James Wood, comp. Dictionary of Quotations. 1899.
French Proverb
A aucun les biens viennent en dormant—Good things come to some while asleep.
A beau jeu beau retour—One good turn deserves another.
A bon chien il ne vient jamais un bon os—A good bone never falls to a good dog.
A cœur vaillant rien d’impossible—To a valiant heart nothing is impossible.
A chacun selon sa capacité, à chaque capacité selon ses œuvres—Every one according to his talent, and every talent according to its works.
A chacun son fardeau pèse—Every one thinks his own burden heavy.
A chaque fou plait sa marotte—Every fool is pleased with his own hobby.
A confesseurs, médecins, avocats, la vérité ne cèle de ton cas—Do not conceal the truth from confessors, doctors, and lawyers.
A dur âne dur aiguillon—A hard goad for a stubborn ass.
A force de mal aller tout ira bien—By dint of going wrong all will go right.
A force de peindre le diable sur les murs, il finit par apparaître en personne—If you keep painting the devil on the walls, he will by and by appear to you in person.
A l’impossible nul n’est tenu—No one can be held bound to do what is impossible.
A la chandelle la chèvre semble demoiselle—By candlelight a goat looks like a young lady.
A la fin saura-t-on qui a mangé le lard—We shall know in the end who ate the bacon.
A la presse vont les fous—Fools go in crowds.
A qui veut rien n’est impossible—Nothing is impossible to one with a will.
A Rome comment à Rome—At Rome do as Rome does.
A rude âne rude ânier—A stubborn driver to a stubborn ass.
A toute seigneur tout honneur—Let every one have his due honour.
Adieu la voiture, adieu la boutique—Adieu to the carriage, adieu to the shop, i.e., to the business.
Aisé à dire est difficile à faire—Easy to say is hard to do.
Amour fait moult, argent fait tout—Love can do much, but money can do everything.
Après la mort le médecin—After death the doctor.
Après la pluie, le beau temps—After the rain, fair weather.
Argent comptant porte medicine—Ready money works great cures.
Assez a qui se contente—He has enough who is content.
Assez dort qui rien ne fait—He sleeps enough who does nothing.
Assez gagne qui malheur perd—He gains enough who gets rid of a sorrow.
Assez sait qui sait vivre et se taire—He knows enough who knows how to live and how to keep his own counsel.
Assez tôt si assez bien—Soon enough if well enough.
Assez y a, si trop n’y a—There is enough where there is not too much.
Attendez à la nuit pour dire que le jour a été beau—Wait till night before saying that the day has been fine.
Au dernier les os—For the last the bones.
Au nouveau tout est beau—Everything is fine that is new.
Aujourd’hui marié, demain marri—To-day married, to-morrow marred.
Autant chemine un homme en un jour qu’un limaçon en cent ans—A man travels as far in a day as a snail in a hundred years.
Autant dépend chiche que large, et à la fin plus davantage—Niggard spends as much as generous, and in the end a good deal more.
Autant en emporte le vent—Alt idle talk (lit. so much the wind carries away).
Autant pèche celui que tient le sac que celui qui met dedans—He is as guilty who holds the bag as he who puts in.
Autant vaut l’homme comme il s’estime—A man is rated by others as he rates himself.
Autre temps, autres mœurs—Other times, other fashions.
Aux grands maux les grands remèdes—Desperate maladies require desperate remedies.
Avec un Si on mettrait Paris dans une bouteille—With an “if” one might put Paris in a bottle.
Bûche tortue fait bon feu—A crooked log makes a good fire.
Beaucoup de mémoire et peu de jugement—A retentive memory and little judgment.
Beauté et folie sont souvent en compagnie—Beauty and folly go often together.
Belle chose est tôt ravie—A fine thing is soon snapt up.
Belle, bonne, riche, et sage, est une femme en quatre étages—A woman who is beautiful, good, rich, and wise, is four stories high.
Better mad with all the world than wise all alone.
Bien dire fait rire; bien faire fait taire—Saying well makes us laugh; doing well makes us silent.
Bien est larron qui larron dérobe—He is a thief with a witness who robs another.
Bien nourri et mal appris—Well fed but ill taught.
Bien vient à mieux, et mieux à mal—Good comes to better and better to bad.
Boiz ont oreilles et champs œillets—Woods have ears and fields eyes.
Bon avocat, mauvais voisin—A good lawyer is a bad neighbour.
Bon chien chasse de race—A good dog hunts from pure instinct.
Bon droit a besoin d’aide—A good cause needs help.
Bon guet chasse maladventure—A good look-out drives ill-luck away.
Bon jour, bonne œuvre—The better the day, the better the deed.
