French Proverbs

t pain 
pauvreté n’est pas vice 
poverty is not a vice (i.e.: it is not shameful to be poor) 
pécheé avoué est à demi pardonné 
a sin confessed is half pardonned 
petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid 
slow and steady wins the race; every little bit helps (lit.: little by little, the birds builds its nest) 
petite pluie abat grand vent 
small efforts can go a long way (lit.: a little rain beats back strong winds) 
pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse 
a rolling stone gathers no moss (lit.: a stone that rolls amasses no moss) 
plaie d’argent n’est pas mortelle 
money isn’t everything (lit.: a financial wound is not mortal) 
plus fait douceur que violence 
better kindness than violence 
plus on est de fous, plus on rit 
the more the merrier (lit.: the more there are insane people, the more one laughs; i.e.: it is easier to 
laugh in a crowd) 
point (pas) d’argent, point (pas) de Suisse 
nothing for nothing (lit.: no money, no Swiss) 
point de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles 
no news is good news (lit.: no news, good news) 
porter d l’eau à la rivière 
carry coals to Newcastle (lit.: to carry water to the river) 
pour un clou, Martin perdit son âne 
for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost (lit.: for lack of a nail, Martin lost his donkey) 
pourquoi remettre au lendemain ce que l'on peut faire le jour même 
why put off until tomorrow what can be done today 
prudence est mère de sûreté 
discretion is the better part of valor (lit.: caution is the mother of safety) 
Q 
quand le chat n’est pas là les souris dansent 
when the cat’s away, the mice will play (lit.: when the cat is not there, the mice dance) 
quand le diable devient vieux, il se fait ermite 
new converts are the most pious (lit.: when the devil gets old, he becomes a hermit) 
quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire 
once the first step is taken, there is no going back; as you make your bed, so must you lie upon it (lit.: 
when the wine is drawn, it must be drunk) 
quand les poules auront des dents 
never; never in a month of Sundays; when pigs fly (lit.: when hens have teeth) 
quand on parle du loup (on en voit le queue) 
speak of the devil (lit.: when one speaks about a wolf, one sees the tail; n.b.: the second half is often 
omitted, in part because of the homonym between queue and cul) 
qui a bu boira 
a leopard never changes its spots; once a thief, always a thief (lit.: he who has drunk will drink) 
qui aime bien châtie bien 
who loves well suffers well (i.e.: those who truly love do not fear testing) 
qui casse les verres les paie 
you break it, you buy it; as you make your bed, so must you lie upon it (lit.: he who breaks the glasses 
pays for them) 
qui craint le danger ne doit pas aller en mer 
if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen (lit.: he who fears danger should not go to sea) 
qui donne aux pauvres prête à Dieu 
who gives to the poor loans to God (i.e.: those who are charitable are rewarded by God) 
qui dort dîne 
he who sleeps forgets his hunger (lit.: he who sleeps dines) 
qui n’entend qu’une cloche n’entend qu’un son 
hear the other side and believe little (lit.: he who hears only one bell hears only one sound) 
qui naît poule aime à caqueter 
a leopard cannot change its spots (lit.: one born as a hen will enjoy cackling) 
qui ne dit mot consent 
silence is consent (lit.: he who says not a word consents) 
qui ne risque rien n’a rien 
nothing ventured, nothing gained (lit.: he who risks nothing has nothing) 
qui ne tente rien n’a rien 
nothing ventured, nothing gained (lit.: he who does not attempt has nothing) 
qui paie ses dettes s’enrichit 
he who pays his debts becomes richer (i.e.: by paying one’s debts, one creates or increases credit) 
qui peut le plus peut le moins 
he who can do the most can do the least (i.e.: those who can do the hard things can readily do the 
easy ones) 
qui s’excuse, s’accuse 
he who excuses himself implicates himself; the lady doth protest too much (lit.: he who excuses 
himself accuses himself) 
qui s’y frotte s’y pique 
keep your distance; don’t get too close or you’ll get burned (lit.: he who rubs against it gets stung) 
qui se couche avec les chiens se lève avec des puces 
if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas (lit: he who sleeps with dogs gets up with fleas) 
qui se fait brebis le loup le mange 
nice guys finish last (lit.: he who makes himself a ewe is eaten by the wolf) 
qui se ressemble, s’assemble 
birds of a feather flock together (lit.: those who resemble each other will get together) 
qui se sent morveux se mouche 
if the shoe fits, wear it 
qui sème le vent récolte la tempête 
as you sow, so shall you reap (lit.: he who sows the wind reaps the storm) 
qui terre a, guerre a 
he who has land has quarrels (lit.: who has land has wars) 
qui trop embrasse mal étreint 
you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew (lit.: he who grasps too much holds onto little) 
