A bad workman blames his tools.
A barking dog never bites.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
A cat in gloves catches no mice.
A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple.
A dog is a man’s best friend.
A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.
A stumble may prevent a fall.
Actions speak louder than words.
Affectation is a greater enemy to the face than smallpox.
After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile.
All good things come to those who wait.
All good things must come to an end.
All that glitters is not gold.
All wealth begins in mind.
As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it.
Bad news travel fast.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
Better die with honor than live with shame.
Better late than never.
Birds of a feather flock together.
(Meaning: People of the same sort of character or belief always come together.)
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
(Meaning: to be stuck with two choices that are both undesirable)
Chaste makes waste.
Children and fools tell the truth.
Clothes make the man.
Confess and be hanged.
Cowards may die many times before their deaths.
Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Don’t cross your bridges before you get to them.
Doubt is the beginning of wisdom.
Easier said than done.
Eat to live, but do not live to eat.
Empty vessels make the most noise.
Every bird loves to hear himself sing.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Every dog has its day.
Every man has his faults.
Everyone can find fault, few can do better.
Experience is the best teacher.
Experience is the mother of wisdom.
Failure teaches success.
Faith will move mountains.
Fear is stronger than love.
Fear of death is worse than death itself.
Fight fire with fire.
Fire is a good servant but a bad master.
First think and then speak.
Fortune knocks once at every man’s door.
God helps those who help themselves.
Good fences make good neighbors.
Goodness is better then beauty.
Great haste makes great waste.
Great minds think alike.
Great talkers are little doers.
Habit is second nature.
He laughs best who laughs last.
He that is master of himself, will soon be master of others.
He that knows nothing, doubts nothing.
He who hesitates is lost.
Honesty is the best policy.
Ignorance is bliss.
It is best to be on the safe side.
It is no use crying over spilt milk.
It is not a secret if it is known by three people.
It is not fish until it is on the bank.
Keep a thing for seven years and you’ll find a use for it.
Keep your mouth shut and your ears open.
Kill not the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Last ship, best ship.
Lend your money and lose your friend.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Look before you leap.
Luck has a slender anchorage.
Make hay while the sun shines.
May as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.
Mere words do not feed the friars.
Money is the root of all evil.
Money isn’t everything.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Never judge from appearances.
Never love with all your heart, it only ends in breaking.
Never too late to learn.
No man can serve two masters.
No pain, no gain.
Nothing succeeds like success.
Never put off till tomorrow what may be done today.
Old habits die hard.
One man’s loss is another man’s gain.
One of these day is none of these days.
Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.
Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Patience is a virtue.
Patience is the best medicine.
Poor men seek meat for their stomach, rich men stomach for their meat.
Practice makes perfect.
Put silk on a goat, and it’s still a goat.
Quiet people are well able to look after themselves.
Rome was not built in a day.
Rats desert a sinking ship.
Silence is golden.
Something is better than nothing.
Speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them.
Speak when you are spoken to.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Take heed of enemies reconciled, and of meat twice boiled.
Talk of the devil and he is sure to appear.
The best of friends must part.
The darkest hour is that before the dawn.
The early bird catches the worm.
The well fed does not understand the lean.
The work praises the man.
There is no need like the lack of a friend.
There is no strength without unity.
They who love most are least valued.
Time is a great story teller.
To talk without thinking is to shoot without aiming.
Tomorrow never comes.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Variety is the spice of life.
Virtue is its own reward.
Walk straight, my son – as the old crab said to the young crab. (Irish)
We’ll never know the worth of water till the well go dry. (Scottish)
When a twig grows hard it is difficult to twist it. Every beginning is weak. (Irish)
When fire is applied to a stone it cracks. (Irish)
When in doubt, do nothing.
Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth. (Irish)
Where there is no trust there is no love.
You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.
You can’t take it with you when you die.
You can’t tell a book by its cover.
You cannot have it both ways.
You don’t get something for nothing.
You must live with a person to know a person. If you want to know me come and live with me. (Irish)
Young men may die, old men must.
You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. (Irish)
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