Some wise sayings in English

Year Of English

Below is a list of famous English proverbs. These are wise sayings that most English speakers are familiar with. Once you learn them, you'll hear them all over the place: in conversations, on TV, in magazine and web articles, etc.

Try memorizing the ten proverbs below. Say each one out loud several times, then close your eyes and try saying it without reading.

1.     "A broken clock is right twice a day."

When an old clock stops working, it shows one specific time but doesn't move. So once in the day and once at night, the clock is pointing to the correct time. In the same way, even a person who's not very smart can sometimes be correct by accident.

2.     "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
If someone helps you when you're in trouble, that person is a true friend.

3.     "A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Sometimes when a person knows a little bit about something, they feel like they're an expert. Because they feel like an expert, they try to do things that they shouldn't and they mess everything up.

4.     "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Some things, like learning to speak English fluently, take a really long time. It might seem like too much work. But the only way to achieve your goals is to start working now.

5.     "All is fair in love and war."
In love and romance, you sometimes do things that aren't very nice. For example, you might break up with someone or steal another person's partner. This phrase means that that's OK.

6.     "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
You can't work all of the time. You have to relax as well.

7.     "Better safe than sorry."
You should be careful, even if it seems like it's not necessary. The consequences if something goes wrong are much worse than wasting a little time and effort by being careful.

8.     "Better the devil you know than the one you don't."
When you have a choice between two bad things, it's safer to pick the bad thing that you've already experienced. The other bad thing might be worse.

9.     "Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes."
Sometimes people criticize each other. But it's not fair to criticize someone else if you haven't had the same experiences.

10.                       "Don't put the cart before the horse."
Pay attention to what's most important. Don't let things which aren't as important take up all of your time and attention.

After you think you've memorized the proverbs, quiz yourself. Fill in the missing words:

• "A journey of a ___ ___ begins with a single step."
• "Don't put the ___ before the ___."
• "All is fair in love and ___."
• "A ___ ___ is right twice a day."
• "A friend in ___ is a friend ___."
• "A little bit of knowledge is a ___ thing."
• "Don't judge a man until you have ___ a mile in his ___."
• "All ___ and no ___ makes Jack a dull boy."
• "Better safe than ___."
• "Better the ___ you ___ than the one you don't."