around to changing the alpha'n scheme in the same way that i'm changing the simplistic and inefficient "Of course articles (and the like) count like real words" approach --Jerzy•t21:15, 30 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I had hoped that the deeper level of indentation that i created would be hidden along with the text. Perhaps the alpha-ToC-in-horizontal-row template will improve the appearance and accessibility. If, not the displayed ToC is still shorter than most editors' screens' column height, and should not amount to a significant accessibility barrier. --Jerzy•t21:27, 30 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
East is east, and west is west
East, west, home's best
Easy come, easy go
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die
Empty vessels make the most noise
Enough is as good as a feast
Enough is enough
Even a worm will turn
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every dog has his day
Every Jack has his Jill
Every little helps
Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost
Every man has his price
Every picture tells a story
Every stick has two ends
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die
F
Fact is stranger than fiction
Failing to plan is planning to fail
Faint heart never won fair lady
Fair exchange is no robbery
Faith will move mountains
Familiarity breeds contempt
Feed a cold and starve a fever
Fight fire with fire
Finders keepers, losers weepers
Fine words butter no parsnips
First come, first served
First impressions are the most lasting
First things first
Fish always stinks from the head downwards
Fish and guests smell after three days
Flattery will get you nowhere
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost
Forewarned is forearmed
Fortune favours the brave
From the sublime to the ridiculous is only one step
G
Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains
Give a dog a bad name and hang him
Give a man rope enough and he will hang himself
Give credit where credit is due
God helps those who help themselves
Good fences make good neighbors
Good talk saves the food
Good things come to those who wait
Great (or good) minds think alike
H
Half a loaf is better than no bread
Handsome is as handsome does
Hard cases make bad law
Hard work never did anyone any harm
Haste makes waste
He that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing
He who can does, he who cannot, teaches
He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day
He who hesitates is lost
He who laughs last laughs longest
He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword
He who pays the piper calls the tune
He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty
History repeats itself
Home is where the heart is
Honesty is the best policy
Hope springs eternal
Horses for courses
I
If anything can go wrong, it will
If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well
If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again
If God had meant us to fly he'd have given us wings
If ifs and ands were pots and pans there'd be no work for tinkers
If life deals you lemons, make lemonade
If the cap fits, wear it
If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain
If wishes were horses beggars would ride
If you can't be good, be careful
If you can't beat em, join em
If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
In for a penny, in for a pound
In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king
In the midst of life we are in death
Into every life a little rain must fall
It goes without saying
It is best to be on the safe side
It is better to give than to receive
It is easy to be wise after the event
It never rains but it pours
It takes a thief to catch a thief
It takes all sorts to make a world
It takes one to know one
It takes two to tango
It's all grist to the mill
It's an ill wind that blows no one any good
It's better to give than to receive
It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness
It's better to travel hopefully than to arrive
It's never too late
It's no use crying over spilt milk
It's no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted
It's the early bird that gets the worm
It's the empty can that makes the most noise
It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease
J
Jack of all trades, master of none
Judge not, that ye be not judged
K
Keep your chin up
Keep your powder dry
L
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone
Laughter is the best medicine
Least said, soonest mended
Less is more
Let bygones be bygones
Let not the sun go down on your wrath
Let sleeping dogs lie
Let the buyer beware
Let the dead bury the dead
Let the punishment fit the crime
Let well alone
Life begins at forty
Life is what you make it
Life's not all beer and skittles
Lightening never strikes twice in the same place
Like father, like son
Little pitchers have big ears
Little strokes fell great oaks
Little things please little minds
Live for today for tomorrow never comes
Look before you leap
Love is blind
Love makes the world go round
Love will find a way
M
Make hay while the sun shines
Make love not war
Man does not live by bread alone
Manners maketh man
Many a little makes a mickle
Many a mickle makes a muckle
Many a true word is spoken in jest
Many hands make light work
March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb
Marriages are made in heaven
Marry in haste, repent at leisure
Might is right
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Misery loves company
Moderation in all things
Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for its living, And a child that's born on the Sabbath day Is fair and wise and good and gay.
