Random Proverb Generator

One press gives one traditional English proverb, with what it means in plain words.

Let the cobbler stick to his last.Keep to the work you know, and leave other trades to those who know them.

Next step Draw a quotation with its work and year

How it works

Press the button for a random proverb: one traditional English saying with its meaning in plain words. It works as a random saying generator too, since every proverb here is a saying that nobody can trace to one author.

Read the full guide

Found in two collections, or left out

Each proverb has its own entry in Wiktionary's list of English proverbs and also stands on Wikiquote's English proverbs pages. A saying found in only one was left out. So were lines that a dictionary traces to a named writer, and verses of the Bible.

Short sayings, or sayings by subject

For random sayings short enough to remember at once, tap Short: every one is five words or fewer. The other groups sort by subject: work, money, caution, friends and family, time, and weather and nature. A date appears only where the dictionary records one.

Tips

Draw two and ask a class which one they believe. Proverbs often pull in opposite directions.
Pick Short in the list for a handwriting line that fits one row.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a proverb and an idiom?

A proverb is a whole sentence that gives advice or states a truth, such as "Haste makes waste." An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is not in its words. Our random phrases page holds idioms.

Why does a proverb show a year?

Where Wiktionary's entry records when a saying was first in print, the meaning line says so. "A fool and his money are soon parted." goes back to about 1587. Most proverbs are older than any record.

Do proverbs contradict each other?

Often. "Many hands make light work." and "Too many cooks spoil the broth." are both in the list. A proverb fits a moment, not every moment, which is half the fun of drawing one at random.

All 153 proverbs

Short 67

A new broom sweeps clean. Somebody new in charge often changes a great deal at once.
A watched pot never boils. Waiting feels longer when you stand and watch.
Actions speak louder than words. What people do shows more about them than what they say.
All roads lead to Rome. Different paths can reach the same goal. A Latin form dates from 1175.
All's well that ends well. A happy ending makes up for the trouble on the way.
Barking dogs seldom bite. People who make the most threats rarely carry them out.
Beggars can't be choosers. If you depend on help, take what is offered.
Better late than never. Doing a thing late is better than not doing it at all.
Better safe than sorry. Being careful now is better than regretting it later.
Blood is thicker than water. Family ties are stronger than other ties.
Charity begins at home. Help the people closest to you first.
Cheaters never prosper. Cheating does not pay in the end.
Curiosity killed the cat. Prying into things that are not your business can land you in trouble.

Show all 153 proverbs (140 more)

