Spanish proverbs

Spanish proverbs are a subset of proverbs that are used in Western cultures in general; there are many that have essentially the same form and content as their counterparts in other Western languages. Proverbs that have their origin in Spanish have migrated to and from English, French, Flemish, German and other languages.

Many Spanish proverbs have a long history of cultural diffusion; there are proverbs, for example, that have their origin traced to Babylon and that have come down to us through Greece and Rome; equivalents of the Spanish proverb “En boca cerrada no entran moscas” belong to the cultural tradition of many north-African countries as far as Ethiopia; having gone through multiple languages and millennia, this proverb can be traced back to an ancient Babylonian proverb.

The written evidence of the use of Spanish proverbs goes far back in Spanish literature. El Cantar de Mio Cid , written at the end of the XI or the beginning of the XII century, is the first instance. Examples of other early works that use Spanish proverbs are the Libro de Buen Amor by Juan Ruiz (XIV century) and El Corbacho by Alfonso Martínez de Toledo (XV century). The first anthology of Spanish proverbs, Proverbios que dicen las viejas tras el fuego, was written by Íñigo López de Mendoza, Marques of Santillana (XV century). Also in the XV century was written the Seniloquium, an erudite and anonymous work containing a compendium of Spanish sayings and proverbs with commentaries. The language of the characters in Fernando de Rojas’ La Celestina (XV – XVI century) is enlivened with the use of proverbs. And then, of course, in the XVII Century there is the incomparable Don Quijote de la Mancha by Cervantes.

Sancho Panza, Cervantes’ wonderful, earthy, character, is the essential common man. His thinking habitually relies on the authority he vests in the wealth of popular cultural wisdom expressed in proverbs, which he continually quotes. In almost all his utterances there is reference to one and sometimes to more proverbs. Don Quijote is a veritable treasure trove of Spanish proverbs.

There are Spanish proverbs that contradict others; the “wisdom” that they encapsulate is not, of course, absolute. People will use those proverbs that best conform to their own particular way of approaching life. Taken together, however, they reveal the deep wellsprings of Spanish culture and of human nature in general.

