Serbian proverbs

Proverbs from all Serbian speaking parts of the world.

B

• Cyrillic: Врана врани очи не вади. - Latin: Vrana vrani oči ne vadi.
  • English equivalent: A crow doesn't pick out another crow's eyes.
  • Source: Strauss, Emmanuel (1998). Dictionary of European Proverbs. Routledge. p. 31. ISBN 0415160502. 

Б

• Cyrillic: Боље врабац у руци, него голуб на грани. - Latin: Bolje vrabac u ruci, nego golub na grani.
  • English equivalent: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
  • NIN. nedeljne informativne novine. Politika.. 2005. 
  • Meaning: "Something you have for certain now is of more value than something better you may get, especially if you risk losing what you have in order to get it."
  • Source for meaning of English equivalent: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. Retrieved on 29 July 2013. 
  • András Dugonics (1820). Magyar példa beszédek és jeles mondások. Grünn Orbán. p. 23. Retrieved on 29 July 2013. 

• Cyrillic: Бог је прво себи браду створио. - Latin: Bog je prvo sebi bradu stvorio.
  • Translation: God created the beard on himself first.
  • "They are casting their problems at society. And, you know, there's no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbours."
  • Margaret Thatcher, in an interview in Women's Own (1987)
  • Kovács, Kálmán (1968). Srpskohrvatsko-mađarski rečnik: A-M. Pokrajinski zavod za izdavanje udžbenika. p. 92. 

Г

• Cyrillic: Гвожђе се кује док је вруће. - Latin: Gvožđe se kuje dok je vruće.
  • English equivalent: Strike while the iron is hot.
  • NIN. nedeljne informativne novine. Politika.. 2005. 

• Cyrillic: Где ти много обећавају, малу торбу понеси. - Latin: Gde ti mnogo obećavaju, malu torbu ponesi.
  • English equivalent: He says the moon is made of cheese.
  • Stanković (1970). Stari dani. Prosveta. pp. 349. 

• Cyrillic: Где je много бабица, килава cу деца. - Latin: Gde je mnogo babica, kilava su deca.
  • English equivalent: Too many cooks spoil the broth.
  • umjetnosti, Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i (1897). Rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika. U kńižarnici L. Hartmana. p. 951. 

И

• Cyrillic: Ивер не пада далеко од кладе. - Latin: Iver ne pada daleko od klade.
  • English equivalent: An apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
  • Meaning: "Children observe daily and — in their behaviour — often follow the example of their parents."
  • Source for meaning of English equivalent: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 259. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 
  • Institut za srpskohrvatski jezik (Belgrade. Rečnik srpskohrvatskog književnog i narodnog jezika. Institut za srpskohrvatski jezik. p. 481. 

Ј

• Cyrillic: Јутро је паметније од вечери. - Latin: "Jutro je pametnije od večeri."
  • English equivalent: The morning is wiser than the evening.
  • Meaning: Sleeping over can make problems be solved easier.

K

• Cyrillic: Ко другоме јаму копа сам у њу пада. - Latin: Ko drugome jamu kopa sam u nju pada.
  • English equivalent: Who digs a trap for others ends up in it himself.
  • "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
  • Solomon, Proverbs 3:31
  • Kovačević (1991). Srpsko-engleski rečnik idioma, izraza i izreka. Filip Višnjić. p. 99. 

• Cyrillic: Ко рано рани, две среће граби. - Latin: Ko rano rani, dve sreće grabi.
  • English equivalent: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
  • Meaning: "A lifestyle that involves neither staying up late nor sleeping late is good for body and mind and leads to financial success."
  • Source for meaning of English equivalent: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. Retrieved on 5 September 2013. 
  • Kovačević (1991). Srpsko-engleski rečnik idioma, izraza i izreka. Filip Višnjić. p. 9. 

H

• Cyrillic: Нема ватре без дима. - Latin: Nema vatre bez dima.
  • English equivalent: Where there is smoke there is fire.
  • Meaning: "It is supposed that if there is a rumour, there must be some truth behind it."
  • Source for meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 33. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 
  • Bošković-Stulli (1983). Usmena književnost nekad i danas. Prosveta. p. 262. 

