Proverbs are short and meaningful sayings that express common wisdom, advice, or life lessons. They are used in everyday English to share ideas about life, behavior, work, relationships, and different situations. Learning a proverbs list from A to Z can improve English vocabulary and help learners understand useful expressions and their meanings. In this article, you will learn proverbs in English from A to Z with pictures, helping kids, students, teachers, and English learners read, understand, remember, and use these meaningful sayings in everyday communication. The pictures also make learning proverbs easier and more enjoyable.
What You’ll Learn
ToggleProverbs That Start With A
- A bad workman blames his tools.
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
- A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
- A clean house is a happy house.
- A closed mouth catches no flies.
- A friend in need is a friend indeed.
- A good beginning makes a good ending.
- A good name is better than riches.
- A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
- A kind word costs nothing.
- A little learning is a dangerous thing.
- A miss is as good as a mile.
- A penny saved is a penny earned.
- A rolling stone gathers no moss.
- A stitch in time saves nine.
- A watched pot never boils.
- A willing heart makes light work.
- Actions speak louder than words.
- All good things come to those who wait.
- All that glitters is not gold.
Proverbs That Start With B
- Bad news travels fast.
- Barking dogs seldom bite.
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
- Beggars cannot be choosers.
- Better late than never.
- Better safe than sorry.
- Better to bend than break.
- Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
- Better wear out than rust out.
- Birds of a feather flock together.
- Blood is thicker than water.
- Business before pleasure.
- Bite the hand that feeds you.
- By little and little, the bird builds its nest.
- Bread shared is bread enjoyed.
- Brave deeds speak for themselves.
- Big trees grow from small seeds.
- Broken promises hurt deeply.
- Busy hands make happy hearts.
- Burn not your bridge before crossing.
Proverbs That Start With C
- Charity begins at home.
- Cleanliness is next to godliness.
- Clothes do not make the man.
- Curiosity killed the cat.
- Cut your coat according to your cloth.
- Confidence wins many battles.
- Constant dripping wears away the stone.
- Care is better than regret.
- Courage grows with action.
- Count your blessings.
- Cold hands, warm heart.
- Common sense is priceless.
- Courtesy costs nothing.
- Contentment is better than wealth.
- Choose your friends wisely.
- Calm seas never made skilled sailors.
- Caution is the parent of safety.
- Crows do not pick out crows’ eyes.
- Creditors have better memories than debtors.
- Custom becomes second nature.
Proverbs That Start With D
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
- Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
- Don’t cry over spilled milk.
- Don’t judge a book by its cover.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
- Don’t burn your bridges.
- Don’t cross the bridge before you come to it.
- Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
- Don’t put the cart before the horse.
- Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
- Dead men tell no tales.
- Diamonds are formed under pressure.
- Diligence is the mother of success.
- Do as you would be done by.
- Do not bite the hand that feeds you.
- Do not cast pearls before swine.
- Do not change horses in midstream.
- Do not keep a dog and bark yourself.
- Do not spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar.
- Distance lends enchantment to the view.
Proverbs That Start With E
- Early to bed and early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy, and wise.
- Easier said than done.
- Easy come, easy go.
- Empty vessels make the most noise.
- Every cloud has a silver lining.
- Every dog has its day.
- Every little helps.
- Every man has his price.
- Every picture tells a story.
- Every road leads somewhere.
- Every rose has its thorn.
- Every stick has two ends.
- Every tide has its turn.
- Every tree is known by its fruit.
- Every wall has ears.
- Example is better than advice.
- Experience is the best teacher.
- Experience keeps a dear school, but fools learn in no other.
- Enough is as good as a feast.
- Even the longest day comes to an end.
Proverbs That Start With F
- Failure teaches success.
- Fair words fill no basket.
- Faith can move mountains.
- Familiarity breeds contempt.
- Far from eye, far from heart.
- Fast bind, fast find.
- Fine feathers do not make fine birds.
- First deserve, then desire.
- First things first.
- Fish begins to stink at the head.
- Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
- Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
- Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
- Fortune favors the brave.
- Fortune knocks only once.
- Free advice is often worth little.
- From little acorns mighty oaks grow.
- Friendship doubles joy and halves sorrow.
- Full hands make light work.
- Fresh starts bring fresh hopes.