Bon marché tire l’argent hors de la bourse—A good bargain is a pick-purse.
Bon sang ne peut mentir—Good blood disdains to lie.
Bonne épée point querelleur—A good swordsman is not given to quarrel.
Bonne est la maille que sauve le denier—Good is the farthing that saves the penny.
Bonne journée fait qui de fol se délivre—He who rids himself of a fool does a good day’s work.
Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée—A good name is worth more than a girdle of gold.
Bons mots n’épargnent nuls—Witticisms spare nobody.
Brouille sera à la maison si la quenouille est maîtresse—There will be disagreement in the house if the distaff holds the reins.
C’est le ton qui fait la musique—In music everything depends on the tone.
C’est le valet du diable, il fait plus qu’on ne lui ordonne—He who does more than he is bid is the devil’s valet.
C’est partout comme chez nous—It is everywhere the same as among ourselves.
C’est peu que de courir; il faut partir à point—It is not enough to run, one must set out in time.
Ce ne sont pas les plus belles qui font les grandes passions—It is not the most beautiful women that inspire the greatest passion.
Ce qu’on apprend au berceau dure jusqu’au tombeau—What is learned in the cradle lasts till the grave.
Ce que femme veut, Dieu le veut—What woman wills, God wills.
Ce qui fait qu’on n’est pas content de sa condition, c’est l’idée chimérique qu’on forme du bonheur d’autrui—What makes us discontented with our condition is the absurdly exaggerated idea we have of the happiness of others.
Ce qui suffit ne fut jamais peu—What is enough was never a small quantity.
Ce qui vient de la flûte, s’en retourne au tambour—What is earned by the fife goes back to the drum; easily gotten, easily gone.
Cela fera comme un coup d’épée dans l’eau—It will be all lost labour (lit. like a sword-stroke in the water).
Cela saute aux yeux—That is quite evident (lit. leaps to the eyes).
Celui est homme de bien qui est homme de biens—He is a good man who is a man of goods.
Celui qui aime mieux ses trésors que ses amis, mérite de n’être aimé de personne—He who loves his wealth better than his friends does not deserve to be loved by any one.
Celui qui dévore la substance du pauvre, y trouve à la fin un os qui l’étrangle—He who devours the substance of the poor will in the end find a bone in it to choke him.
Celui qui est sur épaules d’un géant voit plus loin que celui qui le porte—He who is on the shoulders of a giant sees farther than he does who carries him.
Cent ans n’est guère, mais jamais c’est beaucoup—A hundred years is not much, but “never” is along while.
Cest trop aimer quand on en meurt—It is loving too much to die of loving.
Cet homme va à bride abattue—That man goes at full speed (lit. with loose reins).
Chacun à sa marotte—Every one to his hobby.
Chacun à son métier, et les vaches seront bien gardées—Let every one mind his own business, and the cows will be well cared for.
Chacun cherche son semblable—Like seeks like.
Chacun doit balayer devant sa propre porte—Everybody ought to sweep before his own door.
Chacun n’est pas aise qui danse—Not every one who dances is happy.
Chacun pour soi et Dieu pour tous—Every one for himself and God for all.
Chacun tire l’eau à son moulin—Every one draws the water to his own mill.
Chacun vaut son prix—Every man has his value.
Chaque demain apporte son pain—Every to-morrow supplies its own loaf.
Chaque médaille a son revers—Every medal has its reverse.
Chaque potier vante sa pot—Every potter cracks up his own vessel.
Chat échaudé craint l’eau froide—A scalded cat dreads cold water.
Chien sur son fumier est hardi—A dog is bold on his own dunghill.
Chose perdue, chose connue—A thing lost is a thing known, i.e., valued.
Communautés commencent par bâtir leur cuisine—Communities begin with building their kitchen.
Comparaison n’est pas raison—Comparison is no proof.
Contredire, c’est quelquefois frapper à une porte, pour savour s’il y a quelqu’un dans la maison—To contradict sometimes means to knock at the door in order to know whether there is any one in the house.
D’une vache perdue, c’est quelque chose de recouvrer la queue—When a cow is lost, it is something to recover the tail.
Désir de Dieu et désir de l’homme sont deux—What God wishes and man wishes are two different things.
De oui et non vient toute question—All disputation comes out of “Yes” and “No.”
De tout s’avise à qui pain faut—A man in want of bread is ready for anything.
Derrière la croix souvent se tient le diable—Behind the cross the devil often lurks.
Dieu aide à trois sortes de personnes, aux fous, aux enfants, et aux ivrognes—God protects three sorts of people, fools, children, and drunkards.
Dieu donne le froid selon le drap—God gives the cold according to the cloth.
Dieu garde la lune des loups—God guards the moon from the wolves.