qui va à la chasse perd sa place 
he who leaves his place loses it (lit.: he who goes on the hunt loses his place) 
qui veut la fin veut les moyens 
the ends justify the means (lit.: he who wants the end wants the means) 
qui veut noyer son chien l’accuse de la rage 
give a dog a bad name and hang him (lit.: he who wants to harm his dog accuses it of having rabies) 
qui veut voyager loin ménage sa monture 
slow and steady wins the race (lit.: he who wants to travel far spares his mount) 
qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf 
once a thief, always a thief; little lies lead to big lies (lit.: he who steals an egg will steal an ox) 
quiconque se sert de l’épée périra par l’épée 
he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword 
R 
rien n'arrête la course du temps 
nothing can stop the course of time 
rien ne sert de courir il faut partir a point 
nothing is served by running; one must leave at the right time 
rira bien qui rira le dernier 
who laughs last laughs best 
Rome ne s’est pas fait en un jour 
Rome wasn’t built in a day 
S 
santé passe richesses 
heath is better than riches (lit.: health exceeds riches/wealth) 
si chacun se mêlait de ses propres affaires, tout irait pour le mieux 
if we each attend to our own affairs, it would be for the best for all 
si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait 
youth is wasted on the young (lit.: if youth knew, if old age could) 
souris qui n’a qu’un trou est bientôt prise 
better safe than sorry; an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure (lit.: a mouse that has 
only one hole is quickly caught) 
souvent femme varie (bien fol est qui s’y fie) 
woman is fickle (lit.: women change often) 
T 
tant va la cruche à l’eau qu’à la fin elle se casse 
enough is enough (lit.: so often does the pitcher go to the water that it finally breaks) 
tel est pris qui croyait prendre 
hoist by your own petard (lit.: he is caught who thought he could catch) 
tel père, tel fils 
like father, like son (lit.: such the father, such the son) 
tel qui rit vendredi dimanche pleurera 
laugh on Friday, cry on Sunday (lit.: he who laughs on Friday will cry on Sunday) 
tous les chemins mènent à Rome 
all roads lead to Rome (i.e.: there are many ways to arrive at a particular goal) 
tous les gôuts sont dans la nature 
it takes all kinds [to make a world] (lit.: all different tastes are found in nature) 
tout ce qui brille n’est pas or 
all that glitters is not gold 
tout est bien qui finit bien 
all’s well that ends well 
tout soldat a dans son sac son baton de maréchal 
the sky is the limit (lit.: every soldier has in his pack a field marshal’s baton; n.b.: attributed to 
Napoleon) 
tout vient à point à qui sait attendre 
all things come to those who wait (lit.: everything comes at the right time to he who knows how to 
wait) 
toute médaille a son revers 
every medallion has its other side 
toute peine mérite salaire 
a laborer is worthy of his hire (lit.: every trouble taken deserves a salary) 
toute vérité n’est pas bonne à dire 
some things are better left unsaid (lit.: all truth is not good to say) 
trompe-moi une fois, et tu seras à blâmer; trompe-moi deux fois, et je serai à blâmer 
fool me once and you are to blame; fool me twice and I am to blame 
trop de précaution nuit 
too much caution harms (lit.: too much precaution injures) 
U 
un chien regarde bien un évêque 
a cat may look upon a king (lit.: a dog may look at a bishop) 
un chien vivant vaut mieux qu’un lion mort 
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (lit.: a live dog is worth more than a dead lion) 
un clou chasse l’autre 
one man goes and another steps in; life goes on (lit.: one nail drives out another) 
un de perdu, dix de retrouvés 
easy come, easy go; there are many fish in the sea (lit.: one lost, ten found) 
un homme averti en vaut deux 
forewarned is forearmed (lit.: a warned man is worth two) 
un malheur ne vient jamais seul 
it never rains but it pours (lit.: misfortute never comes alone) 
un mauvais arrangement vaut mieux qu'un bon procès 
a poor arrangement is worth more than a good [legal] process (i.e.: court battles can be so costly and 
time-consuming that a disappointing agreement of some sort reached out of court can be preferable) 
un menteur doit avoir bonne mémoire 
a liar must have a good memory 
un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras 
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (lit.: having one is worth more than having two in the 
future) 
une âne grate l’autre 
little things please little minds (lit.: one donkey scratches another) 
une fois n’est pas coutume 
once is not habit (lit.: one time is not a custom) 
une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps 
one swallow doesn't make a summer (lit.: one swallow doesn't make spring) 
V 
ventre affamé n’a point d’oreilles 
words are wasted on a starving man (lit.: a hungry stomach has no ears) 
vouloir, c’est pouvoir 
where there’s a will, there’s a way (lit.: to want is to be able)