Proverbial Wisdom

INTRO.- There is all kinds of wisdom in this world. Some good and some not so good. Here are some non-american, non-biblical, proverbial sayings that I think are good.

A quarrel is like buttermilk: once it’s out of the churn, the more you shake it, the more sour it grows. Irish Proverb

A rich widow weeps with one eye and signals with the other. Portuguese Proverb

Advice is least heeded when most needed. English Proverb

Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in changing him. Scottish Proverb

Beware of the young doctor and the old barber. Benjamin Franklin

Choose a wife with your ears, not your eyes. French Proverb

A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple. French Proverb

Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork. English Proverb

Don’t speak unless you can improve on the silence. Spanish Proverb

Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm. Malayan Proverb

Every path has its puddle. English Proverb

Give to a pig when it grunts and a child when it cries, and you will have a fine pig and a bad child. Danish Proverb

Here are some more non-proverb, proverbial sayings.

- Most people who sing their own praises can’t carry a tune.

- Many people are too busy making a living to make a life worth living

- The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without it.

- More people are going on diets tomorrow than today.

- Politicians who promise pie in the sky are planning to use your dough.

- Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

- There is less pain in biting your tongue than in losing a friend.

- Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

- A good place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.

- It’s ok to ask dumb questions. They’re easier to handle than dumb mistakes.

- Tact is the ability to close your mouth before somebody else wants to.

- Most of us are willing to give a fellow a helping hand if he’d only pick a more convenient time to need it.

- Your ulcer won’t grow very fast while you are laughing.

- The family that stays together probably only has one car.

- When a man proposes on his knees, it sometimes takes him years to get back on his feet.

- The worst thing about accidents in the kitchen is that you usually have to eat them.

- Church is where you go to find out what your neighbors should do to lead better lives.

- Middle age is that time in life when you convince yourself it’s only a vitamin deficiency.

- You can usually tell what makes a man tick when he’s unwinding.

- The page of instructions on the income tax form is religious experience – it passeth all understanding.

- If you want to keep your teeth in good condition, brush them after every meal and mind your own business.

- We are all like eggs – we either hatch or go bad.

Here’s a little proverbial test.

1. Fix something right away or it will get worse. A stitch in time saves nine.

2. An overabundance of culinary help is detrimental to the pot’s contents. Too many cooks spoil the broth.

3. Just because something is shiny, doesn’t mean it’s a precious metal. All that glitters is not gold.

4. That which pleases the eye doesn’t go beyond the epidermis. Beauty is only skin deep.

5. The capital of Italy was constructed over a long period of time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

6. There comes a time when your canine friend is through matriculating. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

7. If you’re going to give advice to others, be sure you follow it yourself. Practice what you preach.

8. Just because you aren’t punctual doesn’t mean you should quit. Better late than never.

9. If you never try to do anything, you’ll never get anything done. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

10. It doesn’t take long for a person without good sense to be separated from his financial assets! A fool and his money are soon parted.

Now to the book of Proverbs. My preaching from this book is going to go here and there, from one subject to another, and they may be completely unrelated to one another. We will cover a variety of subjects pertinent to life. After all, variety is the spice of life. Or so the proverb says.

Prov. 1:1 “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.” Did Solomon write the Proverbs? All the Proverbs? No, not all of them. Check out chapters 30 and 31. According to I Kings 4:29-34 Solomon did utter 3,000 proverbs.