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'As They Say in Zanzibar' (Excerpt)
1 EXISTENCE
1 God did not create hurry
Finland
2 Do not blame God for having created the tiger, but thank Him for not having given it wings
Ethiopia
3 The face came before the photograph
USA
4 Heroism consists in hanging on one minute longer
Norway
5 Everything comes to those who wait
England
6 There’s a time and a place for everything
England
7 The existence of the sea means the existence of pirates
Malaysia
8 Handsome is as handsome does
England
9 Friendly is as friendly does
USA
10 Everything is possible, except to bite your own nose
Netherlands
11 Fingers were made before forks England
12 The bigger they come, the harder they fall
USA
13 When God made the rabbit He made bushes too
Hungary
14 Let the church stand in the churchyard
England
15 Everything will perish save love and music
Scotland
16 Rules are made to be broken
England
17 If you aren’t what you ain’t, then you ain’t what you are
USA
2 FAMILY
1 If you have no relatives, get married
Egypt
2 Vultures eat with their blood relations
South Africa
3 One family builds the wall; two families enjoy it
China
4 In every family’s cooking-pot is one black spot
China
5 The bazaar knows neither father nor mother
Turkey
6 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother
Sierra Leone
7 If my aunt had wheels, she might be an omnibus
Netherlands
8 Bed is your brother
Zanzibar
9 Better a neighbour over the wall than a brother over the sea
Albania
10 Two happy days are seldom brothers
Bulgaria
11 Three brothers, three fortresses
Portugal
12 Brotherly love for brotherly love, but cheese for money
Albania
13 Children regard their father’s guest as a slave
Republic of Congo
14 A father is a banker provided by nature
France
15 It’s a wise child that knows its own father
England
16 The house with an old grandparent harbours a jewel
China
17 Those whose mother is naked are not likely to clothe their aunt
Sudan
18 Love and blindness are twin sisters
Ukraine
19 When you are chased by a wolf you call the boar your uncle
Slovenia
20 The spear of kinship soon pierces the eye
Cameroon
21 Many kiss the child for the nurse’s sake
England
22 Those who gossip about their relatives have no luck and no blessing
Netherlands
3 SAMENESS
1 It is not the one way everyone goes mad
Ireland
2 The cry of the hyena and the loss of the goat are one
Nigeria
3 Both legs in the stocks or only one is all the same
Germany
4 Luck and bad luck are driving in the same sledge
Russia
5 Ability and necessity dwell in the same cabin
Netherlands
6 Lovers have much to relate – but it is always the same thing
Germany
7 Those who stumble twice over the same stone are fools
Latin
8 It is the hyenas of the same den that hate one another
Kenya
9 Straps come from the same leather
Argentina
10 A bad thing that does no harm is the same as a good one that does no good
Germany
11 There are many paths to the top of the mountain – but the view is always the same
China
12 A hole here and there is not the same as a window
Kenya
13 You cannot jump over two ditches at the same time
Netherlands
14 If you climb up a tree, you must climb down the same tree
Sierra Leone
15 Thin ice and thick ice look the same from a distance
USA
16 No one can blow and swallow at the same time
Germany
17 No one can paddle two canoes at the same time
South Africa
18 You can never get all the possums up the same tree
USA
19 Lightning never strikes twice in the same place
England
20 Love and blindness are twin sisters
Ukraine
21 Crows everywhere are equally black
China
22 The water is the same on both sides of the boat
Finland
23 Not even a bell always rings the same way
Serbia
24 When it rains, the roof always drips the same way
Liberia
25 Great minds think alike
England
26 One beetle knows another
Ireland
27 Before God and the bus-conductor we are all equal
Germany
28 The nail suffers as much as the hole
Netherlands
29 Don’t run too far; you will have to come back the same distance
France
30 Your fingers can’t be of the same length
China
31 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother
Sierra Leone
32 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
England
33 A dollar in the bank is worth two in the hand
USA
34 The game is not worth the candle
England
35 Beans are not equal to meat
Namibia
36 A child is more than a chip
Estonia
37 Two wrongs do not make a right
England
38 The more things change the more they remain the same
France
4 DIFFERENCE
1 Do not put each foot on a different boat
China
2 What makes one abbot glad makes another abbot sad
Scotland
3 Many people are like clocks, they show one hour and strike another
Denmark
4 When it rains on one it only drips on another
Netherlands
5 The broad-minded see the truth in different religions; the narrow-minded see only the differences
China
6 Different holes have different fish
Malaysia
7 You cannot take one part of a fowl for cooking and leave the other part to lay eggs
India
8 Look the other way when the girl in the tea-house smiles
Japan
9 The exception proves the rule
England
10 A frog beneath a coconut shell believes there is no other world
Malaysia
11 Other people’s books are difficult to read
Netherlands
12 The toughest broncs is always them you’ve rode some other place
USA
13 Fools seldom differ
England
14 Raindrops can’t tell broadcloth from jeans
USA
15 One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade
China
16 Other trees, other woodcutters
