Rodgers Dictionary of Proverbs
It is only fair to compare two ewes’ tails if
they are twins.
It is only good bargains that ruin.
It is only good when the old and the young
respect each other.
It is only idle people who can find time for
everything.
It is only in your coffin that you sleep really
well.
It is only one bad palm tree that spoils the
whole lot of palm wine.
It is only the bashful that lose.
It is only the blind who ask why they are
loved who are fair.
It is only the dead who do not return.
It is only the eagle that can give an account
of the whisper of the cloud.
It is only the early risers who succeed in
filling their baskets with white ants.
It is only the first bottle that is expensive.
It is only the foolish cock that believes the
sun won't rise if he doesn't crow.
It is only the toad that gets up from its knees
and falls back again on its knees.
It is only the tortoise that moves and carries
its shell about, which it calls its house.
It is only the tree loaded with fruit that the
people throw stones.
It is only the water that is spilled; the bowl is
not broken.
It is only when someone kills a madman
that people will know he has relatives.
It is only when you look down that you can
see your nose.
It is overdoing the thing to die of love.
It is past joking when the head's aff.
It is pleasant driving when there is no
danger of upsetting.
It is pleasant enough going afoot when you
lead your horse by the bridle.
It is pleasant to cut thongs on another man's
leather.
It is poor comfort for one who has broken
his leg, that another has broken his neck.
It is possible for a ram to kill a butcher.
It is possible to kill a man but it is
impossible to kill his name.
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It is precisely the uncertainty of this world
that makes life worth living.
It is pride, not nature, that craves much.
It is profound ignorance that inspires the
dogmatic tone.
It is prophet-drink.
It is prosperity that gives us friends,
adversity that proves them.
It is sad when the elephant dies, but the
whole tribe can feed on it.
It is safe to lend barley to him who has oats.
It is safer to irritate a dog than an old
woman.
It is safest to sail within reach of the shore.
It is seldom the fault of one when two argue.
It is sharp, it boils and reaches the deepest
parts of the river. (a person who is very
strong or highly artistic)
It is sheer folly to expect justice from the
unprincipled.
It is short while seen the louse boore the
langelt.
It is sin to steal a pin.
It is sometimes best to burn your bridges
behind you.
It is sometimes good to hold a candle to the
devil.
It is soon known which trees will bear fruit.
It is strange! The ox eats hay and the dog
eats bread, while the donkey carries
wine but drinks water.
It is survival not bravery that makes a man
climb a thorny tree.
It is sweet and meritorious to die for one's
country.
It is sweet to drink but bitter to pay for.
It is taken by turns like village
headmanship.
It is the absence of a cat that allowed the rat
to climb onto the table.
It is the bait that lures, not the fisherman or
the rod.
It is the beautiful bird that gets caged.
It is the belief in roses that makes them
flourish.