Proverb facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Not all who wander are lost
from J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings on a bumper sticker.

A proverb is a wise saying. Many cultures have collections of these, such as the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, was said to be written by king Solomon of Israel. A proverb is basically a wise saying.

Examples of proverbs

„ Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. “
„ It’s no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. “
„ Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone. “
„ See a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you’ll have all day. “
„ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. “
„ Monday’s child is fair of face,

Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for its living,
And a child that’s born on the Sabbath day
Is fair and wise and good.

 “

Images for kids

  • Hercules & Waggoner2

    "Hercules and the Wagoner", illustration for children's book

  • Dog in manger poster

    Play poster from 1899.

  • Spilt Milk albumcover

    "Spilt Milk" album by Jellyfish.

  • Fleet foxes

    "Fleet Foxes" album cover with Netherlandish Proverbs.

  • Conseil Tenu par les Rats

    "Who will bell the cat?", comes from the end of a story.

  • Fonte com texto (Trancoso)

    Proverb on tiles in Trancoso, Portugal

  • Pieter Bruegel the Elder- Big Fish Eat Little Fish

    Big Fishes Eat Little Fishes

  • Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1568) The Blind Leading the Blind

    The Blind Leading the Blind painted by Bruegel

  • Oliver Pelton - Benjamin Franklin - Poor Richard's Almanac Illustrated

    Illustrations showing proverbs from Ben Franklin

  • Oak Ridge Wise Monkeys

    Billboard outside defense plant during WWII, invoking the proverb of the three wise monkeys to urge security.

  • The-Blind-Leading-the-Blind-xx-Sebastian-Vrancx

    "The blind leading the blind", a Biblical saying that has spread across Europe, but is also found in India's Upanishads. First origin is indeterminate.

  • Ochsenfurt Hauptstraße 60 Schuster

    "The cobbler should stick to his last" in German, also found in English and many other European languages.

  • Study proverb

    Chinese proverb. It says, "Learn till old, live till old, and there is still three-tenths not learned," meaning that no matter how old you are, there is still more learning or studying left to do.

  • Proverb scroll

    Scroll of the Biblical Book of Proverbs

  • Books on proverb study

    A sample of books used in the study of proverbs.

  • Pieter Brueghel the Elder - The Dutch Proverbs - Google Art Project

    Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559, with peasant scenes illustrating over 100 proverbs

  • Hornets.nest

    Thai ceramic, illustrating "Don't torch a stump with a hornet nest."

  • Three wise monkeys figure

    Three wise monkeys, invoking a proverb, with no text.

  • Blood chit3

    Blood chit used by WWII US pilots fighting in China, in case they were shot down by the Japanese. This leaflet to the Chinese depicts an American aviator being carried by two Chinese civilians. Text is "Plant melons and harvest melons, plant peas and harvest peas," a Chinese proverb equivalent to "As You Sow, So Shall You Reap".

  • Good things come to those who dont wait

    Anti-proverb used in advertising Chick-Fil-A

  • Glass half full kind of day

    Anti-proverb used in advertising


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Proverb Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.