Slovenian proverbs

Slovenian proverbs are short expressions of popular wisdom from Slovenia and other parts of the world where Slovenian is spoken.

D

• Dober pocitek je pol dela.
  • English equivalent: Well begun, is half done.
  • "Starting properly ensures the speedy completion of a process. A – beginning is often blocked by one or more obstacles (potential barriers) the removal of which may ensure the smooth course of the process."
  • Source for meaning and proverbs: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 228. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Dvema gospodarjema ne moreš služiti.
  • English equivalent: Nobody can serve two masters.
  • "One cannot serve two conflicting causes simultaneously. If this is attempted neither will be served properly."
  • Source for meaning and proverbs: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 283. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

J

• Kar mladi ne vedó, jim stari povedó.
  • English equivalent: As the old cock crows, so crows the young.
  • "Children generally follow the example of their parents, but imitate their faults more surely than their virtues."
  • Proverbs of All Nations. W. Kent & Company (late D. Bogue). 1859. p. 27. 
  • Source: Strauss, Emmanuel (1998). Dictionary of European Proverbs. Routledge. p. 138. ISBN 0415160502. 

K

• Kakršna mati, taka hči.
  • English equivalent: Like mother, like daughter.
  • "Daughters may look and behave like their mothers. This is due to inheritance and the example observed closely and daily."
  • Source for meaning and proverb: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 137. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Kakršen oče, tak sin.
  • English equivalent: Like father, like son.
  • "Sons may look and behave like their fathers. This is due to inheritance and the example observed closely and daily."
  • Source for meaning and proverbs: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 170. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Kamna, ki se obrača, se ne prime mah.
  • English equivalent: A rolling stone gathers no moss.
  • "There are a Set of People that before they are well fettled in one Habitation, dip into another so that they never arrive at a way of living."
  • Source for meaning of English equivalent: Divers Proverbs, Nathan Bailey, 1721 [1]
  • Source for proverbs and meaning:Paczolay, Gyula (1997). "14". European proverbs: in 55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese. Veszprémi Nyomda. p. 100. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Kdor drugemu jamo koplje, sam vanjo pade.
  • English equivalent: Who digs a trap for others ends up in it himself.
  • Pogačnik, Faganel (2000). Zbornik o Janezu Svetokriškem: prispevki s simpozija v Vipavskem Križu, 22.-24. aprila 1999. Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti. p. 344. ISBN 1 . 

• Kdor ne dela, je brez jela.
  • English equivalent: He that will not work, shall not eat.
  • "Without due effort one is not entitled to the fruits of the work."
  • Source for proverb and meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 256. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Kdor prej pride, prej melje.
  • English equivalent: First come, first served.
  • "Those who arrive or apply earliest are most likely to get what they want from a limited supply of things, such as tickets, discounted goods or refreshments."
  • Source for meaning of English equivalent: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. 
  • Ljubljanski zvon. Knjigarna Tiskovne Zadruge R.Z.Z.O.Z.. 1929. p. 30. 

• Kdor redko sejé, bo redko žel.
  • English equivalent: What you reap is what you sow.
  • Strauss (1998). Concise Dictionary of European Proverbs. Routledge. p. 394. ISBN 0415160502. 

• Krava pri gobcu molze.
  • Translation: The cow is milked at the muzzle.
  • English equivalent: It's by the head that the cow gives the milk.
  • "It is not enough to be hard working; so are the ants. What are you hard working about?"
  • Henry David Thoreau, letter to Harrison Blake (16 November 1857).
  • Strauss, Emanuel (1994). Dictionary of European proverbs (Volume 2 ed.). Routledge. p. 1039. ISBN 0415096243. 

L

• Lepa beseda lepo mesto najde.
  • English equivalent: Politeness costs little and yields much.
  • "The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile."
  • Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness (1930)
  • Chapman (1999). Pet jezikov ljubezni. Tuma. p. 48. 

• Laž ima kratke noge.
  • English equivalent: A lie has short legs.
  • Herbaj, Lapornik, Savkovič, Balmazovič, (Celje). (2002). Lažima kratke noge. Osnovna šola Hudinja. 

M

• Molk je znak priznanja.
  • English equivalent: Silence gives consent.
  • "He has no enemy, you say;
    My friend your boast is poor,
    He who hath mingled in the fray
    Of duty that the brave endure
    Must have made foes.
    If he has none Small is the work that he has done.
    He has hit no traitor on the hip;
    Has cast no cup from perjured lip;
    Has never turned the wrong to right;
    Has been a coward in the fight."
  • Anastasius Grün (Free Translation). (1915)
  • Paczolay, Gyula (1997). "94". European proverbs: in 55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese. Veszprémi Nyomda. p. 430. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

N

• Ni treba prilivati olja v ogenj.
  • English equivalent: Don't add fuel to the fire.
  • "We should not make a bad situation even worse by an improper remark."
  • Source for meaning and proverbs: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 338. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Ni dela, ni jela.
  • English equivalent: No work, no gain.
  • Pregovori, prilike in reki. izdal in založil Anton Trstenjak. 1887. p. 48. 

O

• Otroci, norci in pijanci govore resnico.
  • English equivalent: Children, fools and drunken men tell the truth.
  • "Children and fools have no inhibition, and alcohol consumed removes the inhibition against telling the truth that occasionally one would like to keep secret."
  • Source for proverbs and meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 272. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

P

• Prijatelja spoznaš v nesreĉi.
  • English equivalent: A friend is known in adversity, like gold is known in fire.
  • Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 159. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

V

• Več glav več ve.
  • English equivalent: Many eyes see more than one.
  • "More people know more than one does. The information of several people exceeds that of one, so listening to the advice of others may prove advantageous."
  • Paczolay, Gyula (1997). "8". European proverbs: in 55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese. Veszprémi Nyomda. p. 72. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 
  • Kovač, Hribar (2005). Večglav večve: informacijski kažipot. Knjižnica Jožeta Udoviča. 

• Velike ribe male žro.
  • English equivalent: Men are like fish; the great ones devour the small.
  • "Small organizations or insignificant people tend to be swallowed up or destroyed by those that are greater and more powerful."
  • Source for meaning: Martin H. Manser (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Infobase Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-8160-6673-5. Retrieved on 1 July 2013. 
  • Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 420. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Vsak je svoje sreče kovač.
  • English equivalent: Every man is the smith of his own fortune.
  • Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 388. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

• Vsa jabolka padejo blizu stebla.
  • English equivalent: The apple does not fall far from the tree.
  • "Children observe daily and — in their behaviour — often follow the example of their parents."
  • Source for proverbs and meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 259. ISBN 1-875943-44-7. 

Z

• Z enim udarcem ne podreš hrasta.
  • English equivalent: Little strokes fell great oaks.
  • "A difficult task, e. g. removing a person/group from a strong position, or changing established ideas cannot be done quickly. It can be achieved gradually, by small steps, a little at a time."
  • Source for proverbs and meaning: Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. DeProverbio.com. p. 252. ISBN 1-875943-44-7.