The Provençal expressions on the theme “Wisdom” gather 68 traditional sayings, with their meaning in English.
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 Faï de ben a Bertrand, te lou rendra en caguantdo good to Bertrand, he repays it with harm; ingratitude rewards kindness Vau miès uno pichoto bono acioun qu'uno grando bono entenciouna small good deed is worth more than a great good intention a cènt an rèn que de dimencheat a hundred, every day is Sunday la vido di gàrrieternal life 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 quand sias nascu pounchu poudès pas mouri carrayou can't change your basic nature Vau mai èstre ami de luen qu'enemi de prochebetter a distant friend than a nearby enemy 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 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 lou monde es uno escalo que mounto, que devalothe world is a ladder, some climb up, some come down Fauto de tourdre, l'on manjo de merlebeggars can't be choosers fai de bèn a Bertrand, te lou rènd en cagantdo good to Bertrand, he repays it with ill treatment 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 fai de bèn à Martin, te cago dins la mando good to Martin, he repays it with ill treatment 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 pantaia de tasta de causo douço, enganamendreaming of sweets brings only disappointment Fai de bèn à Bertrand…what ingratitude! qu tèn la coua de la sartan, la viro d'ounte vòuwhoever holds the reins calls the shots 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 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 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 Urous quau poù se passa de son vessinhappy is he who can do without his neighbour 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 Tout fai ventre mai que i 'entreanything goes, as long as it fills the belly qu douno i paure, prèsto à Diéuhe who gives to the poor lends to God 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 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 Qu mies noun pòu èstre, emé sa mouié se couchefor lack of better, one sleeps with one's own wife l'òci es lou paire de toui li viceidleness is the root of all vices Se fai pas lou civié avans d'avé la lèbredon't count your chickens before they hatch Qu a vist Paris e noun Cassis a rèn vistwho has seen Paris but not Cassis has seen nothing jamai cassaire a nourri soun paireno hunter ever fed his father from the hunt 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 Jamai sant de païs a fa miracleno one is a prophet in his own land fedo aprivadado de trop d'agnèu es tetadoa too-tame ewe gets suckled by too many lambs: people exploit the easygoing 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 L'esperanço es lou pan di miserablehope is the poor man's bread 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 Es pas bèu ço qu'es bèu, es bèu ço qu'agradobeauty is not what is beautiful, but what pleases qu pito fai gavagesmall gains, gathered often, add up to plenty Emé de vin cue, s'es jamai fa de bon vinaigre.With cooked wine, good vinegar has never been made. Vau mai tua lou diable que de se leissa tua per éu.It is better to kill the Devil than to let him kill you. Un que saup vau mies que cènt que cercon.One who knows is worth more than a hundred who search. Passè à Tòni, tambèn te passaraDon't worry, it will pass Pesa lou proun coume lou controTo weigh the pros and the cons Prene soun mau coume vènTo bear one's ills with patience