Russian Proverbs

A drop hollows out a stone.

A fly cannot enter a closed mouth.

A good citizen owes his life to his country.

A kind word is like a Spring day.

A man is judged by his deeds, not by his words.

A mile walk with a friend has only one hundred steps.

A proverb can't be judged.

A word of kindness is better than a fat pie.

Absentmindedness is searching for the horse you are riding.

Acknowledgement is half of correction.

All are not cooks who walk with long knives.

All lay loads on a willing horse.

An enemy will agree, but a friend will argue.

Any fish is good if it is on the hook.

Any sandpiper is great in his own swamp.

As you cooked the porridge, so must you eat it.

Ask a lot, but take what is offered.

Ask a silly question and you get a silly answer.

Better a dove on the plate than a woodgrouse in the mating place.

Chickens are counted in autumn.

Confide a secret to a dumb man and he will speak.

Cry and the whole world cries with you.

Cry not out before you are hurt.

Cut down the tree that you are able to.

Do not make an elephant out of a fly.

Eat what is cooked; listen to what is said.

Eternal peace lasts only until the next war.

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.

Every road has two directions.

Every seed knows its time.

Fear the goat from the front, the horse from the rear, and man from all sides.

For him who does not believe in signs, there is no way to live in the world.

Give your children too much freedom and you lose your own.

God wanted to chastise mankind, so he sent lawyers.

Gossip needs no carriage.

Happiness is not a horse; you cannot harness it.

Having a good wife and rich cabbage soup, seek not other things.

He who doesn't risk never gets to drink champagne.

If everyone gives one thread, the poor man will have a shirt.

If the child does not cry, the mother knows not its wants.

If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.

If you don't have time to do it right you must have time to do it over.

If you were born lucky, even your rooster will lay eggs.

In a quarrel, leave room for reconciliation.

Keep your ears wider and your mouth narrower.

Keep your eye on the ball.

Long whiskers cannot take the place of brains.

Looking at a tree see its fruit; looking at a man see his deeds.

Love and eggs are best when they are fresh.

Mock not the fallen, for slippery is the road ahead of you.

Not everything is a mermaid that dives into the water.

One does not wash one's dirty linen in public.

One fisherman recognizes another from afar.

Peace lasts until the army comes, and the army lasts until peace comes.

Pray to God but continue to row to the shore.

Rooster today, feather duster tomorrow.

Small children give you headache; big children heartache.

Smooth hands love the labor of others.

Spending is quick, earning is slow.

Still water undermines the bank.

Success and rest don't sleep together.

Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan.

Take the bull by the horns.

Take thy thoughts to bed with thee, for the morning is wiser than the evening.

Take time to smell the roses.

Tell me who's your friend and I'll tell you who you are.

The calmer you go, the further along you will be.

The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living.

The hammer shatters glass but forges steel.

The horse may run quickly, but it can't escape its own tail.

The morning is wiser than the evening.

The morning sun never lasts a day.

The offender never forgives.

The one who pulls a cart is urged on.

The rich would have to eat money if the poor did not provide food.

The riches that are in the heart cannot be stolen.

The slower you go, the farther you will be.

The tongue always returns to the sore tooth.

There are two fools in every market: one asks too little, one asks too much.

There will be trouble if the cobbler starts making pies.

There's no harm in wine; it's drunkenness that is at fault.

To run away is not glorious, but very healthy.

Trust in God but lock your doors.

When money speaks the truth is silent.

When you meet a man, you judge him by his clothes; when you leave, you judge him by his heart.

Where something is thin, that's where it tears.

You cannot break through a wall with your forehead.

You cannot pull a fish out of the pond without work.

You cannot ride two horses with one ass.

You do not need a whip to urge on an obedient horse.

You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.

You don't get something for nothing.

You need a sharp axe for a tough bough.