Contents

Examples

Literal translation:
The good “keeping silent” is called Sancho
Meaning/use:
Recommends prudence and moderation in talk
Comments:
According to some authors, for instance José Mª Sbarbi, this proverb has its origin in an historical episode involving Sancho II of Castile. When his father Ferdinard I of Leon and Castile at his death in 1065 divided up his kingdom among his three sons, including himself, Sancho II remained silent. Soon after his father's death, however, he turned on his brothers and succeeded in dispossessing them, reuniting thus his father's possessions under his control in 1072. The author Correas, however, sustains that Sancho is used as a variation of the adjective santo (saintly) and should therefore be written in lower-case.
Literal translation:
A peddler praises his needles (wares)
Meanings/uses:
Each seller tries to convince potential buyers that his merchandise is the best.
In a broder sense, people tend to praise what is theirs, often overstating qualities.
Used ironically to critizice a person who boasts about his merits
Literal translation:
Each rooster sings on its dung-heap
Meanings/uses:
Each person rules in his own house or territory.
A person manifests his true nature when surrounded by family or close friends, when in his own ambience and in his place of origin
Literal translation:
Each Tuesday has its Sunday
Meaning/Use:
Exhorts to optimism, reminding that bad comes in alternation with good.
Comments:
In this Spanish proverb “good” is represented by Sunday, a festive day in Christian culture, whereas Tuesday, a week-day of less joyous character, stands for “bad”.
Literal translation:
One talks about the fair according to how one fares
Meaning/use:
Our way of talking about things reflects our relevant experience, good or bad.
Literal translation:
Love is blind
Meaning/use:
We are blind to the defects and failings of our beloved (person or thing).
Literal translation:
Love smooths life out
Meaning/use:
Love makes difficulties endurable.
Literal translation:
The best scribe makes a blot
Meaning/use:
Excuses a first-time fault, especially of a very able person.
Literal translation:
Time cures all
Meaning/use:
There are problems, ills and circumstances that are only healed with the passing of time, either by them being actually solved or by us learning to cope with them.
Literal meaning:
Greed bursts the sack
Meaning/use:
Greed and excessive ambition can stand in the way of obtaining benefit or success.
Comments:
This Spanish proverb evokes the image of a thief using a sack to carry the objects he steals. When the sack fills up he presses down its contents to make more fit in, making it break and losing his whole loot.
Literal translation:
The countenance is the mirror of the soul
Meaning/use:
Our face reflects our state of health, our character and our mood.
Origin:
Cicero (106-43 B.C.): 'Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi'
Literal translation:
Diligence is the mother of good fortune
Meaning/use:
One must be active and diligent in order to achieve one's goals.
Literal translation:
Faith moves mountains
Meaning/use:
Praises the power of the confidence that faith endows us with.
Literal translation:
The best word is the one unsaid
Meaning/use:
Sings the praises of prudence in talk.
Literal translation:
The worst hen is the one that clucks the most
Meaning/use:
It is not rare to see a person boasting and wishing to stand out even though his merits are few and his qualities inadequate.
Literal translation:
Blood boils without fire
Meaning/use:
Comments on the strength of blood bonds.
English equivalent:
The die is cast
Meaning/use:
Said in the face of a threatening situation the outcome of which we are unable to prevent.
Origin/Comments:
Julius Caesar is reputed to have said Alea iacta est after having crossed the Rubicon with his legions
Near literal translation and English equivalent:
Life is no a path of roses
Meaning/use:
It's normal to encounter all kinds of difficulties along the road of life.
Literal translation:
Bad jokes become reality
Meaning/use:
One should be careful when joking to avoid being hurting or offensive. Burlas and veras when used in relationship with one another, the first means “jokingly” and the second “really”.
Literal translation:
Misfortunes never come one at a time
Meaning/uses:
Said when several annoyances or setbacks occur at the same time or follow closely one another.
English equivalents:
When it rains, it pours
It never rains but it pours
Similar Spanish proverb:
Un mal llama a otro
Literal translation:
You can only be really certain of what is already in your belly
Meaning/use:
When confronted with a choice between something certain and something uncertain, this Spanish proverb is used to gravitate towards the first.
Literal translation:
Years don't pass in vain
Meaning/use:
Used to resign oneself to the ravages of time, particularly illness and old age.
English equivalent:
Years take their toll
English equivalent:
One can't see the forest for the trees
Meaning/use:
Attention to detail can make us lose perspective.
Literal translation:
Jealousy is a bad counselor
Meaning/use:
Jealousy does not lead to sensible behaviour.
Literal translation:
Times change
Meaning/use:
Exorts to adapt to changing circumstances and not indulge in lamentations and useless comparisons.
Literal translation:
Tomorrow will be another day
Meaning/use:
Recommends to let matters rest and leave for another day and a clearer head the search for a solution to a problem or situation.
Variation:
Mañana será otro día, y verá el tuerto los espárragos
Literal translation:
No one is satisfied with his fortune
Meaning/use:
Aludes to a person who is forever dissatisfied with his lot and has never enough.
Literal translation:
No hunchback sees his own hump
Meaning/use:
Reprehends a person who criticizes others for defects which are also his own, maybe even more acutely so.
Literal translation:
two roosters do not crow in a henhouse
Meaning/use:
Peace is disrupted when two want to impose their authority at the same time and place.
Literal translation:
No flour without bran
Meaning/use:
One can't have everything in life, there are always drawbacks.
Literal translation:
One can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
Meaning/use:
Aludes to the effort necessary to achieve a goal and the damage that may be done in the course of creating something new.
Literal translation:
Not every truth should be said
Meaning/use:
There are truths one should better keep to oneself.
Literal translation:
The whole hillside is not covered in spice
Meanings/uses:
In any endeavor, not everything is easy and pleasurable.
Indicates that things are not what one imagined them to be
Comments:
Orégano is an aromatic plant used as a spice. It symbolizes easiness, benefit and good, since it was once used as a remedy against many illnesses. The word “orégano” is of Greek origin and means “plant that gladdens the hill”.
Literal translation:
It never rains to everyone's taste
Meaning/use:
What some find agreeable and pleasurable others find bothersome and annoying.
Literal translation and English equivalent:
All roads lead to Rome
Meaning/use:
Goals can be achieved by different means.

References

Centro Virtual Cervantes

See also

Further reading