The Provençal expressions on the theme “Wisdom” gather 62 traditional sayings, presented in Mistralian spelling with their meaning in English.
Mies vau pan à la paniero qu'un bèl ome à la carrierobread in the basket is worth more than a handsome man in the street Qu mies noun pòu èstre, emé sa mouié se couchefor lack of better, one sleeps with one's own wife Se fai pas lou civié avans d'avé la lèbredon't count your chickens before they hatch Jamai sant de païs a fa miracleno one is a prophet in his own land L'esperanço es lou pan di miserablehope is the poor man's bread Es pas bèu ço qu'es bèu, es bèu ço qu'agradobeauty is not what is beautiful, but what pleases Faï de ben a Bertrand, te lou rendra en caguantdo good to Bertrand, he repays it with harm; ingratitude rewards kindness Vau mai èstre ami de luen qu'enemi de prochebetter a distant friend than a nearby enemy Fauto de tourdre, l'on manjo de merlebeggars can't be choosers Urous quau poù se passa de son vessinhappy is he who can do without his neighbour Tout fai ventre mai que i 'entreanything goes, as long as it fills the belly Manjo toun pèis aro qu'es fres, marido ta fiho, aro qu'es jouvoeat your fish while it's fresh, marry your daughter while she's young a cènt an rèn que de dimencheat a hundred, every day is Sunday la vido di gàrrieternal life quand sias nascu pounchu poudès pas mouri carrayou can't change your basic nature fin emé fin valon rèn pèr doublurotwo clever schemers cancel each other out i pu fin li braio ié toumboneven the cleverest can slip up jougariéu ma tèsto à coupaI'd bet my life on it i'ai mes lou noum de la vióuletoI've given up on it for good es pèr trop la sarra que s'escapo l'anguielogrip too tightly and it slips away au bord dóu baus i'a lou debaussadouat the cliff's edge lies the drop a forço de trop courre, vous roumpès pièi lou mourrerun too hard and you'll fall flat on your face cadun pèr sa pèuevery man for himself proumiero carita coumenço pèr l'oustaucharity begins at home dins ma camiso i'a quaucun qu'ame bènthere's someone close to me whom I hold dear quand l'ai a escapa de l'estable, fan la porto novoclosing the barn door after the horse has bolted qu noun met remèdi d'ouro, arribo lou tèms que plourodelay the remedy and tears will follow cat escauda, l'aigo frejo ié fai pòuonce bitten, twice shy se jouinesso sabié e vièiesso poudié, rèn n'arribariéif youth only knew and age only could, nothing would go wrong vèndre la pèu de la bèsti avans de l'agué tuadoto count one's chickens before they hatch au mai boustigas lou femié, au mai sèntthe more you stir the muck, the more it stinks au mai escalo la mounino, au mai mostro la cothe higher the monkey climbs, the more it shows its tail es pas la poulo que canto lou mai que fai li pu bèus iòuit's not the loudest hen that lays the finest eggs qu douno i paure, prèsto à Diéuhe who gives to the poor lends to God un bènfa n'es jamai perdu, s'un ingrat noun l'a reçaupua good deed is never wasted, unless met with ingratitude qu bèn fara, bèn troubarado good and good will come back to you fai de bèn à Bertrand, te lou rènd en cagantantdo good to Bertrand, he repays it with ill treatment l'òci es lou paire de toui li viceidleness is the root of all vices es paraulo d'Evangèliit's the gospel truth acò's un conte de Mèste Arnaudit's a tall tale, hard to believe tóuti li cop que dis uno verita ié toumbo un ueievery time he tells the truth it costs him dearly (said of a liar) meno uno vido que lou bon Diéu sauphe leads a life only God could account for fedo aprivadado de trop d'agnèu es tetadoa too-tame ewe gets suckled by too many lambs: people exploit the easygoing es Sansoun derrabo-ferigoulohe plays the strongman against the weak vau mai teni un passeroun qu'espera uno aucoa sparrow in hand is worth more than a goose you're hoping for qu pito fai gavagesmall gains, gathered often, add up to plenty Dins l'iver, quau l'attrovo, se n'en sèr, dins l'estièu. Quau l'attrovo es sièu, dins l'autounau, quau l'attrovo lou douno. Au printèms, quau l'attrovo, lou tèn.depending on the season it's found, it gets used, kept, or given away Vau miès uno pichoto bono acioun qu'uno grando bono entenciouna small good deed is worth more than a great good intention qu'au bastis sus la graveno, perdi soun tèms emai sa penobuild on gravel and you waste your time and effort de tis amis digo tout bien, de tis enemis digues renspeak only well of your friends, and nothing of your enemies au mai anavo la vieio, au mai appreniéthe older the woman grew, the more she learned vau mai un fais ben lia que dous mal astacaone well-tied bundle beats two poorly fastened ones lou monde es uno escalo que mounto, que devalothe world is a ladder, some climb up, some come down fai de bèn a Bertrand, te lou rènd en cagantdo good to Bertrand, he repays it with ill treatment fai de bèn à Martin, te cago dins la mando good to Martin, he repays it with ill treatment pantaia de tasta de causo douço, enganamendreaming of sweets brings only disappointment qu tèn la coua de la sartan, la viro d'ounte vòuwhoever holds the reins calls the shots qu si fiso au dino deis autre, dino tard emai mauhe who relies on others' meals dines late and poorly gros manjaire n'es pas dounairea big eater is rarely a big giver jamai cassaire a nourri soun paireno hunter ever fed his father from the hunt Fai de bèn à Bertrand…what ingratitude! Qu a vist Paris e noun Cassis a rèn vistwho has seen Paris but not Cassis has seen nothing