French Proverbs with People

À bon entendeur, salut.
A word to the wise is enough.
"To a good listener, safety."

À mauvais ouvrier point de bons outils.
A bad workman blames his tools.
"To a bad worker no good tools."

À l'œuvre on reconnaît l'artisan.
You can tell an artist by his handiwork.
"By his work one recognizes the workman."

À père avare fils prodigue.
The miser's son is a spendthrift.
"To a stingy father prodigal son."

À tout seigneur tout honneur.
Honor to whom honor is due.

Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera.
Heaven helps those who help themselves.
"Help yourself, heaven will help you."

Au royaume des aveugles les borgnes sont rois.
In the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed man is king.

Autant de têtes, autant d'avis.
too many cooks spoil the broth.
"So many heads, so many opinions."

Aux innocents les mains pleines.
Beginner's luck.
"Full hands for the innocents."

Bien faire et laisser dire.
Do your work well and never mind the critics.
"Do well and let (them) speak."

C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon.
The tree is known by its fruit.
"It's at the foot of the wall that you see the mason."

C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron.
Practice makes perfect.
"It's by forging that one becomes a blacksmith."

Charbonnier est maître chez lui.
A man's home is his castle.
"A coalman is master at home."

Comme on connaît ses saints, on les honore.
to know a friend is to respect him.
"As one knows his saints, one honors them."

Comme on fait son lit, on se couche.
You've made your bed, now you must lie on it.

Les conseilleurs ne sont pas les payeurs.
Givers of advice don't pay the price.
"Dispensers of advice are not the payers."

Les cordonniers sont toujours les plus mal chaussés.
The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot.
"Shoemakers are always the worst shod."

Deux patrons font chavirer la barque.
too many cooks spoil the broth.
"Two bosses capsize the boat."

L'erreur est humaine
to err is human
"The error is human."

L'exactitude est la politesse des rois.
Punctuality is the politeness of kings.

L'habit ne fait pas le moine.
Clothes don't make the person.
"The habit doesn't make the monk."

Il ne faut pas juger les gens sur la mine.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
"One shouldn't judge people on their appearance."

Il ne sert à rien de déshabiller Pierre pour habiller Paul.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
"It serves no purpose to undress Peter to dress Paul."

Il n'est si méchant pot qui ne trouve son couvercle.
Every Jack has his Jill.
"There's no jar so mean that it can't find its lid."

Il vaut mieux aller au moulin qu'au médecin.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
"It's better to go to the mill than to the doctor."

Nécessité fait loi.
Beggars can't be choosers.
"Necessity makes law."

Nul n'est prophète en son pays.
No man is a prophet in his own country.

L'occasion fait le larron.
Opportunity makes a thief.

On ne peut pas être à la fois au four et au moulin.
You can't be in two places at once.
"One can't be at the oven and the mill at the same time."

On ne prête qu'aux riches.
Only the rich get richer.
"One only lends to the rich."

Quand le diable devient vieux, il se fait ermite.
New converts are the most pious.
"When the devil gets old, he turns into a hermit."

Quand on veut, on peut.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
"When one wants, one can."

Qui aime bien châtie bien.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
"He who loves well punishes well."

Qui casse les verres les paie.
You pay for your mistakes.
"He who breaks the glasses pays for them."

Qui craint le danger ne doit pas aller en mer.
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
"He who fears dangers shouldn't go to sea."

Qui donne aux pauvres prête à Dieu.
Charity will be rewarded in heaven.
"He who gives to the poor loans to God."

Qui dort dîne.
He who sleeps forgets his hunger.
"He who sleeps eats."

Qui m'aime me suive.
Come all ye faithful.
"He who loves me, follow me."

Qui n'entend qu'une cloche n'entend qu'un son.
Hear the other side and believe little.
"He who hears only one bell hears only one sound."

Qui ne dit mot consent.
Silence implies consent.
"He who says nothing consents."

Qui ne risque rien n'a rien.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"He who risks nothing has nothing."

Qui paie ses dettes s'enrichit.
The rich man is the one who pays his debts.
"He who pays his debts gets richer."

Qui peut le plus peut le moins.
He who can do more can do less.

Qui s'excuse, s'accuse.
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
"He who excuses himself accuses himself."

Qui se marie à la hâte se repent à loisir.
Marry in haste, repent later.
"He who marries in haste repents in leisure."

Qui se sent morveux, qu'il se mouche.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
"He who feels stuffy should blow his nose."

Qui sème le vent récolte la tempête.
As you sow, so shall you reap.
"He who sows the wind reaps the storm."

Qui s'y frotte s'y pique.
Watch out - you might get burned.
"He who rubs against it gets stung."

Qui terre a, guerre a.
He who has land has quarrels.
"Who has land, has war."

Qui trop embrasse mal étreint.
He who grasps at too much loses everything.
"He who hugs too much holds badly."

Qui va à la chasse perd sa place.
He who leaves his place loses it. / Step out of line and you'll lose your place.
"He who goes hunting loses his place."

Qui va lentement va sûrement.
Slowly but surely.
"He who goes slowly goes surely."

Qui veut la fin veut les moyens.
The end justifies the means.
"He who wants the end wants the means."

Qui veut voyager loin ménage sa monture.
He who takes it slow and steady travels a long way.
"He who wants to travel far spares his mount."

Qui vivra verra.
What will be will be. / Time will tell. / God only knows.
"He who lives will see."

Rira bien qui rira le dernier.
Whoever laughs last laughs best.
"Will laugh well he who laughs last."

Tel père, tel fils.
Like father like son.

Tout soldat a dans son sac son batôn de maréchal.
The sky is the limit.
"Every soldier has his marshall's baton in his bag."

Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre.
All things come to those who wait.
"All comes on time to the one who knows how to wait."

La vérité sort de la bouche des enfants.
Out of the mouths of babes.
"The truth comes out of the mouths of children."