Proverbs for Work and Patience
The sayings Swedes quote when a job is going badly — and when it finally comes right.
Work-and-patience proverbs, grouped by lesson: the timing set (kommer tid kommer råd, var sak har sin tid, morgonen är visare än kvällen), the commitment set (har man sagt A får man säga B, friskt vågat är hälften vunnet), the craft set (mät sju gånger, djävulen sitter i detaljerna, brådska föder slarv), the humility set (ingen är fullärd, sopa rent framför egen dörr) — closing with the joke Sweden built into its own proverb stock: allting har ett slut. Utom korven, som har två.
- 1
Ingen är fullärd.
Nobody is ever fully trained.
Tip: Said kindly to someone still learning.
- 2
Ingen mästare har fallit från himlen.
Practice makes the master.
Tip: lit. 'no master has fallen from the sky'.
- 3
Sopa rent framför egen dörr.
Sweep your own doorstep first.
Tip: Fix your own faults before naming others'.
- 4
Man ska inte kasta sten i glashus.
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Tip: Said to a hypocritical critic.
- 5
Den som gräver en grop åt andra faller ofta själv däri.
He who digs a pit for others often falls into it himself.
Tip: About plots that backfire.
- 6
Som man sår får man skörda.
You reap what you sow.
Tip: On consequences.
- 7
Ont krut förgås inte så lätt.
Bad weeds grow tall.
Tip: lit. 'bad gunpowder doesn't perish easily' — about survivors.
- 8
Bättre stämma i bäcken än i ån.
Better to stop it at the stream than at the river.
Tip: Deal with a small problem before it grows.
- 9
Det som göms i snö kommer upp i tö.
What is hidden in snow comes out in the thaw.
Tip: The truth surfaces eventually.
- 10
Man ska inte ropa hej förrän man är över bäcken.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
Tip: lit. 'don't shout hello before you're over the stream'.
- 11
En svala gör ingen sommar.
One swallow doesn't make a summer.
Tip: Don't draw conclusions from one sign.
- 12
Kommer tid, kommer råd.
Time will bring advice.
Tip: Don't solve tomorrow's problem today.
- 13
Var sak har sin tid.
There's a time for everything.
Tip: Said to anyone rushing.
- 14
Sov på saken innan du bestämmer.
Sleep on it before deciding.
Tip: Very common advice.
- 15
Morgonen är visare än kvällen.
Morning is wiser than evening.
Tip: An old Nordic saying, still used.
- 16
Nu är goda råd dyra.
Now good advice is expensive.
Tip: Said when you're properly stuck.
- 17
Har man sagt A får man säga B.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
Tip: Finish what you started.
- 18
Friskt vågat är hälften vunnet.
Boldly ventured is half won.
Tip: Encouragement to just start.
- 19
Väl begynt är hälften vunnet.
Well begun is half done.
Tip: About the value of a good start.
- 20
Bra början är halva jobbet.
Well begun, well done.
Tip: On the value of preparation.
- 21
Den som söker han finner.
Seek and you shall find.
Tip: Said to the impatient searcher.
- 22
Många kockar förstör soppan.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Tip: About a job with too many opinions.
- 23
Många händer gör arbetet lätt.
Many hands make light work.
Tip: Encouraging people to pitch in.
- 24
Ensam är inte alltid stark.
Rome wasn't built by one man.
Tip: On needing help.
- 25
Slutet gott, allting gott.
All's well that ends well.
Tip: Said with relief when it finally works.
- 26
Skrattar bäst som skrattar sist.
He who laughs last laughs longest.
Tip: A warning to the smug.
- 27
Allting har ett slut.
Everything has an end.
Tip: Comfort during a long task.
- 28
Utom korven, som har två.
Except the sausage, which has two.
Tip: The Swedish joke ending to the proverb above.
- 29
Man ska inte döma hunden efter håren.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
Tip: lit. 'don't judge the dog by its fur'.
- 30
Blod är tjockare än vatten.
Blood is thicker than water.
Tip: About family loyalty.
- 31
Lika barn leka bäst.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Tip: lit. 'similar children play best'.
- 32
Bättre fly än illa fäkta.
Better to flee than to fight badly.
Tip: Knowing when to walk away.
- 33
Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder.
There's no bad weather, only bad clothing.
Tip: The most Swedish sentence ever written.
- 34
Det ordnar sig alltid.
It always works out.
Tip: The national reassurance.
- 35
Ingen regel utan undantag.
No rule without an exception.
Tip: Used to justify almost anything.
- 36
Gör man något ska man göra det ordentligt.
A job worth doing is worth doing well.
Tip: Deeply Swedish.
- 37
Brådska föder slarv.
Haste makes waste.
Tip: lit. 'haste breeds carelessness'.
- 38
Mät sju gånger, såga en gång.
Measure seven times, cut once.
Tip: The carpenter's version.
- 39
Djävulen sitter i detaljerna.
The devil is in the detail.
Tip: On the parts that go wrong.
- 40
Utan slit ingen vinst.
No pain, no gain.
Tip: On effort.
- 41
Sysslolöshet är roten till allt ont.
Idle hands make mischief.
Tip: lit. 'idleness is the root of all evil'.
- 42
Bättre en liten visshet än ett stort kanske.
Better a small certainty than a large maybe.
Tip: On risk.
- 43
Ta inte större sked än munnen tål.
Don't bite off more than you can chew.
Tip: lit. 'don't take a bigger spoon than the mouth can bear'.
- 44
Med tiden faller även den största eken.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Tip: On persistence.
- 45
Man kan inte göra alla till lags.
You can't please everyone.
Tip: On criticism.
- 46
Lagom är bäst.
Good enough is good enough.
Tip: The national philosophy, applied to any job.