Spanish Proverbs and Quotes for Your Life

Like their English counterparts, Spanish proverbs often capture the wisdom of the ages with timeless advice about life. Here are enough proverbs to last for a month. To test your vocabulary or stretch your interpretation skills, try translating them and coming up with an English equivalent, although be warned that there isnt always a direct English counterpart. Very loose translations or English equivalent proverbs are in parentheses. En boca cerrada no entran moscas Translation: Flies dont enter a closed mouth. (You wont make a mistake if you dont talk.) 31 Spanish Proverbs, Quotes, and Sayings El hà ¡bito no hace al monje.The habit doesnt make the monk. (Clothes do not make the man.)A beber y a tragar, que el mundo se va a acabar.Heres to drinking and swallowing, for the world is going to end. (Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.)Algo es algo; menos es nada.Something is something; less is nothing. (Its better than nothing. Half a loaf is better than none.)No hay que ahogarse en un vaso de agua.It isnt necessary to drown oneself in a glass of water. (Dont make a mountain out of a molehill.)Borra con el codo lo que escribe con la mano.He/she erases with the elbow what his/her hand is writing. (Whatever good actions or decisions he makes, he invalidates by other actions)Dame pan y dime tonto.Give me bread and call me a fool. (Think of me what you will. As long as I get what I want, it doesnt matter what you think.)La cabra siempre tira al monte.The goat always heads toward the mountain. (The leopard doesnt change its spots. You cant teach an old dog new tricks.)El amor todo lo puede.Love can do it all. (Love will find a way.)A los tontos no les dura el dinero.Money does not last for fools. (A fool and his money are soon parted.)De mà ºsico, poeta y loco, todos tenemos un poco.We all have a little bit of musician, poet and crazy person in ourselves. (Were all a little bit crazy.)Al mejor escribano se le va un borrà ³n.To the best scribe comes a smudge. (Even the best of us make mistakes. Nobodys perfect.)Camarà ³n que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente.The shrimp that falls asleep is carried by the current. (Dont let the world pass you by. Stay alert and be proactive. Dont fall asleep at the wheel.)A lo hecho, pecho.To what is done, the chest. (Face up to what is. What is done is done.)Nunca es tarde para aprender. It never is late for learning. (It is never too late to learn.)A otro perro con ese hueso.To another dog with that bone. (Tell that to someone who will believe you.)Desgracia compartida, menos sentida.Shared misfortune, less sorr ow. (Misery loves company.)Donde hay humo, hay fuego.Where theres smoke, theres fire.No hay peor sordo que el que no quiere oà ­r.There is not a worse deaf person than the one who doesnt want to hear. (There is none so blind as he who will not see.)No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo.Dont sell the bears hide before you hunt it. (Dont count your chickens before they hatch.)Quà © bonito es ver la lluvia y no mojarse.How nice it is to see the rain and not get wet. (Dont criticize others for the way they do something unless youve done it yourself.)Nadie da palos de balde.Nobody gives sticks for free. (You cant get something for nothing. Theres no such thing as a free lunch.)Los à ¡rboles no està ¡n dejando ver el bosque.The trees arent allowing one to see the forest. (You cant see the forest for the trees.)El mundo es un paà ±uelo.The world is a handkerchief. (Its a small world.)A cada cerdo le llega su San Martà ­n.Every pig gets its San Martà ­n. (What goes around comes around. You deserve what you get. San Martà ­n refers to a traditional celebration in which a pig is sacrificed.)Consejo no pedido, consejo mal oà ­do.Advice not asked for, advice poorly heard. (Someone who doesnt ask for advice doesnt want to hear it. Dont give advice unless youre asked.)Obras son amores y no buenas razones.Acts are love and good reasons arent. (Actions speak louder than words.)Gobernar es prever.To govern is to foresee. (It is better to prevent problems than to fix them. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.)No dejes camino viejo por sendero nuevo.Dont leave the old road for a new trail. (Its better to stick with what works. A shortcut isnt always quicker.)No dejes para maà ±ana lo que puedas hacer hoy.Dont leave for tomorrow that which you can do today.Donde no hay harina, todo es mohina.Where theres no flour, everything is an annoyance. (Poverty breeds discontent. If your needs arent met, you wont be happy.)Todos los caminos llevan a Roma.All roads lead to Rome. (Theres more than one way to reach a goal. All actions have the same result.) And a Bonus Handful La lengua no tiene hueso, pero corta lo mà ¡s grueso. The tongue doesnt have a bone, but it cuts the thickest thing. (Words are more powerful than weapons.)La raà ­z de todos los males es el amor al dinero. The root of all evils is love toward money. (Love of money is the root of all evil.)A falta de pan, tortillas.Lack of bread, tortillas. (Make do with what you have. Half a loaf is better than none.)El amor es como el agua que no se seca. Love is like water that never evaporates. (True love lasts forever.)