Sayings/I

Sayings beginning with I. Select a saying for more details.

If a job's worth doing it's worth doing well

Don't start some work and then do it badly.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it American English

If something is not faulty or damaged, don't try to repair it.

If the stone fall upon the egg, alas for the egg! If the egg fall upon the stone, alas for the egg!

Life just isn't fair, and this realistic Arab proverb recognizes that. The stone will always break the egg. Life's like that!

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

If you cannot win against someone or something, it may be easier or better to join forces with them.

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys British English

An employer who pays low wages will have bad staff.

If you play with fire you get burned

If you fool around with something that is potentially dangerous, you must expect to get harmed.

If you wish good advice, consult an old man

Old people have a lot of experience. If you want to have good advice or recommendations, ask an old person, not a young one.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse

It is no defence to say that we didn't know that something we did was illegal.

It is best to be on the safe side

1) Don't take risks. Be careful and cautious. 2) It's best to be sure. It's best to be absolutely certain.

It was the last straw that broke the camel's back

There is a limit to everything. We can load the camel with lots of straw, but finally it will be too much and the camel's back will break. And it is only a single straw that breaks its back - the last straw. This can be applied to many things in life. People often say "That's the last straw!" when they will not accept any more of something.

It's a man's world

Everything in life is arranged to the advantage of men. Life is tough for women.

Contributor: Josef Essberger