List of French proverbs
Here is a collection of French proverbs. Where an English proverb is equivalent, the English proverb is given. Otherwise, a literal translation is provided.
- À bon chat, bon rat. -- "A good cat, a good rat."
- À la guerre comme à la guerre. -- "All's fair in love and war."
- À la Sainte Catherine, tout arbre prend racine.
- Araignée du matin, chagrin; araignée du soir, espoir. - "A spider in the morning, anguish; a spider in the evening, hope."
- Avec des "si" on mettrait Paris en bouteille. -- "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." ("With 'if's one could put Paris in a bottle.")
- C'est le ton qui fait la chanson. -- "It's the melody that makes the song."
- Cherchez la femme. -- "Look for the woman. " That is, a woman is probably at the heart of the quarrel.
- Comme on fait son lit on se couche. -- "You made your bed, now lie in it." ("As one makes one's bed, so one lies down.")
- La fin justifie les moyens. -- "The end justifies the means."
- La nuit, tous les chats sont gris. -- "All cats are grey in the dark."
- Les amis de nos amis sont nos amis. -- "Friends of our friends are our friends."
- Les fruits défendus sont les meilleurs. -- "Forbidden fruits are the best."
- Mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné -- "Better to be seen alone than in bad company."
- On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne -- "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." ("One doesn't change a team that wins.")
- On ne peut avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre. -- "You can't have your cake and eat it." Literally, "One cannot have butter and the money from butter."
- On revient toujours à ses premiers amours. -- "One always returns to his first loves."
- Pas de nouvelles, bonne nouvelles. -- "No news is good news."
- Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse. -- "A rolling stone gathers no moss."
- Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. -- "The more things change, the more they remain the same."
- Qui vole un oeuf vole un boeuf. -- "Give him an inch and he'll take a mile." ("Who steals an egg, steals an ox.")
- Si tu veux la paix, prépare la guerre. -- "If you want peace prepare for war." Original in Latin by Scipio Africanus -- Si vis pacem para bellum.
- Tant va la cruche à l'eau qu'à la fin elle se brise. -- "Things break with repeated use." Literally, "The jug goes to water so often that at the end it breaks."
- Un "tiens" vaut mieux que deux "tu l'auras". -- "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." ("One 'here' is worth more than two 'you'll have it's.")
- Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps. -- "One lark doesn't make spring." Mia chelidón ouk ear poiei (Greek))
- Vive la différence. -- "Vive la difference."
- Au pays des aveugles les borgnes sont rois. -- "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed are king." Andhanam deshe kâna eva prabhavati. (Sanskrit))