Arabian Proverbs

Enjoy dozens of witty and insightful Arabian proverbs and idioms that have been passed down from one generation to the next for hundreds of years!

• He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.
• The sinning is the best part of repentance.
• Marriage is like a besieged castle: those who are on the outside wish to get in, and those who are on the inside wish to get out.
• A friend is known when needed.
• He who eats alone, chokes alone.
• If power is for sale, sell your mother to buy it. You can always buy her back again.
• Examine what is said, not him who speaks.
• Throw a lucky man into the sea, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth.
• The devil tempts all men, but idle men tempt the devil.
• Pardon is the choicest flower of victory.
• Do not tell a friend anything you would conceal from an enemy.
• When danger approaches, sing to it.
• The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace.
• Good to sell knowledge for labor, honor for risk.
• A wise man’s day is worth a fool’s life.
• Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.
• Those who foretell the future lie, even if they tell the truth.
• The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
• The whisper of a pretty girl can be heard further than the roar of a lion.
• The words of tongue should have three gatekeepers.
• Death was afraid of him because he had the heart of a lion.
• None but a mule denies his family.
• If begging should unfortunately be thy lot, knock at the large gates only.
• Lying and stealing are next-door neighbors.
• All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.
• A man profits more by the sight of an idiot than by the orations of the learned.
• When you have spoken the word, it reigns over you. When it is unspoken, you reign over it.
• I came to the place of my birth and cried, “The friends of my youth, where are they?” And echo answered, “Where are they?”

For thousands more proverbs and words of wisdom, collected from over 40 countries, check out Proverbs from Around the World!