Irish Proverbs

Picture: Shamrocks have since ancient times been considered by the Irish to bring luck. Do you believe in luck?

All over the world the Irish are renowned for their music, poetry, tales, myths and above all, for their sense of humour. They tend to blame it all on their Celtic descent.

Study these proverbs; they will reveal a lot about the Irish character and their ability to laugh at themselves. However, they might also reflect human nature in general.

”Burning the candle
At both ends
Will soon leave you
Without a light”

“The world is a stage
but the play is badly cast.”

“If you dig a grave for others
you might fall into it yourself.”

“A man that can’t laugh at himself
should be given a mirror.”

“You will never plough a field
by turning it over in your mind.”

“A nation’s greatest enemy
is the small minds
of its small people.”

“There is no bone in the tongue
but it often broke a man’s head.”

“On the Irish ladder of success,
there’s always someone on the
rung above using your head to
steady themselves.”