Lithuania
17 Variety is the spice of life
England
18 When one door shuts, another opens
Scotland
5 SMALL AMOUNT
1 To the ant, a few drops of rain is a flood
Japan
2 The sea is made bigger even by one drop
Russia
3 Better a handful of bees than a basketful of flies
Morocco
4 Every little helps
England
5 Those who want the last drop out of the can get the lid on their nose
Netherlands
6 Even a small star shines in the darkness
Finland
7 A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses
China
8 A little wood will heat a little oven
England
9 A sip at a time empties the cask
Norway
10 The biggest help is help, and even the smallest help is help
Ireland
11 Those who do not wish little things do not deserve big things
Belgium
12 An indispensable thing never has much value
Georgia
13 Be always a little afraid so that you never have need of being much afraid
Finland
14 Cabbage is the best invalid, it needs only a little water
Serbia
15 A good driver turns in a small space
France
16 Errands are small on a spring day
Iceland
17 Every blade of grass gets its own drop of dew
Scotland
18 Falling hurts least those who fly low
China
19 Generally one loses less by being known too little than by being known too much
Latin
20 If you haven’t much to do, start cleaning your own backyard
USA
21 It takes little effort to watch someone carry a load
China
22 To part is to die a little
France
23 It’s a small world
England
24 A little drop of water silences a boiling pot
Germany
25 Small cares make many words, great ones are mute
Germany
26 When the bed is small lie in the centre
Spain
27 A small bed will not hold two persons
Nigeria
28 A tree with ripe fruit needs little shaking
Switzerland
29 Least said, soonest mended
England
30 Little said is easy mended; nothing said needs no mending
Ireland
31 Great consolation may grow out of the smallest saying
Switzerland
6 LARGE AMOUNT
1 Much treasure, many moths
Estonia
2 A big crop is best, but a little crop will do
Scotland
3 The bird can drink much, but the elephant drinks more
Senegal
4 The peace-maker gets two-thirds of the blows
Montenegro
5 They that love most speak least
Scotland
6 Discretion is the better part of valour
England
7 A fox knows much; a hedgehog one great thing
Greece
8 Lovers have much to relate – but it is always the same thing
Germany
9 Many donkeys need much straw
Spain: Basque
10 Many drops make a puddle
Netherlands
11 Too much courtesy is discourtesy
Japan
12 Too much discussion will lead to a row
Coˆ te d’Ivoire
13 What is inflated too much will burst into fragments
Ethiopia
14 Where there is most mind there is least money
Latin
15 Who sieves too much, keeps the rubbish
Belgium
16 Think much, say little, write less
France
17 The fish said, ‘I have much to say, but my mouth is full of water.’
Georgia
18 Those who speak much must either know a lot or lie a lot
Germany
19 Drinking a little too much is drinking a great deal too much
Germany
20 Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration
USA
21 The roughest stone becomes smooth when it is much rolled
Switzerland
22 Too much tying loosens
Syria
23 Who knows much, mistakes much
Armenia
24 If you engrave it too much it will become a hole
India
25 A reasonable amount of fleas is good for a dog; they keep him from broodin’ on being a dog
USA
7 INCREASE – DECREASE
1 Little by little grow the bananas
Republic of Congo
2 The first stage of folly is to consider oneself wise
Belgium
3 Friendship is steps
Kenya
4 Add caution to caution
Japan
5 Is it necessary to add acid to the lemon?
India
6 Quick work – double work
Montenegro
7 Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still
China
8 No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow
Republic of Congo
9 One good turn deserves another
England
10 The sea is made bigger even by one drop
Russia
11 Two things make one either greater or smaller, praise and shadows
Germany
12 The more one sleeps the less one lives
Portugal
13 More haste, less speed
England
14 Another day, another dollar
USA
15 A bald-headed man cannot grow hair by getting excited about it
Republic of Congo
16 The more you stroke a cat, the more it lifts its tail
Estonia
17 A rolling stone gathers no moss
England
18 A stationary stone gathers moss
Russia
8 ONE ALONE
1 One dog can’t fight
Ireland
2 Once is no custom
Netherlands
3 The wise person is cheated only once
Finland
4 No stone ever falls alone
Belgium
5 In every family’s cooking-pot is one black spot
China
6 We boil our rice only once
India
7 Who hears but one bell hears but one sound
France
8 Who hears music feels his solitude
France
9 Solitude is full of God
Serbia
10 Hit one ring and the whole chain will resound
South Africa
11 One link broken, the whole chain is broken
Germany
12 One spot spots the whole dress
Belgium
13 One bad pipe ruins the entire organ
Netherlands
14 One rotten egg spoils the whole pudding
Germany
15 One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel
England
16 The eyes have one language everywhere
England
17 Heroism consists in hanging on one minute longer
Norway
18 Rather once cry your heart out than always sigh
China
19 The person who steals once is always a thief
Spain
20 Between two points one cannot draw more than one straight line
Denmark
21 Empty gossip jumps with one leg
Estonia
22 It is better to be once in the church sleigh than always in the back runners
Finland
23 Those who have only one bow should be content with one fiddle
