The 75 most famous German Proverbs and their meaning
The German people is perhaps one of the oldest in Europe, being these the current descendants of the so-called Germanic tribes.
Like all great people, the Germanic tribes managed through proverbs to be able to transfer information of vital importance in a transgenerational way. Proverbs are a source of wisdom of great importance for a certain ancient society managed to prosper over time.
- It may interest you: "The best 70 phrases of Goethe, father of German Romanticism"
The best German proverbs
Would you like to know the most interesting German proverbs?
Below you will find a small selection with the 75 most famous German proverbs, many of them can be very useful in our day to day.
1. Aller guten Dinge sind drei. All good things come in threes.
Good news always comes together, when we are on a roll it seems that everything goes well for us.
2. Alter geht vor Schönheit. Age before beauty.
Over time we all get older. Old age always catches up with us.
3. Auch ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn. Even a blind man's hen sometimes finds a grain of corn.
Everyone can be lucky at any given time.
4. Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn. Out of sight, out of mind.
Out of sight, out of mind.
5. Besser spat als nie. Better late than never.
It is better to get something in the long run than never get it.
6. Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt. Hope dies in the end.
Hope is the last thing you lose.
7. Ehrlich währt am längsten. Honesty is the best policy.
We must be honest in life.
8. Ein Unglück kommt selten allein. Misfortunes never come alone.
Indeed, the misfortunes seem to come all at once.
9. Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer. One swallow does not make a summer.
A small indication does not have to ensure victory.
10. Einen alten Baum verpflanzt man nicht. An old tree is not transplanted.
When we are elderly we must seek tranquility in our lives.
11. Einen schönen Menschen entstellt nichts. Nothing disfigures a beautiful person.
If we have adequate values, we will always be good people.
12. Einsicht ist der erste Weg zur Besserung. Insight is the first road to recovery.
Knowing how to prevent can help us to reduce a bad future.
13. Es gibt nichts gutes, ausser man tut es. There is nothing good unless you do it.
If we don't get down to work, we will never achieve our goal.
14. Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen. No master has fallen from heaven.
Great achievements do not come out of nowhere.
15. Geben ist seliger denn Nehmen. Giving is happier than receiving.
It is better to give than to receive, the act of giving reveals us as good people.
16. Gelegenheit macht Die Be. Chance makes thieves.
If we give them a chance to get scammed, sooner or later they will rob us.
17. Getroffene Hunde bellen. Dogs that bite do not bark.
Take care of the one who is silent, the one who least seems to be able to betray us.
18. Gut Ding will Weile haben. Good things take time.
To get something valuable, we must be patient.
19. Hunde die bellen beige nicht. Barking dogs do not bite.
He who talks a lot may not really have the courage to do anything.
20. In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft. In rest is strength.
Knowing how to rest will allow us to be much more effective at work.
21. Keine Antwort ist auch eine Antwort. No answer is an answer.
Nothing we can say will clarify anything on this subject.
22. Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat. Time will tell.
With the passage of time we will see how events happen.
23. Lange Rede, Kurzer Sinn. Long story short.
Something that had been seen coming for a long time.
24. Liebe geht durch den Magen. Love is in the stomach.
Knowing how to cook can help us fall in love with the person we love.
25. Lügen haben kurze Beine. Lies don't travel far.
As we would say in Spain: "lies have very short legs".
26. Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben. You shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch.
We must not anticipate events.
27. Mit Speck fängt man Mäuse. You can catch mice with bacon.
By setting a trap we will be able to surprise our prey.
28. Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund. The early bird catches the worm.
He who gets up early God helps him, getting up early is a good habit.
29. Not macht erfinderisch. Necessity is the mother of invention.
When we need something urgently, we sharpen our wits.
30. Ordnung ist das halbe Leben. The order is half the battle.
Preparation will allow us to reach our goal.
31. Probieren geht uber estudieren. The proof of the pudding is in the food.
What we like will happen in due time.
32. Reisende soll man nicht aufhalten. Never stop travelers.
We must not meddle in other people's affairs.
33. Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. The constant trickle carries the stone.
Something insignificant but that happens many times, can make a big change in the long run.
34. Totgesagte leben länger. The dead live longer.
Only death has no solution, we must make the most of our life.
35. Übermut tut selten gut. Exuberance is rarely good.
Something that seems very good may actually not be.
36. Unkraut vergeht nicht. Weeds never die.
A proverb that is also used a lot in Spanish-speaking countries.
37. Vater werden ist nicht schwer, Vater sein dagegen sehr. It is not difficult to be a father, but it is very difficult to be a father.
Having a child is not complicated, but really being a parent is.
38. Von nichts kommt nichts. You can't make something out of nothing.
Possessing a good foundation will allow us to go further in life.
39. Vorsicht ist die Mutter der Porzellankiste. Caution is the mother of the china box.
In order to be successful we must be very careful with what we do.
40. Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmer mehr. What an old dog never learns, a new dog never learns.
If someone with a lot of experience has not been able to do something, it is very likely that no one can do it.
41. Was sich neckt, das liebt sich. What you mock, you love.
Many of us hide our feelings towards other people.