Proverbs That Start With G
- Gentle words open hard hearts.
- Give credit where credit is due.
- Give every man your ear, but few your voice.
- Give time its time.
- Go the extra mile.
- God helps those who help themselves.
- Good advice is beyond price.
- Good fences make good neighbors.
- Good habits are hard to break.
- Good things come to those who work.
- Great minds think alike.
- Great oaks grow from little acorns.
- Greed brings grief.
- Grasp all, lose all.
- Gratitude makes life richer.
- Growing old is a blessing.
- Gold is tested by fire.
- Good words cost nothing.
- Good company makes the road shorter.
- Good deeds never go unnoticed.
Proverbs That Start With H
- Half a loaf is better than none.
- Handsome is as handsome does.
- Hard work beats talent.
- Haste makes waste.
- He laughs best who laughs last.
- Health is better than wealth.
- Healthy body, healthy mind.
- Hear all, trust little.
- Heaven helps the honest.
- Heavy burdens make strong shoulders.
- Honesty is the best policy.
- Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
- Hungry stomachs have no ears.
- Happy is the home with peace.
- Hard times reveal true friends.
- He who hesitates is lost.
- Hearts united are stronger.
- Help yourself before asking others.
- Hidden fire is still fire.
- Humility earns respect.
Proverbs That Start With I
- If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
- If the cap fits, wear it.
- If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
- Ignorance is bliss.
- In every beginning, think of the end.
- In unity there is strength.
- Iron sharpens iron.
- It is never too late to learn.
- It takes two to tango.
- It takes a village to raise a child.
- Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
- Ill news travels fast.
- Impossible is a word found in fools’ dictionaries.
- In time of test, family is best.
- Industry is the key to success.
- Integrity is worth more than gold.
- It never rains but it pours.
- If you play with fire, you get burned.
- In calm water, every ship has a good captain.
- Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Proverbs That Start With J
- Jack of all trades, master of none.
- Joy shared is joy doubled.
- Judge not, that you be not judged.
- Justice delayed is justice denied.
- Judge a tree by its fruit.
- Joy comes after sorrow.
- Jump before the bridge only if you can swim.
- Jealousy makes the heart restless.
- Judgment comes with experience.
- Join hands to lift burdens.
- Joy is found in simple things.
- Just one kind word can change a day.
- Jealous hearts find little peace.
- Justice stands above power.
- Joy grows when shared.
- Journey before destination.
- Judging too quickly brings regret.
- Joy follows honest work.
- Jewel by jewel, a crown is made.
- Jumping to conclusions causes mistakes.
Proverbs That Start With K
- Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
- Keep your word.
- Kind words cost nothing.
- Knowledge is power.
- Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens.
- Keep calm and carry on.
- Keep your eyes open.
- Kindness begets kindness.
- Kings have long arms.
- Knock before you enter.
- Keep learning every day.
- Keep faith in hard times.
- Kind actions leave lasting memories.
- Knowing yourself is true wisdom.
- Keep your promises.
- Keen minds ask good questions.
- Keep moving forward.
- Kind hearts make good homes.
- Keep your balance in success.
- Knowledge grows when shared.
Proverbs That Start With L
- Late is better than never.
- Laugh and the world laughs with you.
- Learn to walk before you run.
- Learn from yesterday, live for today.
- Leave well enough alone.
- Lending makes friends, collecting makes enemies.
- Let bygones be bygones.
- Let sleeping dogs lie.
- Life is not a bed of roses.
- Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
- Light work, long life.
- Little drops make the mighty ocean.
- Little strokes fell great oaks.
- Live and learn.
- Live by the sword, die by the sword.
- Love conquers all.
- Love is blind.
- Love makes a house a home.
- Look before you leap.
- Long absent, soon forgotten.
Proverbs That Start With M
- Make hay while the sun shines.
- Many hands make light work.
- Manners make the man.
- Money does not grow on trees.
- Money talks.
- More haste, less speed.
- Morning shows the day.
- Misery loves company.
- Might is not always right.
- Measure twice, cut once.
- Much cry and little wool.
- Many a little makes a mickle.
- Mock not the poor.
- Modesty is the best ornament.
- Mistakes are the best teachers.
- Mercy brings peace.
- Mighty oaks grow from tiny seeds.
- Make every day count.
