# Proverbs meaning the opposite in English or other languages **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 7, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027 "2025-02-07T21:14:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/21 "2025-02-07T22:48:13Z")
edit, never mind already said. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/22 "2025-02-07T23:10:15Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Attack is the best form of defense. > He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. The pen is mightier than the sword. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/23 "2025-02-07T23:20:06Z")
_Al que madruga Dios le ayuda._ Godott helps those that get up early. But also _No por mucho madrugar amanece mas temprano._ The sun does not rise earlier if you get up sooner. I identify with the latter. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/24 "2025-02-08T11:25:26Z")
Maybe not quite proverbial, but I did once have occasion to use the put-down response in _Age before beauty_ _Pearls before swine_ And very satisfying it was. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/25 "2025-02-08T14:30:50Z")
A couple of biblical ones: _Thou shalt not kill._ —Exodus 20:13 _Thus sayeth the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side and slay every man his brother…companion… neighbour_. —\*Exodus 32:27 _For every man shall bear his own burden_ _._ —Galatians 6:2 _Bear ye one another’s burdens_ _, and so fulfill the law of Christ._ —Galatians 6:2 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/26 "2025-02-08T14:34:31Z")
“Physician, heal thyself.” “A physician who treats himself has a fool for a patient.” And a more generalized thing: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Vs. any sane adage about getting over a disease. IOW: don’t take medical advice from Nietzsche. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/27 "2025-02-08T14:48:34Z")
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/28 "2025-02-08T14:51:29Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” We have the same saying in German that even rhymes “Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul”, but none I know about Greek gifts (which I assume refers to the Trojan Horse). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/29 "2025-02-08T18:41:09Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” You may already know, but this saying has a factual basis. Horse gums recede with age, so a quick way to see whether the four-year-old someone is trying to sell you, is actually a lot older, is to check the mouth. Naturally, a free horse doesn’t need checking. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/30 "2025-02-08T18:52:51Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > We have the same saying in German that even rhymes “Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul”, but none I know about Greek gifts (which I assume refers to the Trojan Horse). It is also said in Spanish, though it does not rhyme: _A caballo regalado no le mires el diente_. As **bob\_2** rightly writes, there is a reason for this saying. The Greek gifts are a [**translation from Latin**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beware_of_Greeks_bearing_gifts), from the _Aeneid,_ by Virgil, which reads: _Timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs_. The Danaans are Greeks from the mainland and the present is indeed the Trojan horse. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/31 "2025-02-08T21:18:35Z")
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light! ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/32 "2025-02-08T21:55:11Z")
There’s no place like home and The grass is always greener on the other side j ETA - and kinda: If you want something doing right, do it yourself and Jack of all trades, master of none ETA2 Blood is thicker than water (meaning that family is the most important thing) and You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family ETA3 (!) Love thy neighbor and Good fences make good neighbors\* \*- a personal fave - I had been scratching my head trying to think of the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/33 "2025-02-08T22:15:45Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > There’s no place like home > and > The grass is always greener on the other side I think these are similar. ‘There’s no place like home’ means that no matter where you go, ~~there you are~~ the place that is the most comfortable and safe to you is your home. ‘The grass is always greener on the other side [of the fence]’ is a cynical way of saying that you’re just as well off (or maybe better) where you are. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/34 "2025-02-08T22:18:47Z")
Good point. I wasn’t thinking straight, there. j ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/35 "2025-02-09T00:00:32Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Good point. I wasn’t thinking straight, there. You can think straight only while climbing stairs. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/36 "2025-02-09T00:15:12Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > You can think straight only while climbing stairs. [![](https://image.chukouplus.com/upload/C_1391/file/20220629/a3cda1a1e6748ce1d4f20b2c7eeee0ba.jpg) ](https://image.chukouplus.com/upload/C_1391/file/20220629/a3cda1a1e6748ce1d4f20b2c7eeee0ba.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/37 "2025-02-09T22:37:23Z")
That was specifically directed to Treppenwitz. (Treppenwitz means staircase wit.) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/38 "2025-02-10T02:26:41Z")
I am sure some Yiddish speaking person can find a counter to the phrase my uses “Mir lebt un mir lebt un mir stirbt a narr” (We live and we live and we die a fool), something about age and wisdom. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/39 "2025-02-10T02:43:00Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > something about age and wisdom. “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” – Mark Twain [(not really)](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/10/10/twain-father/) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027/40 "2025-02-10T15:18:29Z")
Yes, but I’d an aphorism in Yiddish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverbs-meaning-the-opposite-in-english-or-other-languages/1014027.md?page=3)