The 75 Most Famous German Proverbs and Their Meaning

The German people are, perhaps, one of the oldest in Europe, being the current descendants of the so-called Germanic tribes.

The German language is rich with wisdom passed down through generations in the form of proverbs. These sayings provide insight into German culture, values, and daily life. Below, we present 75 of the most famous German proverbs along with their meanings, ensuring you gain a deep understanding of their significance.

Like all great people, the Germanic tribes were able to pass on vitally important information transgenerationally through proverbs. Proverbs are a source of wisdom of great importance for a certain ancient society will manage to prosper over time.

The best German proverbs

Would you like to know the most interesting German proverbs?

Below you can find a small selection with the 75 most famous German proverbs many of them can be very useful in our daily lives.

1. Aller guten Dinge sind drei. All good things come in threes.

Good news always comes together, when we are on a roll it seems like everything turns out well for us.

2. Alter geht vor Schönheit. Age before beauty.

Over time we all grow older. Old age always catches up with us.

3. Auch ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn. Even a blind hen sometimes finds a grain of corn.

Everyone can get lucky at any given time.

4. Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn. Out of sight, out of mind.

Out of sight, out of mind.

5. Besser spät als nie. Better late than never.

It is better to achieve something in the long run than to never achieve it.

6. Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt. Hope dies in the end.

Hope is the last thing you lose.

7. Ehrlich währt am längsten. Honesty is the best policy.

We must be honest in life.

8. Ein Unglück kommt selten allein. Misfortunes never come alone.

Indeed, misfortunes seem to come all at once.

9. Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Summer. One swallow does not make a summer.

A small hint does not have to guarantee victory.

10. Einen alten Baum verpflanzt man nicht. You do not transplant an old tree.

When we are old we must seek peace of mind in our lives.

11. Einen schönen Menschen entstellt nichts. Nothing disfigures a beautiful person.

If we have adequate values, we will always be good people.

12. Einsicht ist der erste Weg zur Besserung. Insight is the first path to recovery.

Knowing how to prevent can help us make a bad future less.

13. Es gibt nichts Gutes, außer man tut es. There is nothing good unless you do it.

If we don’t get to work, we will never achieve our goal.

14. Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen. No master has fallen from the sky.

Great achievements don’t come from nowhere.

15. Geben ist seliger denn Nehmen. Giving is happier than receiving.

It is better to give than receive, the act of giving reveals us as good people.

16. Gelegenheit macht Die Be. Opportunity makes thieves.

If we give ourselves the opportunity to be scammed, sooner or later we will be robbed.

17. Getroffene Hunde bellen. Dogs that bite don’t bark.

Beware of those who remain silent, those who least seem silent can betray us.

18. Gut Ding will Weile haben. Good things take time.

To achieve something valuable, we must be patient.

19. Hunde die bellen beißen nicht. Dogs that bark don’t bite.

He who talks a lot may not really have the courage to do anything.

20. In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft. In rest there is strength.

Knowing how to rest will allow us to be much more effective at work.

21. Keine Antwort ist also eine Antwort. No answer is an answer.

Nothing we can say will clarify anything for us on this topic.

22. Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat. Time will tell.

As time goes by we will see how events happen.

23. Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn. Long story short.

Something that has been seen coming for a long time.

24. Liebe geht durch den Magen. Love is in the stomach.

Knowing how to cook can help us make the person we love fall in love.

25. Lügen haben kurze Beine. Lies don’t travel far.

As we would say in Spain: “lies have very short legs.”

26. Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben. You shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch.

We must not get ahead of events.

27. Mit Speck fängt man Mäuse. You can catch mice with bacon.

By setting a trap we will be able to surprise our prey.

28. Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund. The early bird catches the worm.

God helps those who get up early, getting up early is a good habit.

29. Not macht erfinderisch. Necessity is the mother of invention.

When we urgently need something, we sharpen our wits.

30. Ordnung ist das halbe Leben. Order is half the battle.

Preparation will allow us to achieve our goal.

31. Probieren geht über studieren. The proof of the pudding is in the food.

What we like will happen in due time.

32. Reisende soll man nicht aufhalten. Never stop travelers.

We should not get involved in other people’s affairs.

33. Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. The constant drip carries the stone.

Something insignificant but that happens many times, can make a big change in the long run.

34. Totgesagte leben länger. The dead live longer.

Only death has no solution, we must make the most of our life.

35. Übermut tut selten gut. Exuberance is rarely good.

Something that seems very good may actually not be.

36. Unkraut vergeht nicht. Weeds never die.

A proverb that is also used a lot in Spanish-speaking countries.

37. Vater werden ist nicht schwer, Vater sein dagegen sehr. It is not difficult to be a father, but it is very difficult to be a father.

Having a child is not complicated, but actually being a parent is.

38. Von nichts kommt nichts. You can’t make something out of nothing.

Having a good foundation will allow us to go further in life.

39. Vorsicht ist die Mutter der Porzellankiste. Caution is the mother of the china box.

To be successful we must be very careful with what we do.

40. Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmer mehr. What an old dog never learns, a new dog never learns.

If someone with a lot of experience has not been able to do something, it is very likely that no one can do it.

41. Was sich neckt, das liebt sich. What you mock, you love.

Many of us hide our feelings from other people.

42. Wer A sagt muss auch B sagen. You must learn to say A and B.

We must know how to appreciate the opinion of others.

43. Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert. He who does not honor the penny is not worth the pound.

If someone truly values ​​something, they will value even the smallest aspect of it.

44. Wer im Glashaus sitzt, sollte nicht mit Steinen werfen. A man in a greenhouse should not throw stones.

Being cautious is essential in life. We must not carry out acts that may pose a risk.

45. Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt. Nothing is risked, nothing is gained.

In order to achieve great goals, we must do our best. If we do not take risks we will not be able to achieve our goal.

46. ​​Wer schön sein will muss leiden. He who wants to be beautiful must suffer.

Being able to obtain a beautiful body requires a great effort on our part.

47. Wer zuletzt lacht, lacht am Besten. He who laughs last, laughs loudest.

We should not anticipate events, because life can always take an unexpected turn.

48. Wie der Vater, so der Sohn. Like father Like Son.

Our descendants will always be, in part, similar to us.

49. Wo ein Wille ist, ist auch ein Weg. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Death is the true end, after it nothing else exists.

50. Zeit heilt alle Wunden. Time heals all wounds.

After enough time we learn to live with our past mistakes.

51. Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne. Where there is wood to make, there are chips to make.

From a great job, smaller ones can also arise.

52. Wie man in den Wald hinein ruft, so schallt es heraus. As one cries in the forest, so it echoes.

What we show to others influences all of them. We must be cautious showing our thoughts and emotions.

53. Wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben. Whoever is late will be punished for life.

Lateness is something that Germans have always hated.

54. Wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst. First come, first served.

The one who reaches a certain objective first is the one who gets the best part.

55. Wer nicht will, der hat schon. If you don’t want to, you’ve already done it.

If we do not want to do something from the heart, we will not be able to achieve it.

56. Wer nicht kommt zur rechten Zeit, der muss seh’n was übrig bleibt. He who does not arrive in time, he must see what is left.

If you arrive late you will only get the remains. We must be punctual in our social life.

57. Wer einmal lügt dem glaubt man nicht und wenn er auch die Wahrheit spricht. A liar is not believed even when he tells the truth.

If people think we are untrustworthy, they will never believe in us. We should not use lies, because in the long run it will be counterproductive.

58. Wer Anderen eine Grube gräbt fällt selbst hinein. He who digs a grave falls into it himself.

If we do evil in our life, in the end it will be harmful to us too. We must always act positively towards others.

59. Wenn das Wörtchen „wenn“ nicht wär, wär mein Vater Millionär. If it weren’t for the word “yes”, my father would be a millionaire.

Knowing how to say no in life can save us a lot of trouble.

60. Was ich denk und tu, trau ich andern zu. What I think and believe others do.

Our personal opinion may not be the truth, we must know how to differentiate between the two.

61. Was Du heute kannst besorgen das verschiebe nicht auf Morgen. What you can do today cannot be postponed until tomorrow.

Let’s take advantage of the day, because tomorrow we may not be able to do it.

62. Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude. Anticipation is the greatest joy.

If we can anticipate something, we will be much more decisive. Being able to anticipate something will always be positive for us.

63. Voller Bauch studiert nicht gern. A full belly doesn’t like studying.

He who has all his needs covered does not need to work.

64. Unter Blinden ist der einäugige König. Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

He who is one step ahead of others will always be the one who benefits the most.

65. Übung macht den Meister. Practice makes perfect.

Through practice we will become better at our craft.

66. Trau, schau wem! Trau, look who’s here!

Speaking of the king of Rome, an expression that we Spanish speakers also tend to use frequently.

67. Stille Wasser sind tief. The calm waters are deep.

He who does not show his feelings can have a great internal world. We must be careful with those people who do not show their feelings.

68. Aus Schaden wird man klug. Does it get learnt from mistakes.

Our mistakes teach us the right path to take in life.

69. Reden ist Silber, Schweigen ist Gold. Talking is silver, silence is gold.

If we don’t have something interesting to say, it’s better not to speak out.

70. Pech in der Liebe, Glück im Spiel. Unlucky in love, lucky in cards.

He who has no luck with love may have luck with gambling.

71. Ohne Fleiß kein Preis. Without pain there is no gain.

To achieve great goals we must make the maximum effort.

72. Nach dem Essen sollst du ruhn oder tausend Schritte tun. After dinner, you should rest or take a thousand steps.

We must opt ​​for one side or the other, we must not stay halfway.

73. Morgen, Morgen nur nicht heute sagen alle faulen Leute. Tomorrow, not today, all the lazy people say.

He who leaves things undone is undoubtedly a lazy person. We must do everything we can today, let’s seize the moment!

74. Messer, Gabel, Schere, Licht sind für kleine Kinder nicht. Knife, fork, scissors, they are not for small children.

We must be careful with the little ones in the house, because they could get hurt.

75. Man muss die Feste feiern, wie sie fallen. You must celebrate the holiday while it falls.

We must do something while we can, perhaps tomorrow will be too late.