Short, continued

Different strokes for different folks. People like different things. The saying comes from the United States of the 1950s.
Every dog has its day. Even the least lucky person has a good turn sooner or later.
Every little helps. Even a small amount brings a goal nearer.
Every rose has its thorn. Every good thing comes with some drawback.
Familiarity breeds contempt. Knowing a person or thing too well can wear away respect for it.
Fine feathers make fine birds. Good clothes can make anyone look impressive.
Fine words butter no parsnips. Flattery and promises achieve nothing by themselves. In print as early as 1639.
Forewarned is forearmed. Knowing about a danger ahead of time lets you prepare for it.
Fortune favors the brave. Luck tends to go to those who dare.
Garbage in, garbage out. Poor material going in gives a poor result coming out. A saying from computing.
Good fences make good neighbors. People get along better when each minds their own business.
Grasp all, lose all. Try to take too much and you may end up with nothing.
Haste makes waste. Rushing leads to mistakes that cost more time.
He who hesitates is lost. Wait too long to decide and the chance is gone.
History repeats itself. Things that happened before tend to happen again.
Justice delayed is justice denied. A wrong put right too late is hardly put right at all.
Least said, soonest mended. Hurt feelings heal fastest when nobody keeps bringing the matter up.
Like father, like son. A son takes after his father.
Little pitchers have big ears. Small children overhear more than adults think. A pitcher's handles look like ears.
Live and let live. Enjoy your own way of life and allow others theirs.
Long absent, soon forgotten. Affection fades when people stay apart too long.
Many a mickle makes a muckle. Many small amounts add up to a large one. A saying of Scotland and northern England.
Many hands make light work. A job shared among many people becomes easy.
Measure twice, cut once. Check carefully before doing anything that cannot be undone.
Misery loves company. Unhappiness is easier to bear when someone else shares it.
Misfortunes never come singly. Bad things tend to arrive in a run.
Money cannot buy happiness. Being rich does not make a person happy.
Money talks. Wealth gives people power and influence. An older form, gold speaks, dates from 1666.
More haste, less speed. Hurrying makes a job go worse. Speed here once meant success.
The more the merrier. A thing is more fun with more people. First recorded in a poem of the 1300s.
No news is good news. Hearing nothing suggests that nothing has gone wrong.
No pain, no gain. Nothing worth having comes without some effort or discomfort.
Nothing succeeds like success. One success tends to lead to another.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Take no risk and you gain nothing. In a book of English proverbs in 1546.
Old habits die hard. Ways you have had for years are difficult to change.
Once bitten, twice shy. After being hurt once, a person is wary the next time.
One good turn deserves another. A kindness ought to be repaid with a kindness.
Practice makes perfect. Doing a thing again and again is how you get good at it.
Prevention is better than cure. Stopping a problem before it starts beats fixing it afterward.
Seeing is believing. People trust what they have seen for themselves.
Silence is golden. Often the best thing to say is nothing.
Something is better than nothing. Be content with a little when the other choice is none.
Still waters run deep. A quiet person may have more feeling or sense than shows.
There's no accounting for taste. People like what they like, and no argument settles it.
There's no smoke without fire. A rumor usually has some truth behind it.
This too shall pass. Nothing, good or bad, lasts forever.
To each his own. Everyone is entitled to their own tastes.
Truth will out. The truth is always found out in the end.
Two's company, three's a crowd. Two people get along more easily than three.
Unity is strength. People are stronger when they stand together.
Waste not, want not. If you do not waste what you have, you will not go short.
Well begun is half done. A good start is a large part of the whole job.
What goes around comes around. What a person does, good or bad, comes back to them.
Where there's muck there's brass. There is money to be made even in dirty jobs. A saying of Britain and Ireland.

Work and effort 20

A bad workman blames his tools. When a job goes wrong, it is easier to blame the tools than the way they were used.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A group can do no better than its weakest member. The full saying was in print by 1868.
A good beginning makes a good ending. Start a thing well and it is more likely to finish well.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Showing a thing explains it faster than describing it. In this form by 1915.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Someone who never rests becomes poor company.
The cobbler's children are the worst shod. People often neglect at home the very thing they do for a living.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Keep going after a failure. Persistence is what gets a thing done.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Leave alone what already works. In print since about 1962.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Wishing for a thing does nothing to bring it about.
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself. Doing a job yourself is the surest way to have it done properly.
Let the cobbler stick to his last. Keep to the work you know, and leave other trades to those who know them.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. You can only judge a thing by trying it. First recorded in 1605.
Slow and steady wins the race. Keeping an even pace gets you there before the one who sprints and stops. From Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The problem that makes the most noise is the one that gets fixed.
Strike while the iron is hot. Act while the chance is there. The saying comes from the blacksmith's forge.
Too many cooks spoil the broth. A job with too many people in charge is done badly.
Two heads are better than one. Two people working together solve what one alone cannot.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. In hard times, strong-willed people set to work.
Where there's a will, there's a way. Someone determined enough will find a means.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. You can show someone how, but you cannot make them do it.

Money and thrift 11

A fool and his money are soon parted. Careless people do not keep their money for long. In print since about 1587.
A penny saved is a penny earned. Money you do not spend is as good as money you earn. In print since about 1804.
A rising tide lifts all boats. When things truly get better, everyone gains.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. Do not rely on a good result until it has happened. In English since 1570.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Do not stake everything you have on one plan.
Good things come in small packages. Small things can be worth more than big ones.
Half a loaf is better than no bread. Getting part of what you wanted beats getting none.
In for a penny, in for a pound. Having started something risky, you may as well see it through.
Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves. Look after small sums and the large ones follow.
You don't get something for nothing. Every benefit has to be paid for in some way.
You get what you pay for. Cheap goods tend to be poor goods.