Germany
24 One bell serves a parish
Italy
25 A single bracelet doesn’t jingle
Guinea
26 Those who have once had luck cannot always call themselves unlucky
Belgium
27 A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother
Sierra Leone
28 One thread for the needle, one love for the heart
Sudan
29 Once a crook, always a crook
USA
30 Beware the man with only one gun
USA
31 When a single hair has fallen from your head, you are not yet bald
Sierra Leone
32 A fox knows much; a hedgehog one great thing
Greece
33 Never less alone than when alone
Latin
34 If you play alone, you will win
Syria
9 ONE OF TWO
1 One hand washes the other; both hands wash the face
Albania
2 If a string has one end, then it has another end
China
3 If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily
China
4 Never try to catch two frogs with one hand
China
5 You cannot hold two water melons in one hand
Iran
6 The story is only half told when one side tells it
Iceland
7 When two ride on one horse, one must sit behind
England
8 Too many affairs are like pumpkins in water; one pops up while you try to hold down the other
China
9 One family builds the wall; two families enjoy it
China
10 One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade
China
11 One foot is better than two stilts
France
12 Both legs in the stocks or only one is all the same
Germany
13 In one stable there may be a steed and an ass
Belgium
14 A lie stands upon one leg, but truth upon two
England
15 When one door shuts, another opens
Scotland
16 To learn costs you one effort, to unlearn, two
Bulgaria
17 One beetle knows another
Ireland
18 If two people tell you you are blind, shut one eye
Georgia
19 You cannot take one part of a fowl for cooking and leave the other part to lay eggs
India
20 One hand can’t tie a bundle
Liberia
21 Justice becomes injustice when it makes two wounds on a head which only deserves one
Republic of Congo
22 Those who have two garments do not wear one only
Zanzibar
23 Two crocodiles don’t live in one pond
Gambia
24 You can’t dance at two weddings with one pair of feet
USA
25 When you pick up a stick at one end, you also pick up the other end
USA
26 Two heads are better than one
England
27 Better ask twice than go wrong once
Germany
28 Once bitten, twice shy
England
29 Measure twice, cut once
Slovakia
30 Those who cheat me once, shame fall them; those who cheat me twice, shame fall me
Scotland
31 Someone with a watch knows what time it is; someone with two watches is never sure
France
10 ONE OF SEVERAL
1 Rain does not fall only on one roof
Cameroon
2 Better one living word than a hundred dead ones
Germany
3 A hat is not made for one shower
England
4 Before going to war say one prayer; before going to sea, two; before getting married, three
Poland
5 The spider does not weave its web for one fly
Slovenia
6 The sea is made bigger even by one drop
Russia
7 One buffalo brings mud and all the herd are smeared
with it
Malaysia
8 If one finger is gashed, all the fingers are covered with
blood
Republic of Congo
9 A basket-maker who makes one basket makes a hundred
Brazil
10 It’s a poor mouse that has but one hole
Netherlands
11 An elephant does not die from one broken rib
Kenya
12 Don’t tell all of your jokes on one program
USA
13 One bird in the dish is better than a hundred in the air
Germany
14 If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want a hundred years of prosperity, grow people
China
15 Life is just one damned thing after another
USA
16 One accident is one too many
Canada
17 One loose pebble can start a landslide
USA
18 One broken rail will wreck a train
USA
19 Don’t keep all your tongs in one fire
Canada
20 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
England
21 There are more ways than one to kill a cat
England
22 A cloth is not woven from a single thread
China
23 One servant is a servant; two servants are half a servant; three servants are no servant at all
Poland
24 It takes a whole village to raise one child
Nigeria
25 One actor cannot make a play
USA
26 Where water has once flowed it will flow again
Montenegro
27 Troubles never come singly
England
11 ACCOMPANIMENT
1 When you have no companion, consult your walkingstick
Albania
2 Misery loves company
England
3 Two’s company; three’s a crowd
England
4 When a blind person carries the banner, woe to those who follow
France
5 Where the needle goes the thread must follow
Poland
6 Pull the ear, the head follows
Bangladesh
7 When one sheep is over the dam, the rest will follow
Netherlands
8 Every flood will have an ebb
Scotland
9 Who has God for his friend has all the saints in his pocket
Italy
10 The reverse side has its reverse side
Japan
11 Adam must have an Eve, to blame for his own faults
Germany
12 A misty morning may have a fine day
England
13 A pessimist is a person who has lived with an optimist
USA
14 Follow the river and you will reach the sea
France
15 Beware of a person’s shadow and a bee’s sting
Myanmar
16 Nobody can rest in their own shadow
Hungary
17 A shadow is a feeble thing but no sun can drive it away
Sweden
18 A road has no shadow
Senegal
19 Even a hair has a shadow
Czech Republic
20 Two things make one either greater or smaller, praise and shadows
Germany
21 Every Sunday brings a week with it
Scotland
22 The one who has taken the bear into the boat must cross over with him
Sweden
From "As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom From Around the World," by David Crystal (Oxford University Press USA, 2008)