Top 101 Arabic Proverbs

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Reading the proverbs of other cultures can help give you insights into life that you may never have thought about before. With that in mind, check out the top Arabic proverbs.

#101 – 90. Arabic Proverbs

101. Give your friends your money and your blood, but don’t justify yourself. Your enemies won’t believe it and your friends won’t need it. This saying is about altruism, and how you should never explain why you’re doing good to anyone, because the explanation is not needed.

100. When the cat was absent, the mouse played.

99. The envious were created just to be infuriated. This means that there’s no end result to envy other than fury. If you’re feeling envious, you’re only leading yourself down a path to anger.

98. The messengers are not killed.

97. What comes with ease, goes with ease.

96. Ask the experienced rather than the learned.

95. Go with the lesser of two evils.

94. A tree begins with a seed.

93. Distance equals disaffection.

92. No crowd ever waited at the gates of patience.

91. The stingy have large porches and little morality.

90. There is always something to learn from experimentation.

#89 – 80. Arabic Proverbs

89. Think of the going out before you enter.

88. He who has drunk the sea does not choke on a creek.

87. Avoid the company of liars, but if you can’t, don’t believe them. This one is pretty straightforward, isn’t it?

86. Close the door that brings in the wind and relax. This means that sometimes, rather than taking a beating, you should just shut off the source of the noise, distraction, problem – that is, if you can – and take a break.

85. With care do you realize your opportunities.

84. You can’t clap with one hand.

83. Tougher than a stone.

82. Ask your purse what you should buy.

81. Get together like brothers, but work together like strangers.

80. You are striking cold iron. This means you’re trying to change something that you can’t.

#79 – 70. Arabic Proverbs

79. Lying is a disease, and truth is a cure.

78. Wishing does not make a poor man rich.

77. Lack of intelligence is the greatest poverty.

76. You reap what you sow.

75. Falseness lasts an hour, the truth lasts until the end of time.

74. Some people eat chicken, others fall off the cliff while chasing chickens.

73. Keeping a secret is a commitment.

72. A secret is like a dove: when it leaves my hand it takes wing.

71. Days are like countries. This means that a country might be great today, but not tomorrow. This applies to people as well.

70. Hide your white money for your black day.

#69 – 60. Arabic Proverbs

69. The calm that precedes the storm.

68. An envious person is the unhappiest.

67. Be patient and you’ll get what you want.

66. A tree begins with a seed.

65. Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.

64. Do not eat your bread on somebody else’s table. This means that you shouldn’t benefit off of someone else’s expense; as in, you shouldn’t dirty someone else’s table if you’re just going to be eating your bread.

63. He who sees the calamity of other people finds his own calamity light.

62. Send a wise man; don’t advise him.

61. Silence is the sign of approval.

60. Avoid things that will require an apology. This means if you want to do something that you know you’ll have to apologize for, you should probably just not do it!

#59 – 50. Arabic Proverbs

59. A house divided cannot stand.

58. In haste there is regret, but in patience and care there is peace and safety. This means you shouldn’t rush things, because if you rush something you’ll end up doing a poor job and regretting the results. If you take your time, you’re ensuring a good end result and can feel peace in knowing that.

57. Everyone is critical of the flaws of others, but blind to their own.

56. The fruit of silence is tranquility.

55. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

54. Like a person who searches for a needle in a pile of straw.

53. Similar birds nest together.

52. If you have an opinion, you better be determined.

51. Visit rarely, and you will be more loved.

50. Do not delay today’s work for tomorrow.

#49 – 40. Arabic Proverbs

49. Anger begins with madness, but ends in regret.

48. Like Wednesday in the middle of the week.

47. Unity is power.

46. He makes a dome out of a grain. This is the equivalent of making a mountain out of a mole hill.

45. Beware the levelheaded person if they’re angry. Levelheaded people are usually calm and collected, and don’t anger easily. This saying refers to the fact that if something set off a levelheaded person, you should be more worried!

44. It’s better to fix what you have than wait to get what you don’t have.

43. The straw that broke the camel’s back.

42. Time is made of gold.

41. If you’re unable to reward, then make sure to thank.

40. Actions speak louder than words.

#39 – 30. Arabic Proverbs

39. There’s always tomorrow.

38. Planning is half of living.

37. Opinion comes before the bravery of the braves.

36. Winds blow counter to what the ship wants. You don’t always get everything your way.

35. The smarter you are, the less you speak.

34. Arrogance diminishes wisdom.

33. A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.

32. Determination is the key to everything.

31. Arrogance is a weed that grows mostly on a dunghill.

30. Ignorance is the most terrible acquaintance.

#29 – 20. Arabic Proverbs

29. The best answer will come from the person who is not angry.

28. The key to everything is determination.

27. Lower your voice and strengthen your argument.

26. Make distance between you and every dirtiness.

25. Tomorrow is close if you have patience, or, Tomorrow is another day.

24. You can not make cakes without fire.

23. A flowing brook instead of a dry river.

22. It’s better to avoid mistakes altogether than do something that you should apologize for after.

21. A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to our steps as we walk the tightrope of life.

20. Believe what you see and lay aside what you hear.

#19 – 10. Arabic Proverbs

19. He was born and in his mouth is a gold spoon.

18. Laughing without a reason is rude.

17. Like a fish in water. Another way to say that someone is a natural.

16. Good health is a crown worn by the healthy than only the ill can see.

15. The objective justifies the means.

14. The rope of lies is short. There is only so much leeway you have when you lie. Once that very short rope runs out, you’ll have to face the consequences.

13. The wisest is the one who can forgive.

12. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

11. The carpenter’s door is loose. This might refer to the idea that people who make a profession or a habit of one thing might not have the time to even use that skill in their own life. They take care of everyone except for themselves.

10. The house of a tyrant is a ruin.

#9 – 1. Arabic Proverbs

9. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

8. If you are charitable, you are rich.

7. If the wind blows, ride it.

6. Be wary around your enemy once, and your friend a thousand times. A double crossing friend knows more about what harms you.

5. I hit two sparrows with a single stone

4. Every sun has to set.

3. More skillful than a silk worm.

2. Forgetting is the plague of knowledge.

1.The stupid might want to help you, but they just ended up hurting you.

Ideas for the top 101 Arabic proverbs come from the following sources.^[1]Udemy – 88 Arabic Proverb Original Arabic and English Translations^[2]joaoleitao – Arabic Proverb^[3]Madeenah – Common Arabic and English Proverbs