Caution 15

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A sure thing you already have beats the chance of something bigger.
A burnt child dreads the fire. Someone hurt by a thing once is careful around it afterward.
A drowning man will clutch at a straw. Someone in real trouble will grab at any help, however small.
A stitch in time saves nine. A small repair done now saves a big one later, like mending a tear while it is small.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. In a real emergency, steps you would normally refuse may be the best ones.
Don't judge a book by its cover. The outside of a thing does not tell you what is inside.
Empty vessels make the most sound. Those who know least often talk most.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Being tricked once is the trickster's fault. Being tricked the same way again is yours.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Stay cheerful, but be ready in case things go badly.
If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. Keep bad company and you pick up its habits.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place. The same rare thing is not expected to happen to the same person twice.
One swallow doesn't make a summer. One good sign does not prove that good times have arrived.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Do not criticize others for a fault you share.
There are none so blind as those who will not see. Nobody can be made to understand what they refuse to look at.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. In a strange place, follow the local customs.

Friends and family 19

A cat may look at a king. Even the humblest person has some rights in front of the grandest.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. The friend who helps when you are in trouble is the true one.
A man is known by the company he keeps. People tend to be like the friends they choose.
A problem shared is a problem halved. A trouble is easier to solve once you have told someone about it.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. People feel more affection for those they love when they are apart.
The apple never falls far from the tree. Children turn out much like their parents.
Birds of a feather flock together. People who are alike tend to keep each other's company. A form of it was in print in 1545.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Do not find fault with a gift. A horse's teeth show its age and so its value.
Home is where the heart is. Your true home is the place where you feel happiest.
If the shoe fits, wear it. If a description is true of you, accept it.
If you can't beat them, join them. When the other side is too strong, it is wiser to work with it.
It takes a village to raise a child. Children grow up best with a whole community looking after them. It became popular around 1990.
It takes all sorts to make a world. People differ, and the world needs every kind.
It takes two to make a quarrel. An argument is never the fault of one side alone.
One man's meat is another man's poison. What pleases one person may displease another.
Out of sight, out of mind. What is not in front of you is soon forgotten.
Two wrongs don't make a right. A second wrong act does not cancel the first.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. What is fair for one person is fair for another. An older form names sauce and dates from the 1670s.
You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Politeness persuades people better than rudeness.

Time and patience 17

A rolling stone gathers no moss. Someone always on the move never settles, or, read the other way, never grows stale.
All good things must come to an end. Nothing pleasant lasts forever.
The dogs bark, but the caravan goes on. Progress carries on whatever its critics say.
The early bird gets the worm. Get there before the others and the pick is yours.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Anyone can be right now and then by luck.
Good things come to those who wait. Patience is rewarded in the end.
He who laughs last laughs best. The one who wins in the end has the best of it.
It is easy to be wise after the event. Anyone can tell what should have been done once the result is known.
It's never too late to mend. Nobody is too old to change their ways.
Rome wasn't built in a day. Anything large and good takes a long time to make.
There's no time like the present. Now is the right moment to act.
There's no use crying over spilt milk. Being upset about what is done and cannot be undone helps nobody.
Time and tide wait for no man. Chances do not wait, so act without delay.
Time flies when you're having fun. Hours seem shorter when you are enjoying yourself.
What goes up must come down. Every rise is followed by a fall.
When one door closes, another door opens. The end of one chance is the start of another.
While the grass grows, the steed starves. Help that takes too long arrives too late.

Weather and nature 4

Every cloud has a silver lining. Even a bad turn of events brings some good with it.
The grass is always greener on the other side. What someone else has always seems better than what you have.
It's an ill wind that blows no good. Almost every misfortune does somebody some good.
Ne'er cast a clout till May be out. Keep your winter clothes on until June. A clout is an old word for a piece of clothing.

How this list was compiled: Every proverb is a traditional English saying with no known author. Each one has an entry in the English proverbs category of Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_proverbs) and also stands on one of the two English proverbs pages at Wikiquote (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/English_proverbs and https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/English_proverbs_(alphabetically_by_proverb)), all read on 2026-09-30. A saying found in only one of the two was left out. So were sayings that the dictionary traces to a named writer, and verses of the Bible. The address of each dictionary entry is saved with the proverb in x.src. The wording is the common form shown by both sources, in American spelling. The meaning lines are our own words. A date or a place is given only where the Wiktionary entry documents it. Licence: Traditional proverbs in the public domain; the selection, the chips and the meaning lines are own work.