Iraqi Proverbs

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

• Their fire eats their wood.
• The provision for tomorrow belongs to tomorrow.
• One who is drowning will even grab onto a snake.
• If you conduct yourself properly, then fear no one.
• Stealing leads to poverty.
• Accusation always follows the cat.
• He who is watching the club does not understand the one who is beaten with it.
• Life is like a cucumber: you get one in your hand and ten in your ass.
• Someone who does not know how to dance says the ground is sloping.
• You will discover your true friends in moments of crisis.
• When a ship increases its sailors, it will sink.
• The chicken dies and her eyes look upon rubbish.
• You want a rabbit, take a rabbit; you want a deer, take a rabbit.
• Trust in Allah, but keep a tight leash on your camel.
• A beautiful bride needs no dowry.
• The tree is diseased by its own worms.
• Two-thirds of a boy is his uncle.
• You can have a lord, you can have a king, but the man to fear is the tax collector.
• He who can’t manage his wheat himself will eat his barely.
• The day will wipe out all the promises of the night.
• He wants to put eyeliner on an eye, but he blinds it.
• He can steal eyeliner from the eye.
• Go drink from the river.
• When stomachs are operating, eyes become blind.
• You do not exit the bathroom the same as you entered.
• There are three plagues in the world: the rat, the locust, and the Kurd.
• An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.
• He is not the owner, yet he makes noise on the roof.
• Sometimes you need to sacrifice your beard in order to save your head.
• All authors should prepare to encounter criticism.

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