• Cyrillic: Није злато све што сија. - Latin: Nije zlato sve što sija.
  • English equivalent: All that glitters is not gold.
  • Meaning: "An attractive appearance may be deceptive. It may cover or hide a much less favourable content."
  • Kovačević (1991). Srpsko-engleski rečnik idioma, izraza i izreka. Filip Višnjić. p. 135. 
  • Source for meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 114. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

П

• Cyrillic: Пас који лаје не уједа. - Latin: Pas koji laje ne ujeda.
  • English equivalent: Barking dogs seldom bite.
  • Meaning: "People who make the most or the loudest threats are the least likely to take action."
  • Source for meaning: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. Retrieved on 20 June 2013. ** Benson (1993). Englesko-srpskohrvatski rečnik. Prosveta. p. 57. 

• Cyrillic: Иcпeци пa peци. - Latin: Ispeci pa reci.
  • English equivalent: First think before you speak.
  • Rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika. U kńižarnici L. Hartmana.. 1891. p. 918. 

• Cyrillic: Прво скочи па реци хоп. - Latin: Prvo skoči pa reci hop.
  • English equivalent: Walk the walk, then talk the talk.
  • Meaning: First do your task, then talk about it.
  • Anić, Pranjković, Samardžija (1994). Rječnik hrvatskoga jezika. Novi liber. p. 947. 

P

• Cyrillic: Ругала се шерпа лонцу, широка му уста. - Latin: Rugala se šerpa loncu, široka mu usta.
  • Translation: A pan was mocking a pot because his mouth is big. (The pot calls the kettle black.)
  • Onysko, Alexander; Graf, Eva-Maria; Werner, Delanoy (2017). "3.2 Comparable mapping structure". The Polyphony of English Studies: A Festschrift for Allan James. p. 90. ISBN 978-3-8233-9140-1. 

T

• Cyrillic: Трипут мери, једном сеци. - Latin: Triput meri, jednom seci.
  • Translation: Three times measure, one time cut.
  • English equivalent: Measure thrice, cut once.
  • Meaning: "One should always act only after due consideration. A hasty action may involve an improper consideration of important aspects."
  • Beogradu (1956). Glasnik Etnografskog muzeja u Beogradu. Muzej. p. 132. 
  • Source for meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 420. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

У

• Cyrillic: Уздај се у се и у своје кљусе! - Latin: Uzdaj se u se i u svoje kljuse!
  • Translation: Trust yourself and your horse!
  • English equivalent: Distrust is the mother of safety.
  • akademija, nauka, umetnosti (1952). Srpski etnografski zbornik. Akademija. p. 350. 

W

• Cyrillic: Што можеш данас, не остављај за сутра. - Latin: Što možeš danas, ne ostavljaj za sutra.
  • Translation: What you can do today do not leave off for tomorrow.
  • English equivalent: Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
  • Kovačević (1991). Srpsko-engleski rečnik idioma, izraza i izreka. Filip Višnjić. p. 47. 

D

• Dela govore, a ne reči.
  • Translation: Actions speak, not words.
  • English equivalent: No need of words, trust deeds.
  • Meaning: "Actions may be, and indeed sometimes are deceptive in a measure though not as much so as words; and accordingly are received in general as more full and satisfactory proofs of the real disposition and character of persons than verbal expressions."
  • Source for meaning:Porter, William Henry (1845). Proverbs: Arranged in Alphabetical Order .... Munroe and Company. p. 10. 
  • Strauss, Emanuel (1994). Dictionary of European proverbs (Volume 2 ed.). Routledge. p. IOI. ISBN 0415096243. 

N

• Nova metla dobro mete.
  • English equivalent: New brooms sweep clean.
  • “The greatest task before civilization at present is to make machines what they ought to be, the slaves, instead of the masters of men."
  • Havelock Ellis, Morals, manners, and men (1948)
  • Strauss, Emanuel (1994). Dictionary of European proverbs (Volume 2 ed.). Routledge. p. 1103. ISBN 0415096243. 

• Ne videti šumu od drveta.
  • Translation: To miss the forest because of the trees.
  • English equivalent: Not seeing the forest for the trees.
  • Meaning: To pay too much attention to details and not understand the general situation.
  • Strauss, Emanuel (1998). Concise Dictionary of European Proverbs (Abbreviated ed.). Routledge. p. 160. ISBN 0415160502. 

• Sve se vraća, sve se plaća
  • Translation: All returns – everything comes back.
  • English equivalent: What goes around comes around.
  • Juzbašić, Anita (2008). Baloni naših želja: roman. Ceres. p. 29. 

External links

• Cecil Palmer & Hayward (1913). National Proverbs: Serbia. Ferrestone Press.  (Public Domain)