Dieu mésure le froid à la brebis tondue—God measures the cold to the shorn lamb.
Dieu nous garde d’un homme qui n’a qu’une affaire—God keep us from a man who knows only one subject.
Dieu seul devine les sots—God only understands fools.
Discreet women have neither eyes nor ears.
Donner une chandelle à Dieu et une au diable—To give one candle to God and another to the devil.
Du choc des esprits jaillissent les étincelles—When great spirits clash, sparks fly about.
Eléve le corbeau, il te crèvera les yeux—Bring up a raven, he will pick out your eyes.
Elle n’en fit point la petite bouche—She did not mince matters (lit. make a small mouth about it).
Elle riait du bout des dents—She gave a forced laugh (lit. laughed with the end of her teeth).
En fin les renards se trouvent cher le pelletier—Foxes come to the furrier’s in the end.
En la cour du roi chacun y est pour soi—In the court of the king it is every one for himself.
En petit champ croît bien bon blé—Very good corn grows in a little field.
En vieillissant on devient plus fou et plus sage—As men grow old they become both foolisher and wiser.
Enfermer le loup dans la bergerie—To shut up the wolf in the sheepfold; to patch up a wound or a disease.
Ennemi ne s’endort—An enemy does not go to sleep.
Est assez riche qui ne doit rien—He is rich enough who owes nothing.
Et l’on revient toujours / A ses premiers amours—One returns always to his first love.
Evêque d’or, crosse de bois; crosse d’or, évêque de bois—Bishop of gold, staff of wood; bishop of wood, staff of gold.
Faire un trou pour en boucher un autre—To make one hole in order to stop another.
Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra—Do your duty, come what may.
Faute de grives le diable mange des merles—For want of thrushes the devil eats blackbirds.
Femme rit quand elle peut, et pleure quand elle veut—A woman laughs when she can, and weeps when she likes.
Femme, argent et vin ont leur bien et leur venin—Women, money, and wine have their blessing and their bane.
Flies are easier caught with honey than vinegar.
Folle est la brébis qui au loup se confesse—It is a silly sheep that makes the wolf her confessor.
Fools invent fashions and wise men follow them.
Force n’a pas droit—Might knows no right.
Gâteau et mauvaise coutume se doivent rompre—A cake and a bad custom are fated to be broken.
Gâter une chandelle pour trouver une épingle—To waste a candle to find a pin.
Gardez cela pour la bonne bouche—Keep that for a tit-bit.
God works in moments.
Grand besoin a de fol qui de soi-même le fait—He has great need of a fool who makes himself one.
Grand parleur, grand menteur—Great talker, great liar.
Grand venteur, petit faiseur—Great boaster, little doer.
He sins as much who holds the sack as he who puts into it.
He who combines every defect will be more likely to find favour in the world than the man who is possessed of every virtue.
He who parts with his property before his death may prepare himself for bitter experiences.
Heureux commencement est la moitié de l’œuvre—A work well begun is half done.
Homme chiche jamais riche—A niggardly man is always poor.
Il a la mer à boire—He has the sea to drink up, i.e., has undertaken an impossible task.
Il a la tête près du bonnet—He is of a passionate temper (lit. has his head near his cap).
Il a le diable au corps—The deuce (lit. the devil) is in him.
Il a le verbe haut—He assumes a high tone; he has a loud voice.
Il a le vin mauvais—He is quarrelsome over his wine.
Il a les yeux à fleur de tête—He has prominent eyes.
Il a mangé son pain blanc le premier—He has eaten the best first.
Il a travaillé pour le roi de Prusse—He has worked for the King of Prussia, i.e., laboured in vain.
Il a vu le loup—He has seen the world.
Il aboye à tout le monde—He barks at everybody.
Il arrive comme Mars en Carème—He arrives opportunely (lit. like March in Lent).
Il coûte peu à amasser beaucoup de richesse, et beaucoup à en amasser peu—It costs little trouble to amass a great deal of wealth, but great labour to amass a little.
Il conduit bien sa barque—He manages his affairs well.
Il en est d’un homme qui aime, comme d’un moineau, pris à la glu; plus il se débat, plus il s’embarrasse—It is with a man in love, as with a sparrow caught in bird-lime; the more he struggles, the more he is entangled.
Il en fait ses choux gras—He feathers his nest with it.
Il est aisé d’ajouter aux inventions des autres—It is easy to add to the inventions of others.
Il est aisé d’aller à pied, quand on tient son cheval par la bride—It is easy to go afoot when one leads one’s horse by the bridle.
Il est avis à vieille vache qu’elle ne fût oncques veau—The old cow persuades herself that she never was a calf.
