Yiddish proverbs

Proverbs in the Yiddish language.

Proverbs

 * .(אַכט איז ניט קיין אמת) זיבן איז אַ ליגן
 * Zibn iz a lign (akht iz nit keyn emes).
 * Seven is a lie (eight is not the truth).
 * Source:


 * .אַ קלוגער פֿאַרשטײט פֿון אײן װאָרט צװײ
 * A kluger farshteyt fun eyn vort tsvey.
 * A wise man hears one word and understands two.
 * Source:
 * German gloss (unattested): Ein Kluger versteht von einem Wort zwei.


 * .אַחרי מות קדושים
 * Akhre moys kdoyshim. (direct quote from Hebrew title of two sequential Torah portions)
 * After death, [a person is] holy.
 * English equivalent: Speak well of the dead.
 * Meaning: After a person's death, one should speak only of his virtues. Do not speak ill of the dead.
 * Meaning when used ironically: After death, even the most ordinary person becomes a saint.
 * Source:
 * Latin equivalent: De mortuis nihil nisi bonum. (About the dead, nothing but good [should be said].)


 * .‎אױף אײן שלאָג פֿאַלט קײן בױם ניט אום
 * Af eyn shlog falt keyn boym nit um.
 * A tree doesn't fall with one blow.
 * English equivalent: Little strokes fell great oaks.
 * Source:
 * German gloss (unattested): Auf (Mit) einen Schlag fällt kein Baum (nicht) um.


 * .אױף פֿײַער זאָל מען קײן בױמל ניט גיסן
 * Af fayer zol men keyn boyml nit gisn.
 * Don't pour oil on fire.
 * English equivalent: Don't add fuel to the fire.
 * Meaning: Don't make a bad situation worse by making an injudicious remark.
 * Source:
 * German equivalent: Man soll kein Öl ins Feuer gießen.
 * German gloss (theoretical): Auf Feuer soll man kein (Baum-) Öl (nicht) gießen.


 * ‎אַמאָל איז די רפֿואה ערגער פֿאַר דער מכּה‫.‬
 * Amol iz di refue erger far der make.
 * Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
 * Source:
 * German gloss (theoretical): Einmal (Manchmal) ist die Refue ärger für (als) die Macke.


 * .אַז דער שטײן ליגט אױף אײן אָרט װערט ער אױך באַװאַקסן מיט גראָז
 * Az der shteyn ligt af eyn ort vert er oykh bavaksn mit groz.
 * If a stone stays in one place, it becomes overgrown with grass.
 * Source:
 * German gloss (unattested): Als (wenn) der Stein liegt auf einem Ort wird er auch bewachsen mit Gras.
 * English proverb expressing the converse: A rolling stone gathers no moss.


 * .אַז מען לעבט, דערלעבט מען
 * Az men lebt, derlebt men.
 * When one lives, one experiences.
 * Meaning: If you live long enough, you live to see surprising things.
 * Source:
 * German gloss (unattested): Als (wenn) man lebt, erlebt man.


 * .בעסער הערן קללות איידער הערן נעבעך
 * Beser hern kloles eyder hern nebekh.
 * Better to be cursed than pitied.
 * Source:


 * .פֿאַר אַ צאַפּ האָט מען מורא פֿון פֿאָרנט, פֿאַר אַ פֿערד פֿון הינטן, פֿאַר אַ נאַר פֿון אַלע זײַטן
 * Far a tsap hot men moyre fun fornt, far a ferd fun hintn, far a nar fun ale zaytn.
 * Be wary in front of a billy goat, in back of a horse, or on any side of a fool.
 * Source:


 * .‎פֿון אַ חזיר־שװענצל קען מען קײן שטרײַמל ניט מאַכן
 * Fun a khazer-shventsl ken men keyn shtrayml nit makhn.
 * You can't make a shtreimel from a pig's tail.
 * English equivalent: You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
 * Meaning: "You cannot produce anything of good quality from poor raw material; often used of people."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:
 * Source:
 * German gloss (theoretical): Von einem Chaser-Schwänzel kann man keinen Schtreimel (nicht) machen.


 * .דער מענטש טראַכט און גאָט לאַכט
 * Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht.
 * Man plans and God laughs.
 * English equivalent: Man proposes, God disposes.
 * Source:
 * German equivalent: Der Mensch denkt und Gott lenkt.
 * German gloss (unattested): Der Mensch trachtet und Gott lacht.


 * .דאָס עפּעלע פֿאַלט ניט װײַט פֿון בײמעלע
 * Dos epele falt nit vayt fun beymele.
 * The apple doesn't fall far from (the) tree.
 * English equivalent: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
 * Meaning: Children are like their parents.
 * Source:
 * German equivalent: Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm.
 * German gloss: Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Baum.


 * .אַ באַרג מיט אַ באַרג קומט זיך ניט צונױף, אָבער אַ מענטש מיט אַ מענטשן יאָ
 * A barg mit a barg kumt zikh nit tsunoyf, ober a mentsh mit a mentshn yo.
 * Two mountains can't come together, but two people can.
 * Meaning: There is always a way for people to find common ground.
 * German gloss (unattested): Ein Berg mit einem Berg kommt sich nicht zusammen, aber ein Mensch mit einem Menschen ja (schon).
 * Source:


 * .די צײַט איז טײַערער פֿון געלט
 * Di tsayt iz tayerer fun gelt.
 * Time is more precious than money.
 * Source:
 * German gloss (unattested): Die Zeit ist teuerer von (als) Geld.


 * געשװיגן הײסט אױך גערעדט‪.‬
 * Geshvign heyst oykh geredt.
 * Even silence speaks.
 * Meaning: Sometimes there is eloquence in silence. Alternate meaning: Silence implies consent.
 * Source:
 * German equivalent: Schweigen ist auch eine Antwort.
 * German gloss (unattested): Geschwiegen heißt auch geredet.


 * .שטיל װאַסער גראָבט טיף
 * Shtil vaser grobt tif.
 * Still water digs deep.
 * Source:
 * English equivalent: Still water runs deep.
 * "Silent Men, like still Waters, are deep and dangerous."
 * Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia (1732)