More Swedish Proverbs
A second helping of the sayings Swedes drop into conversation.
Forty-six more proverbs, grouped by their wisdom: the observation set (den som lever får se, ingen vet var haren har sin gång), the risk set, the resilience set (bättre böja sig än brytas, tiden läker alla sår), the honesty set (prat är billigt, handling säger mer än ord), the sharing arithmetic (delad sorg är halv sorg, delad glädje är dubbel) — closing with the caretaker's proverb: sista mannen släcker ljuset. Så går det till.
- 1
Den som lever får se.
He who lives will see.
Tip: Said when the outcome is genuinely unknown.
- 2
Ingen vet var haren har sin gång.
You never know where the hare runs.
Tip: Life is unpredictable.
- 3
Tomma tunnor skramlar mest.
Empty barrels rattle the most.
Tip: About people who talk loudest and know least.
- 4
Av skadan blir man vis.
You learn from your mistakes.
Tip: lit. 'from the damage one becomes wise'.
- 5
All början är svår.
Every beginning is difficult.
Tip: Encouragement to a learner.
- 6
Nya kvastar sopar bäst.
New brooms sweep best.
Tip: About a new boss changing everything.
- 7
Man ska inte skåda given häst i munnen.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Tip: Accept a gift graciously.
- 8
Bättre en gång för mycket än en gång för lite.
Better once too often than once too little.
Tip: About checking things twice.
- 9
Bättre fråga två gånger än gå fel en gång.
Better to ask twice than go wrong once.
Tip: Encouraging questions.
- 10
Ingenting är så illa att det inte är bra för något.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Tip: lit. 'nothing is so bad that it isn't good for something'.
- 11
Ingen ros utan törnen.
There's no rose without thorns.
Tip: Nothing good comes entirely free.
- 12
Den som inget vågar, han inget vinner.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Tip: Encouragement to take a chance.
- 13
Den som sig i leken ger får leken tåla.
If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
Tip: lit. 'he who joins the game must endure the game'.
- 14
Stilla vatten gör ingen skicklig sjöman.
A calm sea never made a skilled sailor.
Tip: On learning through difficulty.
- 15
Övermod går före fall.
Pride comes before a fall.
Tip: A warning to the overconfident.
- 16
Tiden läker alla sår.
Time heals all wounds.
Tip: Comfort after a loss.
- 17
Bättre att böja sig än att brytas.
Better to bend than to break.
Tip: About compromise.
- 18
Långsamt men säkert.
Slowly but surely.
Tip: About steady progress.
- 19
Ingenting är omöjligt för den som vill.
Nothing is impossible for the willing.
Tip: On determination.
- 20
Gräset är alltid grönare på andra sidan.
The grass is always greener.
Tip: About envy of other people's lives.
- 21
Ju mer man har, desto mer vill man ha.
The more you have, the more you want.
Tip: About consumption.
- 22
Man ska inte lägga alla ägg i samma korg.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Tip: About spreading risk.
- 23
Alla vägar bär till Rom.
All roads lead to Rome.
Tip: There's more than one way to do it.
- 24
Barn och dårar talar sanning.
Children and fools tell the truth.
Tip: When a child says the awkward thing.
- 25
Bättre ensam än i dåligt sällskap.
Better alone than in bad company.
Tip: On choosing your friends.
- 26
Ingen är profet i sin egen stad.
No one is a prophet in their own land.
Tip: About being underappreciated at home.
- 27
Vad du inte vill att andra ska göra mot dig, ska du inte göra mot dem.
Do as you would be done by.
Tip: The golden rule, Swedish version.
- 28
Kärt barn har många namn.
A dear child has many names.
Tip: Said when something has several nicknames.
- 29
Den enes död, den andres bröd.
One man's loss is another man's gain.
Tip: lit. 'one's death, another's bread'.
- 30
Man kan inte både äta kakan och ha den kvar.
You can't have your cake and eat it.
Tip: About wanting two incompatible things.
- 31
Bättre lite än inget alls.
Better a small fish than an empty dish.
Tip: lit. 'better a little than nothing at all'.
- 32
Morgonstund har guld i mund.
The morning hour has gold in its mouth.
Tip: On rising early — the older spelling is still used.
- 33
Gammal hund lär sig inga nya konster.
You can't teach an old dog to sit.
Tip: On resistance to change.
- 34
Väntan på det goda är aldrig förgäves.
He who waits for something good never waits too long.
Tip: Encouraging patience.
- 35
Ett löfte är ett löfte.
A promise is a promise.
Tip: Said to children, and to adults.
- 36
Ärlighet varar längst.
Honesty lasts longest.
Tip: Very commonly quoted.
- 37
Prat är billigt.
Talk is cheap.
Tip: On unfulfilled promises.
- 38
Handling säger mer än ord.
Actions speak louder than words.
Tip: The follow-up.
- 39
På avstånd ser allt enklare ut.
You can't judge from a distance.
Tip: lit. 'from a distance everything looks simpler'.
- 40
Delad sorg är halv sorg.
Sorrow shared is sorrow halved.
Tip: Encouraging someone to talk.
- 41
Delad glädje är dubbel glädje.
Joy shared is joy doubled.
Tip: The other half of the saying.
- 42
Husbondens öga göder hästen.
The eye of the master feeds the horse.
Tip: On paying attention to your own affairs.
- 43
Små barn, små bekymmer.
Small children, small worries.
Tip: The first half of a wry saying.
- 44
Stora barn, stora bekymmer.
Big children, big worries.
Tip: The second half — the point of it.
- 45
Sista mannen släcker ljuset.
The last one out turns off the light.
Tip: Used about decline, and about leaving the office.
- 46
Så går det till.
That's the way it goes.
Tip: A resigned closing observation.