Il est bien aisé à ceux qui se portent bien de donner des avis aux malades—It is very easy for those who are well to give advice to the sick.
Il est bien difficile de garder un trésor dont tous les hommes ont la clef—It is very difficult to guard a treasure of which all men have the key.
Il est bien fou qui s’oublie—He is a great fool who forgets himself.
Il est bon d’être habile, mais non pas de le paraître—It is good to be clever, but not to show it.
Il est comme l’oiseau sur la branche—He is unsettled or wavering (lit. like a bird on a branch).
Il est temps d’être sage quand on a la barbe au menton—It is time to be wise when you have a beard on your chin.
Il est tout prêché qui n’a cure de bien faire—He is past preaching to who does not care to do well.
Il faut attendre le boiteux—We must wait for the lame.
Il faut avaler bien de la fumée aux lampes avant que de devenir bon orateur—A man must swallow a great deal of lamp-smoke before he can be a good orator.
Il faut hurler avec les loups—You must howl if you are among wolves.
Il faut laver son linge sale en famille—One’s filthy linen should be washed at home.
Il faut payer de sa vie—One must pay with his life.
Il faut perdre un véron pour pêcher un saumon—We must lose a minnow to catch a salmon.
Il monta sur ses grands chevaux—He mounted his high horse.
Il n’a pas inventé la poudre—He was not the inventor of gunpowder.
Il n’a pas l’air, mais la chanson—He has not the tune, but the song.
Il n’attache pas ses chiens avec des saucisses—He does not chain his dogs together with sausages.
Il n’est d’heureux que qui croit l’être—Only he is happy who thinks he is.
Il n’est orgueil que de pauvre enrichi—There is no pride like that of a poor man who has become rich.
Il n’est pas échappé qui traîne son lien—He is not escaped who still drags his chains.
Il n’est pas d’homme nécessaire—There is no man but can be dispensed with.
Il n’est sauce que d’appétit—Hunger is the best sauce.
Il n’y a de nouveau que ce qui a vieilli—There is nothing new but what has become antiquated.
Il n’y a pas à dire—There is no use saying anything; the thing is settled.
Il n’y a pas de cheval si bon qu’il ne bronche pas—There is no horse so sure-fooled as never to trip.
Il n’y a pas de gens plus affairés que ceux qui n’ont rien à faire—There are no people so busy as those who have nothing to do.
Il n’y a pas de petit ennemi—There is no such thing as an insignificant enemy.
Il n’y a que la vérité qui blesse—It is only the truth that offends (lit. wounds).
Il n’y a que le matin en toutes choses—There is only the morning in all things.
Il n’y a que le premier pas qui coûte—It is only the first step which costs.
Il n’y a que les honteux qui perdent—It is only the bashful who lose.
Il nage entre deux eaux—He keeps fair with both parties (lit. swims between two waters).
Il ne faut pas parler latin devant les Cordeliers—It doesn’t do to talk Latin before the Grey Friars.
Il ne faut pas voler avant que d’avoir des ailes—One must not fly before he develops wings.
Il ne faut point parler corde dans la famille d’un pendu—Never speak of a rope in the family of one who has been hanged.
Il ne sait plus de quel bois faire flèche—He is put to his last shift (lit. knows of no wood to make his arrow).
Il porte le deuil de sa blanchisseuse—He wears mourning for his laundress, i.e., his linen is dirty.
Il se faut entr’aider; c’est la loi de nature—We must assist one another; it is the law of Nature.
Il trouverait à tondre sur un œuf—He would skin a flint (lit. find something to shave on an egg).
Il va du blanc au noir—He runs to extremes (lit. from white to black).
Il vaut mieux être fou avec tous, que sage tout seul—Better to be mad with everybody, than wise all alone.
Il vaut mieux être marteau qu’enclume—It is better to be hammer than anvil.
Il vaut mieux avoir affaire à Dieu qu’à ses saints—It is better to deal with God than with His saints.
Il vaut mieux faire envie que pitié—It is better to be envied than pitied.
Il vaut mieux tâcher d’oublier ses malheurs que d’en parler—It is better to try and forget one’s misfortunes than to speak of them.
Il y a anguille sous roche—There is a snake in the grass; a mystery in the affair.
Il y a bien des gens qu’on estime, parce qu’on ne les connaît point—Many people are esteemed merely because they are not known.
Il y a encore de quoi glaner—There are still other fields to glean from; the subject is not exhausted.
Il y a plus fous acheteurs que de fous vendeurs—There are more foolish buyers than foolish sellers.
Il y a quelque chose dans les malheurs de nos meilleurs amis qui ne nous déplaît pas—There is something in the misfortunes of our best friends which does not displease us.
