The wisest (and funniest) Yiddish proverbs
The top 3 according to 30 votes from people: Az men lebt, derlebt men. · Beser hern kloles eyder hern nebekh. · Amol iz di refue erger far der make.. (Updated Feb 21, 2022.)
"Man plans and God laughs", "Better to be cursed than pitied" and the warning about the goat, the horse and the fool: classic Yiddish proverbs in transliteration, with what they mean, from Wikiquote's collection.
Top 17
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1
Az men lebt, derlebt men.
If you live long enough, you live to see everything.
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2
Beser hern kloles eyder hern nebekh.
Better to be cursed than pitied.
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3
Amol iz di refue erger far der make.
Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
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4
Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht.
Man plans and God laughs.
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5
Af eyn shlog falt keyn boym nit um.
A tree doesn't fall with one blow.
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6
Az der shteyn ligt af eyn ort, vert er oykh bavaksn mit groz.
A stone that stays in one place gets overgrown with grass.
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7
A kluger farshteyt fun eyn vort tsvey.
A wise man hears one word and understands two.
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8
Far a tsap hot men moyre fun fornt, far a ferd fun hintn, far a nar fun ale zaytn.
Beware of a goat from the front, a horse from behind and a fool from every side.
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9
Fun a khazer-shventsl ken men keyn shtrayml nit makhn.
You can't make a shtreimel out of a pig's tail.
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10
Dos epele falt nit vayt fun beymele.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
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11
Geshvign heyst oykh geredt.
Silence is also a kind of speech.
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12
Akhre moys kdoyshim.
After death, everyone is a saint.
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13
Zibn iz a lign, akht iz nit keyn emes.
Seven is a lie, eight is not the truth.
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14
Af fayer zol men keyn boyml nit gisn.
Don't pour oil on the fire.
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15
Shtil vaser grobt tif.
Still water digs deep.
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16
Di tsayt iz tayerer fun gelt.
Time is more precious than money.
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17
A barg mit a barg kumt zikh nit tsunoyf, ober a mentsh mit a mentshn yo.
Two mountains never meet, but two people can.
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Comments (1)
My bubbe said "Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht" every single time someone announced a plan at Passover. Every. Single. Time.