# The most common Portuguese proverbs

The proverbs you hear all over Portugal, with what each one means. Chosen from Wiktionary, Ciberdúvidas and collections of popular sayings.

- 36 votes · 14 items
- Jun 8, 2025 · frases_algarve
- https://even.best/en/l/1250/the-most-common-portuguese-proverbs

## Top 12

1. **Whoever tells a tale adds a stitch.** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — Stories grow every time they are retold.
2. **Grain by grain the hen fills her crop.** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — Little by little you achieve a lot.
3. **Slowly you go far.** (3 · ▲5 ▼2) — With calm and persistence you get far. English: slow and steady wins the race.
4. **A barking dog doesn't bite.** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Those who threaten a lot rarely act.
5. **In the blacksmith's house, a wooden skewer.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Things are often missing exactly where they should abound.
6. **Who waits always gets there.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Patience is rewarded in the end.
7. **Better late than never.** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Better to do it late than not at all.
8. **Early to bed and early to rise gives health and makes you grow.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Good sleep habits are good for you. English: early to bed, early to rise…
9. **Who sees faces doesn't see hearts.** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Appearances are deceiving.
10. **There's no hunger that doesn't end in plenty.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — After scarcity comes abundance (sometimes too much).
11. **Don't look a gift horse in the tooth.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Accept a gift without criticizing it.
12. **Who doesn't risk doesn't get a snack.** (-1 · ▲1 ▼2) — Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
13. **A fish's child knows how to swim.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Children inherit their parents' talents.
14. **He who laughs last laughs best.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Whoever wins in the end is right.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.