Il y en a peu qui gagnent à être approfondis—Few men rise in our esteem on a closer scrutiny.
In too much disputing truth is lost.
It belongs to great men to have great defects.
It is better to be the hammer than the anvil.
It is better to have to do with God than with His saints.
J’ai graissé la patte au concierge—I have tipped the door-keeper (lit. greased his paw).
J’ai trouvé chaussure à mon pied—I have found a good berth (lit. shoes for my feet).
Jamais la cornemuse ne dit mot si elle n’a le ventre plein—The bagpipe never utters a word till its belly is full.
Jamais long nez n’a gâté beau visage—A big nose never disfigured a handsome face, i.e., it is disfigured already.
Je sais à mon pot comment les autres bouillent—I can tell by my own pot how others boil.
Je vous apprendrai à vivre—I will teach you better manners (lit. to live.
Je vous ferai voir de quel bois je me chauffe—I will let you see what metal I am made of (lit. with what wood I heat myself).
Jean a étudié pour être bête—John has been to college to learn to be a fool.
Jeter le manche après la cognée—To throw the helve after the hatchet.
Jeune chirurgien, vieux médécin—A surgeon (should be) young, a physician old.
Joindre les mains, c’est bien; les ouvrir, c’est mieux—To fold the hands (in prayer) is well; to open them (in charity) is better.
L’âme n’a pas de secret que la conduite ne révèle—The heart has no secret which our conduct does not reveal.
L’adresse surmonte la force—Skill surpasses strength.
L’amitié est l’amour sans ailes—Friendship is love without wings, i.e., is steadfast.
L’amour apprend aux ânes à danser—Love teaches even asses to dance.
L’amour et la fumée ne peuvent se cacher—Love and smoke cannot be concealed.
L’argent est un bon passe-partout—Money is a good pass-key or passport.
L’argent est un bon serviteur et un méchant maître—Money is a good servant, but a bad master.
L’espérance est le songe d’un homme éveillé—Hope is the dream of a man awake.
L’esprit est une plante dont on ne sauroit arrêter la végétation sans la faire périr—Wit is a plant of which you cannot arrest the development without destroying it.
L’homme propose et Dieu dispose—Man proposes and God disposes.
L’occasion fait le larron—Opportunity makes the thief.
Là où la chèvre est attachée, il faut qu’elle broute—The goat must browse where it is tethered.
La beauté sans vertu est une fleur sans parfum—Beauty without virtue is a flower without fragrance.
La décence est le teint naturel de la vertu, et le fard du vice—Decency is the natural complexion of virtue and the deceptive guise of vice.
La faim chasse le loup hors du bois—Hunger drives the wolf out of the wood.
La farine du diable s’en va moitié en son—The devil’s meal goes half to bran.
La fortune vend ce qu’on croit qu’elle donne—Fortune sells what we think she gives.
La grande sagesse de l’homme consiste à connaître ses folies—It is in the knowledge of his follies that man shows his superior wisdom.
La jeunesse vit d’espérance, la vieillesse de souvenir—Youth lives on hope, old age on memory.
La langue des femmes est leur épée, et elles ne la laissent pas rouiller—The tongue of a woman is her sword, which she seldom suffers to rust.
La moitié du monde prend plaisir à médire, et l’autre moitié à croire les médisances—One half of the world takes delight in slander, and the other half in believing it.
La nuit porte conseil—The night brings good counsel.
La pauvreté n’est pas un péché, / Mieux vaut cependant la cacher—Poverty is not a sin; but it is better to hide it.
La peur est un grand inventeur—Fear is a great inventor.
La sauce vaut mieux que le poisson—The sauce is better than the fish.
La vérité est cachée au fond du puits—Truth is hidden at the bottom of a well.
La vertu dans l’indigence est comme un voyageur, que le vent et la pluie contraignent de s’envelopper de son manteau—Virtue in want is like a traveller who is compelled by the wind and rain to wrap himself up in his cloak.
Lawyers’ houses are built of fools’ heads.
Le bien ne se fait jamais mieux que lorsqu’il opère lentement—Good is never more effectually done than when it is produced slowly.
Le bruit est si fort, qu’on n’entend pas Dieu tonner—The noise (of things) is so deafening that we cannot hear God when He thunders.
Le coûte en ôte le goût—The cost takes away from the relish.
Le courage est souvent un effet de la peur—Courage is often an effect of fear.
Le désespoir redouble les forces—Despair doubles our powers.
Le diable était beau quand il était jeune—The devil was handsome when he was young.
Le génie c’est la patience—Genius is just patience.
Le jeu est le fils de l’avarice et le père du désespoir—Gambling is the son of avarice and the father of despair.
Le jeu n’en vaut pas la chandelle—The game is not worth the candle.
Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien—Better is the enemy of well.
Le moineau en la main vaut mieux que l’oie qui vole—A sparrow in the hand is worth a goose on the wing.
Le monde paye d’ingratitude—The world pays with ingratitude.
Le premier écu est plus difficile à gagner que le second million—The first five shillings are harder to win than the second million.
Le sage entend à demi-mot—A hint suffices for a wise man.
Le sage songe avant que de parler à ce qu’il doit dire; le fou parle, et ensuite songe à ce qu’il a dit—A wise man thinks before he speaks what he ought to say; the fool speaks and thinks afterwards what he has said.
Le vrai mérite ne depend point du temps ni de la mode—True merit depends on neither time nor mode.
Le vrai n’est pas toujours vraisemblable—The true is not always verisimilar.
Les amis de mes amis sont mes amis—My friends’ friends are my friends.
Les beaux esprits se rencontrent—Great wits draw together.
Les biens mal acquis s’en vont à vau-l’eau—Wealth ill acquired soon goes (lit. goes with the stream).
Les cloches appellent à l’église, mais n’y entrent pas—The bells call to church, but they do not enter.
Les enfants sont ce qu’on les fait—Children are what we make them.
Les femmes peuvent tout, parcequ’elles gouvernent les personnes qui gouvernent tout—Women can accomplish everything, because they govern those who govern everything.
Les girouettes qui sont placées le plus haut, tournent le mieux—Weathercocks placed on the most elevated stations turn the most readily.
Les hommes sont rares—Men are rare.
Les honneurs changent les mœurs—Honours change manners.
Les honneurs coutent à qui veut les posséder—Honours are dearly bought by whoever wishes to possess them.
Les jours se suivent et ne se ressemblent pas—The days follow, but are not like each other.
Les murailles (or murs) ont des oreilles—Walls have ears.
Les plaisirs sont amers si tôt qu’on en abuse—Pleasures become bitter as soon as they are abused.
Les vérités sont des fruits qui ne doivent être cueillis que bien mûrs—Truths, like fruits, ought not to be gathered until they are quite ripe, i.e., till the time is ripe for them.
Liberty has no crueller enemy than license.
Life is half spent before we know what life is.
Love makes time pass away, and time makes love pass away.
Même quand l’oiseau marche, on sent qu’il a des ailes—Even when a bird walks, we may see that it has wings.
Malheureux celui qui est en avance de son siècle—Unhappy is the man who is in advance of his time.
Marchandise qui plait est à demie vendue—Goods which please are half sold.
Marie ton fils quand tu voudras, mais ta fille quand tu pourras—Marry your son when you like, your daughter when you can.
Men’s ignorance makes the priest’s pot boil.
Mettre les pieds dans le plat—To put one’s foot in it.
Mieux nourri qu’ instruit—Better fed than taught.
Mieux vaut glisser du pied que de la langue—Better slip with the foot than the tongue.
Mieux vaut perdre la laine que la brebis—Better lose the wool than the sheep.
Mieux vaut un “Tiens” que deux “Tu l’auras”—One “Take this” is better than two “You shall have it.”
Mieux vaut un bon renom, que du bien plein la maison—Better a good name than a house full of riches.
Mieux vaut une once de fortune qu’une livre de sagesse—An ounce of fortune is better than a pound of wisdom.
Mon frère a mis son bonnet de travers—My brother is cross (lit. has put on his cap the wrong way).
Mot à mot on fait les gros livres—Word by word big books are made.
N’aboyez pas à la lune—Do not cry out to no purpose (lit. don’t bark at the moon).
No wind is of service to him who is bound for nowhere.
Nous sommes mieux seul qu’avec un sot—One had better be alone than with a fool.
On a beau prêcher à qui n’a cure de bien faire—It is no use preaching to him who has no wish to do well.
On apprend en faillant—One learns by failing.
On attrape plus de mouches avec du miel qu’ vinaigre—More flies are caught with honey than vinegar.
On connaît les amis au besoin—Friends are known in time of need.
On dit, est souvent un grand menteur—“They say” is often a great liar.
On doit être heureux sans trop penser à l’être—One ought to be happy without thinking too much of being so.
On fait toujours le loup plus gros qu’il n’est—People always make the wolf more formidable than he is.
On n’a jamais bon marché de mauvaise marchandise—Bad ware is never cheap.
On n’a rien pour rien—Nothing can be had for nothing.
On n’est jamais si riche que quand on déménage—People are never so rich as when they are moving their stuff.
On n’est souvent mécontent des autres que parce qu’on l’est de sol-même—We are often dissatisfied with others because we are so with ourselves.
On ne cherche point à prouver la lumière—There is no need to prove the existence of light.
