The 75 best Portuguese Proverbs (and what they mean)

Proverbs are very similar to popular sayings or sayings, they all come from the same people and have spread thanks to oral tradition, passing from generation to generation and expressing a teaching or advice.

All countries have their own proverbs that reflect their culture, traditions and popular heritage, many of which are translated into other languages. In today's article we rescue the most famous in the history of Portugal.

• We recommend you read: "The 70 best Aztec Proverbs (and their meaning)"

Great Portuguese proverbs

Next we bring the best proverbs of the Portuguese culture about life.

1. The custom of the house goes to the square.

When they teach us good manners at home, they always go with us wherever we go.

2. Grain by grain, the hen fills her belly.

Things have to be done little by little so that the results can be seen.

3. Don't make a storm in a glass of water.

Certain situations seem difficult to have a solution, but one is always found.

4. If one is in a hurry, it is better not to waste time.

No need to waste time on insignificant things when there are priorities to attend to.

5. Path started, it is half walked.

The first step is always difficult, but you have to advance a little more each day.

6. About tastes there is nothing written.

Each person has different tastes when it comes to fashions, hairstyles, and styles.

7. Whoever hits, forgets who gets hit.

Violence will never work for the abuser or the abused.

8. Water that you do not have to drink let it run.

When you don't want something anymore, get it out of your life.

9. To be like the dog in the manger, who neither eats the cabbages nor allows the owner to eat.

It refers to a person who does not enjoy something, but at the same time does not let others do it.

10. The more men are known, the more dogs are admired.

Human beings have the ability to disappoint the trust that is given to them, not so do dogs, who are always faithful.

11. A good listener, few words are enough.

If you express yourself well, everyone will understand what you mean.

12. God helps he who rises early.

If you start your day very early, you will have enough time to do all the earrings.

13. Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are.

Friends can influence our behavior.

14. Fine perfumes come in small packages.

Well they say that size does not matter.

15. At night all cats are brown.

Sometimes what we see can mislead us.

16. Step by step you walk a good chunk every day.

Advancing a little each day leads to good results.

17. He who gets into shortcuts, gets into jobs.

There are no shortcuts and small ways to achieve the goal, you just have to work daily to reach it.

18. The habit do not do the monk.

On many occasions, physical appearance does not represent who we are on the inside.

19. A bird in hand is better than 2 flying.

Having something secure is better than several projects on hold.

20. Do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today.

Doing things on time and not leaving them for later is a sign of responsibility.

21. A gift horse in the teeth not look.

We must be grateful for the gifts they give us.

22. God gives bread to those who do not have teeth.

Many times we think that God is very unfair because we do not have something we want and others do.

23. Those who can command, those who have judgment obey.

If you are not the boss, you have to abide by his dispositions with maturity and good sense.

24. Empty mind, devil's office.

We must always study and prepare to have a bright future.

25. Old horse does not learn a new trot.

This proverb refers to the fact that an elderly person does not learn new things, although this is not true.

26. Mouth of truths, a hundred enmities.

When we always speak the truth, we can find enemies.

27. By searching for what is not found, you will find what you are not looking for.

This is a very true proverb. We are looking for one thing and we find another that we do not need at the moment.

28. The bad clerk blames the pen.

We always blame others for our mistakes.

29. Not all that glitters is gold.

There are situations that dazzle us, but they are not good for us.

30. When the cat is away the mice have fun.

It is common that when the one in charge leaves, the others do not do their activities.

31. Who embraces much, embraces little.

Wanting to multitask never pays off.

32. Who has more, wants more.

Greed is always present in the world.

33. Do not count the chickens before they are born.

The plans you have should not be in the public domain.

34. Behind a great man there is always a great woman.

The female figure is indispensable in any environment.

35. He who loves the ugly, it seems beautiful.

Seeing inside people is more important than appreciating their beauty.

36. Like father Like Son.

It refers to the resemblance between parents and children or the same activities that they do.

37. The pan tells the pot.

You have to know before criticizing.

38. If your wife wants to jump off a roof, she tries to keep it low.

Do not underestimate a woman's capabilities.

39. Shrimp that falls asleep, it carries current.

If we neglect ourselves, we can find ourselves in difficult situations.

40. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

To achieve our dreams, we have to venture into new experiences.

41. Whoever has never eaten honey, when he eats it, he licks himself.

When a person has something that he has never had, he thinks he owns the world.

42. A good hunger no hard bread.

When we want to achieve something, all scenarios are good.

43. Pepper in the eyes of others is a soda.

We must learn from the experiences of others.

44. Union make force.

Teamwork pays off.

45. Asking one arrives in Rome.

Asking is not synonymous with ignorance; rather, it reflects how much we want to learn.

46. Prevention is better than cure.

When we take action in time, we avoid complex situations.

47. You cannot judge a book by its cover.

We should not judge people by their appearance. What matters is what you have inside.

48. An old monkey does not jump on dry branches.

He refers to how important experience is in any area of ​​life.

49. In a hurry, eat raw.

Doing everything in a hurry leads us to make big mistakes.

50. Every day put a grain and you will make a lot.

Life is built step by step.

51. Loose lips sink ships.

Sometimes being silent is a good option to avoid conflictive situations.

52. It takes two to tango.

There are times when we need the help of a friend to solve a problem.

53. Here and there there are bad fairies.

Anywhere we are going to find people full of evil who do a lot of damage.

54. Who sleeps a lot little learns.

To be successful in what we do, you have to work hard.

55. Hope is the last thing you lose.

We must not lose faith in our abilities.

56. Who waits always arrives.

Patience is a virtue that we must cultivate.

57. Whoever wounds with iron is wounded with iron.

If you do wrong in life, that is what you will receive.

58. Laughing heals everything.

Laughter is the best medicine to cure any illness or difficult situation.

59. Haste is the enemy of perfection.

The desire to reach the goal quickly can make us fall at any moment.

60. Who laughs last laughs better.

If we strive to work hard to get what we want, happiness awaits us.

61. Money calls money.

If we invest our capital correctly, we will have a much larger amount of money.

62. Better than nothing.

We have to be thankful for what we have.

63. I don't give a damn.

It refers to something that does not interest us at all.

64. Who warns, friend is.

The true friend is the one who always cares about us.

65. Full belly happy heart.

A hungry person is not productive.

66. There are not roses without spines.

On our way there will always be pleasant events and difficult situations.

67. What does not kill you, get you fat.

There are things that don't hurt us the least, but warn us of something worse.

68. The rope always breaks on the weaker side.

Fragile people can lose out at some point.

69. Every joke has some truth to it.

Many people say what they feel in a picturesque way.

70. Faces we see, hearts we do not know.

We will not really know what people are like since we do not know their soul.

71. No one is a prophet in his land.

To achieve advancement in a profession, you generally have to emigrate.

72. It's better to give than to receive.

Whoever gives to the needy will always have his reward.

73. Do good and do not look at who.

You have to help others, no matter who they are.

74. The end justifies the means.

To achieve something, we must find the best way.

75. In the absence of bread, good are cakes.

Life gives us alternatives that we must know how to take advantage of.