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German Proverbs (501-600)

A used plough shines; standing water stinks.

It is not good to be the poet of a village.

Lies have short legs.

He who forces love where none is found,
remains a fool the whole year round.

One log does not burn long by itself.

The dog does not get bread every time he wags his tail.

Love knows hidden paths.

Long is not forever.

A golden hammer breaks an iron gate.

Short hair is soon brushed.

Love begins at home.

Love can do much, money can do all.

Love grows with obstacles.

Little and often makes a lot in time.

It is bad preaching to deaf ears.

If the prince wants an apple, his servants take the tree.

A necessary lie is harmless.

Not too little, not too much.

If you live long enough, you will live to see everything.

Love, fire, cough, the itch,
and gout are not to be concealed.

Where God builds a church, the devil builds a chapel.

When one goose drinks, all drink.

Love without return is like a question without an answer.

When the lords come out of the councilhouse, they are wiser than when they went in.

He that won't listen, must feel.

Disputing and borrowing cause grief and sorrowing.

Locks and keys are not made for honest fingers.

They who come from afar are prone to lie.

Prudence does no harm.

There is no good in preaching to the hungry.

Old love does not rust.

Maidens say no and do it all the same.

He who grasps too much lets much fall.

He that pelts every barking dog must pick up a great many stones.

Lying is the first step to the gallows.

Where there's no love, all faults are seen.

A man warned is half saved.

A wise man, a strong man.

Secret luck is not bothered by jealousy.

Loving and singing are not to be forced.

Devils must be driven out with devils.

There are many preachers who don't hear themselves.

The priest loves his flock,
but the lambs more than the wethers.

He who grasps at all holds nothing at the end.

Ill-gotten goods seldom prosper.

In time of war the devil makes more room in hell.

Diligence is the parent of fortune.

Let the devil get into the church
and he will mount the alter.

He who pays his debts, betters his condition.

Deferred is not annulled.

The sweetest grapes hang highest.

Better a friendly denial than an unwilling compliance.

Every man rides his own hobby.

Every man thinks his own copper gold.

One man knocks in the nail,
and another hangs his hat on it.

Dying is not child's play.

Where everyone goes, the grass never grows.

Nothing weighs lighter than a promise.

Princes have long hands and many ears.

Let every man care about his own
honor as best he can.

In the evening one may praise the day.

Self is the man.

The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.

Man loves but once.

Every man is dearest to himself.

As a man eats, so he works.

The later the evening, the fairer the company.

He who pays well may borrow again.

A single penny fairly got is worth a thousand that are not.

When a man is down, everybody runs over him.

Revenge converts a little right into a great wrong.

Today red, tomorrow dead.

When a man is down, everybody runs over him.

Marrying is easy, but housekeeping is hard.

As the master, so the work.

When the measure is full, it runs over.

One marriage is never celebrated but another grows out of it.

Early marriage, long love.

The wise man has long ears and a short tongue.

Gold lies deep in the mountain, dirt on the highway.

He who builds by the roadside has many masters.

Often shooting hits the mark.

Marriage is heaven and hell.

What ripens fast does not last.

Rest comes from unrest, and unrest from rest.

Everyone has his master.

Who has eaten the meat knows how it tastes.

But when it is market time.

He who marries does well, but who remains single does better.

The last shuts the door.

When God means to punish a nation,
he deprives the rulers of wisdom.

On whom God bestows an office,
he provides brains to fill it.

He who does not bait his hook catches nothing.

Even the meanest dog wags its tail.

Plants often removed never thrive.

Exchange is no robbery.

The dogs bite the last.

He is rich enough who is contented.

Rent and taxes never sleep.

There is more disputing about
the shell than the kernel.

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