On ne jette des pierres qu’à l’arbre chargé de fruits—People throw stones only at the tree which is loaded with fruit.
On ne lui fait pas prendre des vessies pour des lanternes—You won’t get him to take bladders for lanterns.
On ne peut faire qu’en faisant—One can do only by doing.
On ne peut sonner les cloches et aller à la procession—One cannot ring the bells and join in the procession.
On ne prête qu’aux riches—People lend only to the rich.
On ne sait pour qui on amasse—We know not for whom we gather.
On ne sent bien que ses propres maux—We feel only the evils that affect ourselves.
On ne va jamais si loin que lorsqu’on ne sait pas où l’on va—One never goes so far as when he does not know where he is going.
On peut mépriser le monde, mais on ne peut pas s’en passer—We may despise the world, but we cannot do without it.
On prend son bien où on le trouve—One takes what is his own wherever he finds it.
On prend souvent l’indolence pour la patience—Indolence is often taken for patience.
On se heurte tonjours où l’on a mal—One always knocks himself on the spot where the sore is.
Otez un vilain du gibet, il vous y mettra—Save a thief from the gallows, and he will cut your throat.
Péché avoué est à moitié pardonné—A sin confessed is half forgiven.
Par trop débattre la vérité se perd—The truth is sacrificed by too much disputation.
Parlez du loup et vous en verrez la queue—Speak of the wolf and you will see his tail; speak of the devil and he will appear.
Partage de Montgomerie: tout d’un côté, rien de l’autre—A Montgomery division: everything on one side and nothing on the other.
Pense ce que tu veux, dis ce que tu dois—Think what you like, say what you ought.
Pense moult, parle peu, écris moins—Think much, speak little, write less.
Petit homme abat grand chêne—A little man fells a tall oak.
Petite étincelle luit en ténèbres—A tiny spark shines in the dark.
Peu de bien, peu de soin—Little wealth, little care.
Peu de moyens, beaucoup d’effet—Simple means, great results.
Point d’argent, point de Suisse—No money, no Swiss.
Pour être assez bon, il faut l’être trop—To be good enough, one must be too good.
Pour bien connaître un homme il faut avoir mangé un boisseau de sel avec lui—To know a man well, one must have eaten a bushel of salt with him.
Pour connaître le prix de l’argent, il faut être obligé d’en emprunter—To know the value of money, a man has only to borrow.
Pour connaître les autres, il faut se connaître soi-même—To know other people one must know one’s self.
Pour faire un bon ménage il faut que l’homme soit sourd et la femme aveugle—To live happily together the husband must be deaf and the wife blind.
Pour ranger le loup, il faut le marier—To tame the wolf you must get him married.
Pour un plaisir mille douleurs—For a single pleasure a thousand pains.
Prendre la clef des champs—To run away (lit. take the key of the fields).
Prends le premier conseil d’une femme et non le second—Take a woman’s first advice and not her second.
Quand l’aveugle porte la bannière, mal pour ceux qui marchent derrière—When the blind man bears the standard, pity those who follow.
Quand on est mort, c’est pour longtemps—When one is dead, it is for a long while.
Qui a bruit de se lever matin peut dormir jusqu’ à diner—He who has a name for rising in the morning may sleep till midday.
Qui aime bien, châtie bien—Who loves well, chastises well.
Qui brille au second rang s’eclipse au premier—He who shines in the second rank is eclipsed in the first.
Qui commence et ne parfait, sa peine perd—He who begins and does not finish loves his pains.
Qui craint de souffrir, souffer de crainte—He who fears to suffer suffers from fear.
Qui est maître de sa soif est maître de sa santé—He who has the mastery of his thirst has the mastery of his health.
Qui n’a point de sens à trente ans n’en aura jamais—He who has not sense at thirty will never have any.
Qui n’a rien, ne craint rien—He who has nought fears nought.
Qui n’a, ne peut—He who has not cannot.
Qui ne sait obéir, ne sait commander—Who knows not how to obey knows not how to command.
Qui ne sait pas, trouvera à apprendre—He that does not know will find ways and means to learn.
Qui porte épée porte paix—He who bears the sword bears peace.
Qui prête à l’ami perd au double—He who lends money to a friend loses doubly.
Qui rit Vendredi, Dimanche pleurera—He who laughs Friday will weep Sunday.
Qui s’excuse, s’accuse—He who excuses himself accuses himself.
Qui sait dissimuler, sait régner—He that knows how to dissemble knows how to reign.
Qui se fait brebis, loup le mange—Him who makes himself a sheep the wolf eats.
Qui se ressemble, s’assemble—Like associates with like.
