A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs

Qui choisit, prend le pire. He who chooses takes the worst. (Pick and choose, and take the worst.)

Qui commence et ne parfait, sa peine perd. He who begins and does not finish loses his labour.

Qui compte sans son hôte, compte deux fois. He that reckons without his host must reckon again.

Qui court deux lièvres, n’en prendra aucun. He that hunts two hares will catch neither.

Qui crache contre le ciel, il lui tombe sur la tête. Who spits against heaven, it falls on his head.

Qui craint de souffrir, souffre de crainte. He who fears to suffer, suffers from fear.

Qui cuir voit tailler, courroye en demande. He who sees leather cut asks for a thong.

Qui dit averti, dit muni. Forewarned, forearmed.

Qui donner peut, il a maint bon voisin. He who can give has many a good neighbour.

Qui doute ne se trompe point. Who doubts errs not.

Qui écoute aux portes, entend plus qu’il ne désire. He who listens at doors hears more than he desires.

Qui en dit du mal, veut l’acheter. He who dispraises a thing, wants to buy it.

Qui épargne, gagne. Saving is getting.

Qui épargne le vice, fait tort à la vertu. He who spares vice wrongs virtue.

Qui est avec les loups, il lui faut hurler. He who kennels with wolves must howl.

Qui est bien, qu’il s’y tienne. Whose is well let him keep so.

Qui est sur la mer, il ne fait pas des vents ce qu’il veut. He who is at sea does not direct the winds.

Qui femme a, noise a. He that hath a wife is sure of strife.

Qui femme croit et âne mène, son corps ne sera jamais sans peine. He who trusts a woman and leads an ass will never be free from plague.

Qui gagne, joue bien. He plays well that wins.

Qui juge entre deux amis, perdra l’un ou l’autre. He who judges between two friends loses one of them.

Qui mal cherche, mal trouve. Harm watch harm catch.

Qui mange de l’oye du roi, chiera une plume quarante ans après. He who eats of the king’s goose will void a feather forty years after.

Qui mange la vache du roi maigre, la paie grasse. He who eats the king’s cow lean, pays for it fat.

Qui menace, a peur. He who threatens is afraid.

Qui monte la mule, la ferre. He who rides the mule shoes her.

Qui mouche trop son nez, en tire du sang. Who blows his nose too hard makes it bleed.

Qui naît le dimanche, jamais ne meurt de peste. A Sunday’s child never dies of the plague.

Qui n’amorce pas son haim, pèche en vain. He who does not bait his hook fishes in vain.

Qui n’a, ne peut. Who has not, cannot.

Qui n’a pas argent en bourse, ait miel en bouche. He that has not money in his purse should have honey in his mouth.

Qui naquit chat, court après les souris. Who is born of a cat will run after mice. (An allusion to one of Æsop’s fables.)

Qui n’a qu’un ”oe]il, bien le garde. A man who has but one eye must take good care of it.

Qui n’a rien, ne craint rien. He who has nothing fears nothing.

Qui n’a santé, n’a rien. He who has not health has nothing.

Qui ne châtie culot, ne châtie culasse. He that corrects not youth controls not age.

Qui ne dit mot, consent. Silence gives consent.

Qui ne fait pas quand il peut, il ne fait pas quand il veut. He that will not when he may, when he will shall have nay.

Qui ne fait rien, fait mal. He who does nothing does ill.

Qui ne gagne, perd. He who does not gain loses.

Qui ne hasarde rien, n’a rien. Nothing venture, nothing have.

Qui n’entend qu’une cloche, n’entend qu’un son. Who hears but one bell hears but one sound.

Qui ne parle, n’erre. He who holds his tongue does not commit himself.

Qui ne peut faire son salut par c”oe]ur, ne le fera par livre. Who cannot work out his salvation by heart will not do it by book.

Qui ne peut mordre, ne doit pas montrer les dents. Don’t show your teeth if you can’t bite.

Qui ne regarde pas en avant, se trouve en arrière. He who looks not before finds himself behind.

Qui ne retire de sa vache que la queue, ne perd pas tout. He who recovers but the tail of his cow does not lose all.

Qui ne sait bien parler de son métier, il ne le sait pas. He who cannot speak well of his trade does not understand it.

Qui ne s’aventure, n’a ni cheval ni mule; et qui trop s’aventure, perd cheval et mule. Who does not venture gets neither horse nor mule, and who ventures too much loses horse and mule.

Qui ne se lasse pas, lasse l’adversité. He who does not tire, tires adversity.