Sayings/A

Bad or nasty people have a habit of showing up or returning.

It's better to have one of something for certain than to run after two of the same thing and not be sure of getting them.

If one link in a chain is weak, and all the other links are strong, the whole chain is weak.

Stupid people spend their money carelessly and soon become poor.

If a woman is happy with her husband, she will be a good mate for him.

This saying talks about the difficulties for women in finding a suitable male partner.

Your good reputation is worth more than money.

Someone who is known to always pay exactly as promised can borrow money from other people at any time.

An employer who pays well is never short of staff.

Fighting between countries for a fair and good cause is better than no fighting in a situation that is unfair.

It may be safer not to learn something at all than to half-learn it.

This somewhat sexist saying suggests that men age better than women.

A very small hint is enough to convey our meaning. It is not always necessary to say what we want explicitly.

The implication is that brevity is effective in winning the ear of Heaven, and, by extension, anyone from whom we seek help.

Someone who does not talk much, but listens to other people, probably has experience, knowledge and good judgement.

Repair something as soon as it is damaged. That's a small repair job. If not, you will have a much bigger and more expensive repair job later. Do it now and you'll need one stitch. Do it later and you'll need 9 stitches!

If you want to heat water until it boils, and you watch it while you wait, then it seems to take a very long time. In the same way, anything that we wait for with eager attention seems to take a very long time: like waiting for someone to arrive, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for a letter to come.

A very brief warning or explanation is enough for an intelligent person.

The implication is that beauty, or physical appearance, is unimportant.

We can rephrase this: "Not every cloud brings rain." And that's true. Sometimes there are many clouds in the sky, but it doesn't rain. Don't judge things by appearances.

The attractive exterior of something is not a good indicator of its real nature. It may look valuable, but not be valuable.

The implication is that we should be patient with learning, and with learners. It takes time to learn to do things. What seems easy to us now may have been difficult at first.

Some truths are better left unspoken. It is not always necessary to repeat something even though it be true.

In times of danger, any shelter is better than none. In an emergency, we have to accept whatever solution presents itself (for the time being).

The way something or someone looks from outside may give us the wrong impression.

The process of dying starts at birth. This saying reminds us of our own mortality, whatever our age.