Qui se sent galeux se gratte—Let him who feels it resent it, or apply it (lit. let him scratch who feels the itch).
Qui trop embrasse, mal étreint—He who grasps too much grasps ill.
Qui veut la fin, veut les moyens—Who wills the end, wills the means.
Qui veut manger de noyeau, qu’il casse la noix—He that would eat the kernel must break the shell.
Qui veut tener nette sa maison, / N’y mette ni femme, ni prêtre, ni pigeon—Let him who would keep his house clean, house in it neither woman, priest, nor pigeon.
Qui vit sans folie, n’est pas si sage qu’il croit—He who lives without folly is not as wise as he thinks.
Rage avails less than courage.
Rien de plus éloquent que l’argent comptant—Nothing is more eloquent than ready money.
Rien de plus hautain qu’un homme médiocre devenu puissant—Nothing is more haughty than a common-place man raised to power.
Rien n’a qui assez n’a—Who has nothing has not enough.
Rien n’arrive pour rien—Nothing happens for nothing.
Rien ne ressemble plus à un honnête homme qu’un fripon—Nothing resembles an honest man more than a rogue.
Rien ne vaut poulain s’il ne rompt son lien—A colt is nothing worth if it does not break its halter.
Rira bien qui rira le dernier—He laughs well who laughs the last.
Rust wastes more than use.
S’il est vrai, il peut être—It may be, if it is true.
S’il fait beau, prends ton manteau; s’il pleut, prends-le si tu veux—If the weather is fine, take your cloak; if it rains, do as you please.
Saint cannot, if God will not.
Se laisser prendre aux apparences—To let one’s self be imposed on by appearances.
Si l’adversité te trouve toujours sur tes pieds, la prospérité ne te fait pas aller plus vite—If adversity finds you always on foot, prosperity will not make you go faster.
Soon or late the strong need the help of the weak.
Soupçon est d’amitié poison—Suspicion is the poison of friendship.
Surement va qui n’a rien—He who has nothing goes securely.
Tel coup de langue est pire qu’un coup de lance—Such a stroke with the tongue is worse than one with a lance.
Tel maître, tel valet—Like master, like man.
Tel père, tel fils—Like father, like son.
Tenez la bride haute à votre fils—Keep a tight hand over your son (lit. hold the bridle high).
Tenir le haut du pavé—To keep the best place (lit. the highest side of the pavement).
The wit one wants spoils what one has.
To do, one must be doing.
Tout va à qui n’a pas besoin—Everything goes to him who does not need it.
Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre—Everything comes in time to the man who knows how to wait.
Trop de zèle gâte tout—Too much zeal spoils all.
Un “tiens” vaut mieux que deux “tu l’aura”—One “take this” is worth more than two “you-shall-have-it.”
Un bon ami vaut mieux que cent parents—A good friend is worth more than a hundred relations.
Un bon ouvrier n’est jamais trop chèrement payé—The wages of a good workman are never too high.
Un clou chasse l’autre—One nail drives out another.
Un fou avise bien un sage—A wise man may learn of a fool.
Un peu de fiel gâte beaucoup de miel—A little gall spoils a great deal of honey.
Un renard n’est pas pris deux fois à un piège—A fox is not caught twice in the same trap.
Un sot savant est sot plus qu’un sot ignorant—A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant one.
Une faute niée est deux fois commise—A fault denied is twice committed.
Une once de vanité gâte un quintal de mérite—An ounce of vanity spoils a hundredweight of merit.
Une seule foi, une seule langue, un seul cœur—One faith, one tongue, one heart.
Une souris qui n’a qu’un trou est bientôt prise—A mouse that has only one hole is soon taken.
Unfortunate and imprudent are two words for the same thing.
Vaux mieux avoir affaire à Dieu qu’à ses saints—Better to have dealings with God than his saints.
Ventre affamé n’a point d’oreilles—A hungry belly has no ears.
Voilà une femme qui a des lunes—There is a woman who is full of whims (lit. has moons).
Volez de vos propres ailes—Do for yourself (lit. fly with your own wings).
Vos finesses sont cousues de fil blanc—Your arts are easily seen through (lit. sewed with white thread).
Vouloir c’est pouvoir—Where there’s a will, there’s a way (lit. to will is to be able).
Vous bridez le cheval par la queue—You begin at the wrong end (lit. bridle the horse by the tail).
Vous prenez tout ce qu’il dit au pied de la lettre—You take everything he says literally.
Vous voulez prendre la lune avec les dents—You attempt impossibilities (lit. wish to take the moon with your teeth).
Voyez comme il brûle le pavé—See how fast he drives (lit. burns the pavement).
What you can’t get is just what suits you.
Whoso devours the substance of the poor will at length find in it a bone to choke him.