- More is lost by delay than by effort.
- Mean words wound deeply.
Proverbs That Start With N
- Necessity is the mother of invention.
- Never bite the hand that feeds you.
- Never give up.
- Never judge by appearances.
- Never leave today’s work for tomorrow.
- Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
- Never say never.
- Never too old to learn.
- No pain, no gain.
- No smoke without fire.
- No news is good news.
- No man is an island.
- No road is too long with good company.
- None so blind as those who will not see.
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- Nothing lasts forever.
- Need teaches many lessons.
- New brooms sweep clean.
- Neither fish nor fowl.
- Night brings good counsel.
Proverbs That Start With O
- Old habits die hard.
- Once bitten, twice shy.
- Once begun is half done.
- One good turn deserves another.
- One swallow does not make a summer.
- One tree does not make a forest.
- One step at a time.
- One today is worth two tomorrows.
- Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
- Out of sight, out of mind.
- Out of adversity comes strength.
- Open your eyes before your mouth.
- Old friends are the best friends.
- Oil and water do not mix.
- One lie leads to another.
- One kind act inspires many.
- Only time will tell.
- Opportunities come to those who prepare.
- One wrong does not make another right.
- Old ways do not open new doors.
Proverbs That Start With P
- Patience is a virtue.
- Practice makes perfect.
- Prevention is better than cure.
- Pride comes before a fall.
- Penny wise, pound foolish.
- Put your best foot forward.
- Practice what you preach.
- Peace begins with a smile.
- People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
- Perseverance brings success.
- Plenty is no plague.
- Politeness costs nothing.
- Poverty is no shame.
- Power corrupts.
- Promise little, do much.
- Put first things first.
- Pay attention to small details.
- Plant today, harvest tomorrow.
- Pure hearts fear nothing.
- Praise in public, correct in private.
Proverbs That Start With Q
- Quality is better than quantity.
- Quiet waters run deep.
- Quick decisions often bring regret.
- Question everything, learn something.
- Quick hands finish first.
- Quiet minds make wise choices.
- Quarrels leave lasting scars.
- Quick tempers bring slow success.
- Quality work speaks for itself.
- Quitters never win.
- Quick words can hurt deeply.
- Question before you answer.
- Quiet people often know the most.
- Quarrels begin with careless words.
- Quick feet do not always win the race.
- Quality grows through patience.
- Quick promises are easily broken.
- Quiet hearts find peace.
- Questioning leads to understanding.
- Quarrels make good neighbors strangers.
Proverbs That Start With R
- Rome was not built in a day.
- Respect is earned, not given.
- Respect your elders.
- Riches have wings.
- Riches do not bring happiness.
- Revenge is a dish best served cold.
- Rob Peter to pay Paul.
- Rain before seven, fine before eleven.
- Right is might.
- Rules are made to be followed.
- Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
- Rest is part of hard work.
- Rivers reach the sea by persistence.
- Reputation takes years to build.
- Rash actions bring regret.
- Reason rules over anger.
- Rewards come to the patient.
- Rotten apples spoil the barrel.
- Real friends stay through hard times.
- Running away solves nothing.
Proverbs That Start With S
- Save for a rainy day.
- Slow and steady wins the race.
- Still waters run deep.
- Strike while the iron is hot.
- Silence is golden.
- Seeing is believing.
- Spare the rod and spoil the child.
- Small leaks sink great ships.
- Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
- Success comes to those who work.
- Success has many friends.
- Speak less, listen more.
- Speech is silver, silence is golden.
- Stitch by stitch makes strong cloth.
- Stand on your own feet.
- Strong roots make strong trees.
- Sweet words win hearts.
- Small deeds are better than big promises.
- Sunshine follows every storm.
- Self-control is true strength.
Proverbs That Start With T
- The early bird catches the worm.
- The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.
- The grass is always greener on the other side.
- The pen is mightier than the sword.
- The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
- The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
- The truth will always come out.
- The more, the merrier.
- The best things in life are free.
- The road to success is never easy.
- Time and tide wait for no man.
- Time heals all wounds.
- Time is money.
- Too many cooks spoil the broth.
- Tomorrow never comes.
- Truth is stranger than fiction.
- Talk is cheap.
- Think before you speak.
- Trouble shared is trouble halved.
- True friends stand together.