Money doesn't grow on trees
Money is the root of all evil
Money isn't everything
Money makes the world go round
Money talks
More haste, less speed
Music has charms to soothe the savage breast
N
Nature abhors a vacuum
Necessity is the mother of invention
Needs must when the devil drives
Ne'er cast a clout till May be out
Never give a sucker an even break
Never judge a book by its cover
Never let the sun go down on your anger
Never look a gift horse in the mouth
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today
Never speak ill of the dead
Never tell tales out of school
Nine tailors make a man
No man can serve two masters
No man is an island
No names, no pack-drill
No news is good news
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent
No pain, no gain
No rest for the wicked
Nothing is certain but death and taxes
Nothing succeeds like success
Nothing venture, nothing gain
O
Oil and water don't mix
Old soldiers never die, they just fade away
Once a thief, always a thief
Once bitten, twice shy
One good turn deserves another
One half of the world does not know how the other half lives
One hand washes the other
One man's meat is another man's poison
One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb
One law for the rich and another for the poor
One swallow does not make a summer
One year's seeding makes seven years weeding
Only fools and horses work
Opportunity never knocks twice at any man's door
Out of sight, out of mind
P
Parsley seed goes nine times to the Devil
Patience is a virtue
Pearls of wisdom
Penny wise and pound foolish
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
Physician, heal thyself
Possession is nine points of the law
Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely
Practice makes perfect
Practise what you preach
Prevention is better than cure
Pride goes before a fall
Procrastination is the thief of time
Put your best foot forward
R
Red sky at night shepherds delight; red sky in the morning, shepherds warning
Revenge is a dish best served cold
Revenge is sweet
Rome wasn't built in a day
S
See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you'll have all day
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
Seeing is believing
Seek and ye shall find
Set a thief to catch a thief
Shrouds have no pockets
Silence is golden
Slow but sure
Softly, softly, catchee monkey
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Speak as you find
Speak softly and carry a big stick
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
Still waters run deep
Strike while the iron is hot
Stupid is as stupid does
Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan
T
Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves
Talk is cheap
Talk of the Devil, and he is bound to appear
Tell the truth and shame the Devil
That which does not kill us makes us stronger
The age of miracles is past
The apple never falls far from the tree
The best defence is a good offence
The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley
The best things in life are free
The bigger they are, the harder they fall
The boy is father to the man
The bread never falls but on its buttered side
The child is the father of the man
The cobbler always wears the worst shoes
The course of true love never did run smooth
The customer is always right
The darkest hour is just before the dawn
The devil finds work for idle hands to do
The devil looks after his own
The early bird catches the worm
The end justifies the means
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
The exception which proves the rule
The female of the species is more deadly than the male
The good die young
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
The husband is always the last to know
The labourer is worthy of his hire
The leopard does not change his spots
The longest journey starts with a single step
The more the merrier
The more things change, the more they stay the same
The only good Indian is a dead Indian
The pen is mightier than sword
The proof of the pudding is in the eating
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot
The squeaking wheel gets the grease
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream
There are none so blind as those, that will not see
There are two sides to every question
There but for the grace of God, go I
There's an exception to every rule
There's always more fish in the sea
There's honour among thieves
There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle
There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip
There's many a slip twixt cup and lip
There's more than one way to skin a cat
There's no accounting for tastes
There's no fool like an old fool
There's no place like home
There's no smoke without fire
There's no such thing as a free lunch
There's no such thing as bad publicity
There's no time like the present
There's none so blind as those who will not see
There's none so deaf as those who will not hear
There's nowt so queer as folk
There's one born every minute
There's safety in numbers
They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind
Third time lucky
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas
Time and tide wait for no man
Time flies
Time is a great healer
Time is money
Time will tell
'tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all
To err is human, to forgive divine
To the victor go the spoils
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive
Tomorrow is another day
Tomorrow never comes
Totally not exactly practical shit that we convince ourselves we need more than money are the spices of life
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Truth is stranger than fiction
Truth will out
Two blacks don't make a white
Two heads are better then one
Two is company, but three's a crowd
Two wrongs don't make a right
(U is so far empty)
V
Variety is the spice of life
Very good to meet you my dear.
