Yiddish Proverbs and quotes

kenneth parnell · April 5, 2019

Enjoy our Yiddish proverb page, many of these have English translations and some are in Yiddish. Also see our Yiddish collection for books, music and courses in Yiddish.

.‎אויף איין שלאָג פֿאַלט קיין בוים ניט אום
- Af eyn shlog falt keyn boym nit um.
- A tree doesn't fall with one blow.
- English equivalent: Little strokes fell great oaks.
- German gloss (unattested): Auf (Mit) einen Schlag fällt kein Baum (nicht) um.
.אַ קלוגער פֿאַרשטייט פֿון איין וואָרט צוויי
- A kluger farshteyt fun eyn vort tsvey.
- A wise man hears one word and understands two.
- German gloss (unattested): Ein Kluger versteht von einem Wort zwei.

.אַחרי מות קדושים
- Akhre moys kdoyshim. (direct quote from Hebrew)
- After death, [a person is] holy.
- Meaning: After a person's death, one should speak only of his virtues. Do not speak ill of the dead.
- Meaning when used ironically: After death, even the most ordinary person becomes a saint.
- Latin equivalent: De mortuis nihil nisi bonum. (About the dead, nothing but good [should be said].)

.אויף פֿײַער זאָל מען קיין בוימל ניט גיסן
- Af fayer zol men keyn boyml nit gisn.
- Don't pour oil on fire.
- English equivalent: Don't add fuel to the fire.
- Meaning: Don't make a bad situation worse by making an injudicious remark.
- German equivalent: Man soll kein Öl ins Feuer gießen.
- German gloss (theoretical): Auf Feuer soll man kein (Baum-) Öl (nicht) gießen.

‎אַמאָל איז די רפֿואה ערגער פֿאַר דער מכּה‫.‬
- Amol iz di refue erger far der make.
- Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
- German gloss (theoretical): Einmal (Manchmal) ist die Refue ärger für (als) die Macke.

.אַז דער שטיין ליגט אויף איין אָרט ווערט ער אויך באַוואַקסן מיט גראָז
- Az der shteyn ligt af eyn ort vert er oykh bavaksn mit groz.
- If a stone stays in one place, it becomes overgrown with grass.
- English proverb expressing the converse: A rolling stone gathers no moss.
- German gloss (unattested): Als (wenn) der Stein liegt auf einem Ort wird er auch bewachsen mit Grass.

.אַז מען לעבט, דערלעבט מען
- Az men lebt, derlebt men.
- When one lives, one experiences.
- Meaning: If you live long enough, you live to see surprising things.
- German gloss (unattested): Als (wenn) man lebt, erlebt man.

.‎פֿון אַ חזיר־שווענצל קען מען קיין שטרײַמל ניט מאַכן
- Fun a khazer-shventsl ken men keyn shtrayml nit makhn.
- You can't make a shtreimel from a pig's tail.
- English equivalent: You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
- Meaning: "You cannot produce anything of good quality from poor raw material; often used of people."
- Source: Bernstein, Ignaz (1988). Jüdische Sprichwörter und Redensarten. Fourier Verlag. p. 105. ISBN 3-925037-25-X.
- German gloss (theoretical): Von einem Chaser-Schwänzel kann man keinen Schtreimel (nicht) machen.

.דער מענטש טראַכט און גאָט לאַכט
- Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht.
- Man plans and God laughs.
- English equivalent: Man proposes, God disposes.
- English equivalent: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." (John Lennon, Beautiful Boy, 1980)
- German equivalent: Der Mensch denkt und Gott lenkt.
- German gloss (unattested): Der Mensch trachtet und Gott lacht.

.דאָס עפּעלע פֿאַלט ניט ווײַט פֿון ביימעלע
- Dos epele falt nit vayt fun beymele.
- English equivalent: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
- Meaning: Children follow the example of their parents.
- German equivalent: Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm.
- German gloss: Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Baum.

.אַ באַרג מיט אַ באַרג קומט זיך ניט צונויף, אָבער אַ מענטש מיט אַ מענטשן יאָ

.די צײַט איז טײַערער פֿון געלט
- Di tsayt iz tayerer fun gelt.
- Time is more precious than money..

געשוויגן הייסט אויך גערעדט‪.‬
- Geshvign heyst oykh geredt.
- Even silence speaks.
- Meaning: Silence implies consent.

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