42. Wer A sagt muss auch B sagen. You must learn to say A and B.
We must know how to appreciate the opinion of others.
43. Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert. He who does not honor the penny, is not worth the pound.
If someone really values something, he will value even the smallest aspect of it.
44. Wer im Glashaus sitzt, sollte nicht mit Steinen werfen. A man in a greenhouse shouldn't throw stones.
Being cautious is essential in life. We must not perform acts that may pose a risk.
45. Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt. Nothing is risked, nothing is gained.
In order to achieve great goals, we must put everything on our part. If we do not take risks, we will not be able to reach our goal.
46. Wer schön sein will muss leiden. He who wants to be beautiful must suffer.
Being able to obtain a beautiful body requires a great effort on our part.
47. Wer zuletzt lacht, lacht am Besten. He who laughs last, laughs loudest.
We must not anticipate events, because life can always take an unexpected turn.
48. Wie der Vater, so der Sohn. Like father Like Son.
Our descendants will always be, in part, similar to us.
49. Wo ein Wille ist, ist auch ein Weg. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Death is the true end, after it there is nothing else.
50. Zeit heilt alle Wunden. Time heals all wounds.
After enough time we learn to live with our past mistakes.
51. Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne. Where there is wood to be made, there are chips to be made.
From a great work, smaller ones can also arise.
52. Wie man in den Wald hinein ruft, so schallt es heraus. As one cries in the forest, so it echoes.
What we show to others influences all of them. We must be cautious showing our thoughts and emotions.
53. Wer zu spat kommt, den bestraft das Leben. Whoever is late will be punished by life.
Lateness is something that Germans have always detested.
54. Wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst. The first to arrive is served.
The one who reaches a certain objective before, is the one who gets the best part.
55. Wer nicht will, der hat schon. If you don't want to, you've already done it.
If we don't want to do something from the heart, we won't be able to achieve it.
56. Wer nicht kommt zur rechten Zeit, der muss seh'n was übrig bleibt. Whoever doesn't make it on time, he must see what's left.
If you are late you will only get the leftovers. We must be punctual in our social life.
57. Wer einmal lügt dem glaubt man nicht und wenn er auch die Wahrheit spricht. A liar is not believed even when he tells the truth.
If people think we're unreliable, they'll never believe us. We must not use lies, because in the long run it will be counterproductive.
58. Wer Anderen eine Grube gräbt fällt selbst hinein. He who digs a pit falls into it himself.
If we do evil in our life, in the end it will be harmful to us as well. We must always act positively towards others.
59. Wenn das Wörtchen „wenn“ nicht wär, wär mein Vater Millionär. If it weren't for the word “yes”, my father would be a millionaire.
Knowing how to say no in life can save us a lot of trouble.
60. Was ich denk und tu, trau ich andern zu. What I think and what others do.
Our personal opinion may not be the truth, we must know how to differentiate between the two.
61. Was Du heute kannst besorgen das verschiebe nicht auf Morgen. What you can do today cannot be postponed until tomorrow.
Let's take advantage of the day, because tomorrow we may not be able to do it.
62. Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude. Anticipation is the greatest joy.
If we can anticipate something, we will be much more decisive. Being able to anticipate something will always be positive for us.
63. Voller Bauch studiert nicht gern. A full belly doesn't like to study.
He who has all the needs covered, he does not need to work.
64. Unter Blinden ist der einäugige König. Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
The one who is one step ahead of the others will always be the one who benefits the most.
65. Übung macht den Meister. Practice makes perfect.
Through practice we will become better at our trade.
66. Trau, schau wem! Trau, look who's here!
Speaking of the King of Rome, an expression that Spanish-speakers also use frequently.
67. Stille Wasser sind tief. Still waters are deep.
He who does not show his feelings, can have a great internal world. We must be careful with those people who do not show his feelings.
68. Aus Schaden wird man klug. Does it get learnt from mistakes.
Our mistakes teach us the right path to take in life.
69. Reden ist Silver, Schweigen ist Gold. Talking is silver, silence is gold.
If we don't have something interesting to say, it's better not to pronounce ourselves.
70. Pech in der Liebe, Glück im Spiel. Unlucky in love, lucky at cards.
He who is not lucky with love, may have it with gambling.
71. Ohne Fleiss kein Preis. Without pain there is no gain.
To achieve great goals we must strive to the maximum.
72. Nach dem Essen sollst du ruhn oder tausend Schritte tun. After dinner, you must rest or take a thousand steps.
We must opt for one side or the other, we must not remain half measures.
73. Morgen, Morgen nur nicht heute sagen alle faulen Leute. Tomorrow, tomorrow not today, all the lazy say.
He who leaves things to be done is undoubtedly a lazy person. We must do everything we can today, let's seize the moment!
74. Messer, Gabel, Schere, Licht sind für kleine Kinder nicht. Knife, fork, scissors, are not for small children.
We must be careful with the little ones in the house, because they could get hurt.
75. Man muss die Feste feiern, wie sie fallen. You must celebrate the party while it falls.
We must do something while we can, maybe tomorrow will be too late.