W
Walk softly but carry a big stick
Walls have ears
Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs
Waste not want not
What can't be cured must be endured
What goes up must come down
What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
When the cat's away the mice will play
When the going gets tough, the tough get going
When the oak is before the ash, then you will only get a splash; when the ash is before the oak, then you may expect a soak
What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over
Where there's a will there's a way
Where there's muck there's brass
While there's life there's hope
Whom the Gods love die young
Why keep a dog and bark yourself?
Wonders will never cease
Work expands so as to fill the time available
Worrying never did anyone any good
Y
You are never too old to learn
You are what you eat
You can have too much of a good thing
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
You can't have your cake and eat it
You can't get blood out of a stone
You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
You can't make bricks without straw
You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
You can't teach an old dog new tricks
You can't tell a book by looking at its cover
You can't win them all
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
You catch just as many flies with shit as you do honey[citation needed]
I have removed the copyvio notice, as i do not consider this copyvio.
if it had copied or paraphrased closely the definitions from the site listed, then it would of course be copyvio, site it's copyvio, but it does not do that
If it included the items on the list exactly in their original arrangement, it would be copyvio, but it does not do that.
If it included all the items on the list, and nothing else, it might possibly be copyvio, depending upon whether the making of the list is considered an act of intellectual creativity, but it does not do that.
It merely includes some of the items, in a different arrangement. Any list of proverbs cited on the basis of any source at all, or even compiled entirely from OR, could not possibly avoid doing including many of the items on the list The article merely cites some -- not even all -- of the proverbs included o the list as evidence that they are considered proverbial phrases. That is not copyvio. It's like saying that every article is a copyvio of a dictionary, because most of the words in it can be found in that dictionary.
As a librarian, my own bias is to be on the strict side in terms of copyright enforcement, and I routinely delete articles as copyvio every day--by now I must have deleted hundreds And sometimes I rewrite sections of an article--or even sometimes an entire article-- to avoid any possible traces. I conclude my judgement is apt to be on the conservative side.
I have accordingly removed the copyvio notice. If anyone disagrees, they can discuss it here, or bring it to Copyright Problems. If brought elsewhere, please include my comment and notify me DGG ( talk ) 22:04, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I am a bit appalled by the formatting of this list. Some list items have punctuation, some have author citations, others have none of these. I would spend some time editing it, but I'm not sure what the de facto rules are for formatting this kind of list. Can somebody do something about this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by TonyKlose (talk • contribs) 03:07, 15 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
@TonyKlose if no one has replied, I say go for it. let me know what you think about the phrase I added. " Love is like ignorance, if you've never been in it, you don't know what your missing". I came up with it myself. ☺ I wish you well with your endeavors. Jeanloveen (talk) 18:56, 13 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
problem with the list is that these are mostly proverbs, not proverbial phrases
Proverbial phrases are necessarily able to vary according to use in context, not fixed expressions. Fixed expressions, for the purposes of folklore theory, which is where these terms come from, are called proverbs.
Does "The only stupid question is the one left unasked" qualify as a proverb? (If not, I'll remove the link back to the proverb page from The only stupid question is the question you don't ask - IdiomaticProverb) Technical 13 (talk) 00:25, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, this is just a talk page, but maybe if it were easier to use, more efforts to improve the sourcing might be made. --Jerzy•t21:40, 30 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Following the comment above, there's an interesting faux pas in the article. I've included the first few lines of the list to illustrate a problem with the first 22 entries in it (the bolding of the characters is all mine). There is a conclusion to be drawn, but is it to enforce the concept or abandon it completely?
A
Phrases beginning with the article "A" should be sought alphabetically under the first letter of the second word.
Based on my belief that proverbs don't express truths, in the sense that they are not substitutes for thought but rather succinct ways to express yourself once you have given a matter some thought, I'd like to see all proverbs listed in proverb pairs. Fuficius Fango (talk) 20:22, 21 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]