Proverbs That Start With U
- United we stand, divided we fall.
- Use it or lose it.
- Unity is strength.
- Until the well is dry, we never know its worth.
- Use your head before your hands.
- Unkind words cannot be taken back.
- Understanding brings peace.
- Useful work brings happiness.
- Unfinished work never brings success.
- Unnecessary haste causes mistakes.
- Uphill roads lead to beautiful views.
- Unselfish hearts make happy homes.
- Unused knowledge fades away.
- Under every roof, there is a story.
- Uncertainty teaches patience.
- Uphold the truth at all times.
- Unbroken promises build trust.
- Use every opportunity wisely.
- Uniting hearts builds strong communities.
- Unshaken faith overcomes fear.
Proverbs That Start With V
- Value time, and time will value you.
- Virtue is its own reward.
- Victory belongs to the patient.
- Victory loves preparation.
- Value people over possessions.
- Voice your truth with kindness.
- Vanity brings disappointment.
- Vigilance is the price of safety.
- Very little by little becomes much.
- Valuable lessons come from failure.
- Virtue shines brighter than wealth.
- Visit friends often, but not too often.
- Victory follows hard work.
- Value honesty above riches.
- Vices grow faster than virtues.
- Venture wisely, succeed proudly.
- Virtuous deeds leave lasting memories.
- Valuable things require patience.
- Victory comes after struggle.
- Vision without action achieves nothing.
Proverbs That Start With W
- Waste not, want not.
- Where there is a will, there is a way.
- Well begun is half done.
- Wisdom is better than strength.
- Words are easy, deeds are hard.
- Walls have ears.
- What goes around comes around.
- When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
- When the cat is away, the mice will play.
- When one door closes, another opens.
- Where there is smoke, there is fire.
- Work before play.
- Worry often gives small things a big shadow.
- Wise men learn from others’ mistakes.
- Wealth without wisdom is worthless.
- Walk before you run.
- Win the heart, win the person.
- Wisdom comes with experience.
- Work hard, dream big.
- Well done is better than well said.
Proverbs That Start With X
- Xenophobia builds walls, not bridges.
- X marks the spot for those who keep searching.
- X never tells the whole story.
- X-ray the problem before finding the answer.
- Xcellence comes through practice.
- X-factor grows with confidence.
- Xenial hearts welcome every guest.
- Xenial kindness creates lasting friendships.
- Xenodochy brings people together.
- Xenium given with love is never forgotten.
- Xenial words open closed hearts.
- Xenodochy reflects true generosity.
- Xenophily strengthens friendships.
- Xenial living spreads happiness.
- Xcellence rewards dedication.
- Xenial smiles brighten every meeting.
- Xenophily encourages understanding.
- Xenium offered kindly returns with gratitude.
- Xenial behavior earns respect.
- Xcellence begins with effort.
Proverbs That Start With Y
- You are known by the company you keep.
- You cannot have your cake and eat it too.
- You cannot judge a tree by its leaves.
- You cannot please everyone.
- You reap what you sow.
- Youth is the time to learn.
- Young trees bend easily.
- Your actions shape your future.
- Your word is your bond.
- Yesterday’s mistakes teach today’s wisdom.
- Years bring wisdom.
- Young hearts learn quickly.
- Yield before anger wins.
- Your patience will be rewarded.
- Your home is where your heart is.
- Youth wasted cannot be regained.
- Your habits become your future.
- Your smile costs nothing.
- Your character is your greatest wealth.
- Your kindness always returns.
Proverbs That Start With Z
- Zeal without wisdom is dangerous.
- Zeal makes difficult work easier.
- Zero effort brings zero reward.
- Zigzag roads still reach the destination.
- Zealous hearts never fear hard work.
- Zeal turns dreams into reality.
- Zeal inspires others to act.
- Zest adds joy to life.
- Zigzag paths often lead to success.
- Zeal is stronger than excuses.
- Zest for learning never grows old.
- Zealous workers earn respect.
- Zeal overcomes many obstacles.
- Zero shortcuts lead to lasting success.
- Zest makes ordinary days brighter.
- Zeal and patience build great achievements.
- Zest keeps the spirit young.
- Zeal creates opportunities.
- Zealous minds never stop growing.
- Zigzag journeys often tell the best stories.
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