Russian Proverbs

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

  • One cannot make a fur coat from thanks.
  • Work is afraid of a skilled worker.
  • A good merchant has neither money nor goods.
  • A bachelor is never sent as a go-between.
  • Beauty is the sister of idleness and the mother of luxury.
  • Friendship is friendship, but service is service.
  • A fool is not afraid to lose his mind.
  • The moon gives us light but no heat.
  • The naked don’t fear robbery.
  • Seven troubles, one response.
  • Abuse doesn’t hang on the collar.
  • When money speaks, the truth is silent.
  • If the fool ties a knot, even a clever person can’t untie it.
  • God wanted to punish mankind, so he created lawyers.
  • For a drunk, the sea is knee-deep.
  • A clever head, but given to foolishness.
  • Hypocrites kick with their hind feet while licking with their tongues.
  • Hope for God, but do not be reliant.
  • He who doesn’t risk never gets to drink champagne.
  • You don’t get a headache from what other people have drunk.
  • Eat what is cooked; listen to what is said.
  • Unless thunder strikes, a man won’t cross himself.
  • The horse may run quickly, but it can’t escape its own tail.
  • The wolf is not afraid of the sheepdog, but he is of his chain.
  • When he mounts his horse, he forgets God; when he dismounts, he forgets his horse.
  • You don’t milk a cow with your hands in your pockets.
  • Be fair to the devil.
  • Bad luck is fertile.
  • A toad too would like to crack nuts, but he has no teeth.
  • Death is not found behind mountains but right behind our shoulders.
  • If everyone gives one thread, the poor man will have a shirt.
  • Wisdom is born; stupidity is learned.
  • You can’t drive straight on a twisting lane.
  • You must chop down the tree that gives too much or too little shade.
  • Hunger is not your aunt.
  • The offender never forgives.
  • Where necessity speaks, it demands.
  • All lay loads on a willing horse.
  • Vodka is the aunt of wine.
  • Without the shepherd, sheep are not a flock.
  • If you don’t crack the shell, you can’t eat the nut.
  • Acknowledgment is half of correction.
  • It will snap where it’s thinnest.
  • Cut down the tree that you are able to.
  • Don’t have a friend who always agrees with you, but have a friend who argues with you.
  • The wolf will hire himself out very cheaply as a shepherd.
  • When you live next to the cemetery, you cannot weep for everyone.
  • If the claw is stuck, the whole bird is lost.
  • If you are a host to your guest, be a host to his dog also.
  • On an empty belly, every burden is heavy.
  • Envy sees the sea but not the rocks.
  • Paper will endure anything.
  • All ages are submissive to love.
  • Not everything is a mermaid that dives into the water.
  • Simplicity is worse than thievery.
  • The noblemen’s quarrels can be read on the backs of the peasants.
  • Another city, another temper.
  • Don’t buy the house; buy the neighborhood.
  • The agreement costs more than money.
  • The wolves are sated, and the sheep are intact.
  • Don’t wade into a river without knowing a ford.
  • If God sends you meal, the devil takes the sack.
  • He can cheat a fish of its skin.
  • If you don’t have a hundred rubles, make sure you have a hundred friends.
  • Sorrow doesn’t kill, but it blights.
  • Morning is wiser than the evening.
  • No one is dragged to heaven by the hair.
  • Every vegetable has its time.
  • Words are silver; silence is gold.
  • Only chained bears dance.
  • It is easier to fill twenty bellies than one pair of eyes.
  • In the lake of lies, there are many dead fish.
  • On the tongue, there’s honey; and on the heart, there’s ice.
  • Time makes the best healer.
  • You’ll learn from those you hang out with.
  • Poverty is not a sin—it’s worse than that.
  • It is unpleasant to go alone, even to be drowned.
  • If you rush things, you’ll only make others laugh.
  • He who offers his back should not complain if it is beaten.
  • What you go looking for, you will find.
  • For a big ship, a big voyage.
  • Who wants heat must endure the smoke.
  • One good daughter is worth seven sons.
  • Those who love you will make you weep; those who hate you will make you laugh.
  • Haste is good only for catching flies.
  • It is better to be a cripple than always sitting down.
  • Partnership is an invention of the devil.
  • He took the devil’s mat, but he’ll pay it back with his skin.
  • Men will not be fortunate without a helping hand from misfortune.
  • Jesus Christ was crucified by public opinion.
  • When death is there, dying is over.
  • Whoever wants honey must breed bees.
  • Tell God the truth, but give money to the judge.
  • Who lives in exile finds that spring has no charm.
  • God keeps those safe who keep themselves safe.
  • If rubles fell from heaven, the poor would have no bag.
  • The calmer you go, the further along you will be.
  • Fear the law, not the judge.
  • The peasant will not cross himself before it begins to thunder.
  • There are no friends in tastes and colors.

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

One thought on “Russian Proverbs

Leave a Reply to T.J. Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *