Proverbs from your home country/where you live? (1 Viewer)

[SeulPika]

Is there a proverb from your home country/where you live, that happens to be a favourite of yours or one that you live by?

I live by the Scottish proverb of "Forgive your enemy, but remember the bastard's name".

Means that while you should strive for forgiveness and not let grudges consume you, it's crucial to remain vigilant and not forget the lessons learned from past harms or betrayals.

Forgive your enemy:
This part emphasizes the importance of letting go of anger and resentment. Holding onto negative emotions can be detrimental to your own mental and physical health.

But remember the bastard's name:
This highlights the need to learn from past experiences. It's not about seeking revenge, but about being aware of potential dangers and not being naive in future interactions.

tldr: The proverb advocates for a balanced approach: forgive, but don't forget.

 

[Boyo]

Bagoly mondja verébnek, hogy nagyfejű.
“It’s the owl calling the sparrow the one with a big head”

When people bicker with each other and one of them say that the other person is this or that, blame them for something, but at the same time, they are similar and this person is also in fault. I use this with my friends.

Ha lúd, hát legyen kövér.
“If it’s a goose, it ought to be fat”

We say this if you enjoy something to the fullest or dare to do something challenging and you don’t know if you will be successful or okay after that, but you just decide to do it anyway. That’s something I do in life if it’s needed.

Majd ha piros hó esik.
“When red snow falls!”

Means: never. 😀 We say this if something won’t happen. ‘When pigs fly’ is basically like this one. It’s also a nice way to tell someone to f*ck off.

 

[Belgizen]

Gelijken bij gelijken
which means like attracts like.

It's from a Latin phrase that I adopted as my motto: "Idem velle atque idem nolle, id ea vera amicitia est", which means "wanting and not wanting the same things, that is real friendship"

 

[ChiaraStar169]

I can't think of any, but some of these are pretty cool!

 

[uran]

Im lazy so i googled a list that has ones i have taken to heart. Probably also way better translated and explained than i would

30+ Famous Finnish Sayings that Will Inspire You

Finnish sayings are the backbone of Finnish culture and often used in everyday situations in Finland. Get inspired by these Finnish proverbs!

herfinland.com

 

[Selfmate]

千里之行，始于足下

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

 

[eclipsoul]

my favourites are all animal related lol

• "a turkey thought about sunday, but on a saturday they cut off his head" - it says not to think too much about distant future, because nothing is really promised and life can surprise you
• "a bull forgot when they were a calf" - when a person calls out others for the same actions they did when they were younger
• "better a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof" - it's better to appreciate something smaller that you already have, than to constantly reach for greater things you may never get

 

[dark_tranquility]

A dog act (a really bad situation someone does without regard)
old as the hills (in depth oldness for anything dated)
a gutless wonder (a coward)

 

[Ahsoka]

Bagoly mondja verébnek, hogy nagyfejű.
“It’s the owl calling the sparrow the one with a big head”

When people bicker with each other and one of them say that the other person is this or that, blame them for something, but at the same time, they are similar and this person is also in fault. I use this with my friends.

Ha lúd, hát legyen kövér.
“If it’s a goose, it ought to be fat”

We say this if you enjoy something to the fullest or dare to do something challenging and you don’t know if you will be successful or okay after that, but you just decide to do it anyway. That’s something I do in life if it’s needed.

Majd ha piros hó esik.
“When red snow falls!”

Means: never. 😀 We say this if something won’t happen. ‘When pigs fly’ is basically like this one. It’s also a nice way to tell someone to f*ck off.

My first thought for red snow was that it would be violent I prefer the real meaning

 

[Ahsoka]

My parents used to say “if you really want to, you can fly to space”. In Russian sounds kinda like “yesly ochin zahatet, mozhna v kosmos ulitet”. In English it sounds awkward but in Russian it flows really nicely.

I never use the next one but it amuses me. It translates as “when the crawfish whistle on the mountain”. It’s another version of when pigs fly. I just think the idea of crawfish whistling on the mountains is such a funny image