100 powerful English proverbs and sayings categorized into 10 different themes

Wisdom

1. A wise man learns more from his enemies than a fool from his friends.
2. Knowledge is power.
3. The pen is mightier than the sword.
4. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
5. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Courage

6. Fortune favors the bold.
7. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
8. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
9. A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
10. Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.

Friendship

11. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
12. Good friends are like stars; you don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.
13. The greatest gift of life is friendship.
14. True friendship is a plant of slow growth.
15. Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.

Perseverance

16. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
17. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
18. The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
19. Tough times never last, but tough people do.
20. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.

Love

21. Love conquers all.
22. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
23. The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.
24. Love is blind.
25. A heart that loves is always young.

Change

26. Change is the only constant in life.
27. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
28. If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.
29. The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.
30. A bend in the road is not the end of the road.

Success

31. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
32. The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.
33. Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
34. Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.
35. The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Family

36. Family is not an important thing; it’s everything.
37. The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.
38. A happy family is but an earlier heaven.
39. Blood is thicker than water.
40. Family is the compass that guides us; they are the inspiration to reach great heights.

Time

41. Time heals all wounds.
42. Time waits for no one.
43. A stitch in time saves nine.
44. The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.
45. Lost time is never found again.

Happiness

46. Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.
47. The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
48. Count your blessings, not your problems.
49. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
50. The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.

Bonus proverbs and sayings

51. Actions speak louder than words.
52. All that glitters is not gold.
53. You can’t judge a book by its cover.
54. A penny saved is a penny earned.
55. The grass is always greener on the other side.
56. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
57. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
58. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
59. Every cloud has a silver lining.
60. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
61. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
62. The early bird catches the worm.
63. A leopard can’t change its spots.
64. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
65. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
66. You reap what you sow.
67. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
68. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
69. Better late than never.
70. It takes two to tango.
71. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
72. Out of sight, out of mind.
73. If you want something done right, do it yourself.
74. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
75. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
76. Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.
77. Curiosity killed the cat.
78. All’s fair in love and war.
79. Let sleeping dogs lie.
80. A house divided against itself cannot stand.
81. A fool and his money are soon parted.
82. Actions have consequences.
83. The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
84. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
85. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
86. A watched pot never boils.
87. Practice makes perfect.
88. The grass is always greener on the other side.
89. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
90. Blood is thicker than water.
91. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
92. Every dog has its day.
93. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
94. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
95. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
96. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
97. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
98. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
99. Silence is golden.
100. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.