Proverbs are celebrated as containing the wisdom of the ages – condensed into short meaningful phrases. That may be the case, but, when faced with two proverbs which contradict each other, which one do you choose to believe?
There’s no right answer. It all depends on context – in one situation a proverb may express a truth, in another it’s opposite may.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
Haste makes waste.
Time waits for no man.
You’re never too old to learn.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
Talk is cheap.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Nice guys finish last.
Hitch your wagon to a star.
Don’t bite off more that you can chew.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Clothes make the man.
The squeaking wheel gets the grease.
Silence is golden.
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
contradicts
Out of Sight, out of Mind
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
contradicts
The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword
Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens
contradicts
For Every Man Shall Bear His Burden
The Bigger, the Better
contradicts
The Best Things Come in Small Packages
Birds of a Feather Flock Together
contradicts
Opposites Attract
The Clothes Make the Man
contradicts
Never Judge a Book by Its Cover
Cross Your Bridges when You Come to Them
contradicts
Forewarned is Forearmed
Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady
contradicts
The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
Familiarity Breeds Contempt
contradicts
Better the Devil You Know
Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread
contradicts
He Who Hesitates is Lost
Great Minds Think Alike
contradicts
Fools Seldom Differ
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
contradicts
Don’t Beat Your Head Against a Stone Wall
It’s Better to Be Safe Than Sorry
contradicts
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
Life is What We Make It
contradicts
What is to Be Will Be
Look Before You Leap
contradicts
He Who Hesitates is Lost
Many Hands Make Light Work
contradicts
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
No Fool Like an Old Fool
contradicts
With Age Comes Wisdom
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
contradicts
Better Safe Than Sorry
Out of the Mouths of Babes Come All Wise Sayings
contradicts
With Age Comes Wisdom
Save for a Rainy Day
contradicts
Tomorrow Will Take Care of Itself
The Squeaking Wheel Gets the Grease
contradicts
Silence is Golden
Time Waits for No Man
contradicts
Haste Makes Waste
Time Waits for No Man
contradicts
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Tomorrow is Another Day
contradicts
Tomorrow Never Comes
Two Heads Are Better Than One
contradicts
Two of a Trade Never Agree
Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd
contradicts
The More the Merrier
1. Opposites attract. Birds of a feather flock together.
2. The early bird gets the worm. Haste makes waste.
So hurry up and wait!
3. All good things come to him who waits. A stitch in time saves nine.
Ditto.
4. Attack is the best form of defense. He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.
So be a hawk and also a dove.
5. Clothes make the man. You cannot judge a book by its cover.
So be superficial—or not.
6. Familiarity breeds contempt. Home is where the heart is.
8. Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone. Misery loves company. So gloomy people seek companionship but get rejected?
9. Money is the root of all evil. Money makes the world go around. So money is very bad and also very constructive.
10. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Many hands make light work.
So other people mess up the project—or help it along.
11. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. So invest in the future—or not.
12. Love makes the world go around. When poverty comes in the door, lo
Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Don’t beat your head against a stone wall.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
Two heads are better than one.
Paddle your own canoe.
Haste makes waste.
Time waits for no man.
You’re never too old to learn.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
Talk is cheap.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Nice guys finish last.
Hitch your wagon to a star.
Don’t bite off more that you can chew.
Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Clothes make the man.
The squeaking wheel gets the grease.
Silence is golden.