Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἔχει καὶ ἡ ______ σπλῆνα.

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Ἔχει καὶ ἡ μυῖα σπλῆνα.

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______ παῖδες οἱ γέροντες.

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Δὶς παῖδες οἱ γέροντες.

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Ἀρχὴ σοφίας ______ θεοῦ.

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Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος θεοῦ.

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Ἀξία ἡ ______ τοῦ θρόνου.

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Ἀξία ἡ κύων τοῦ θρόνου.

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______ μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει.

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Ἔχει καὶ ἡ μυῖα σπλῆνα.

Even the fly has its spleen.

The idea is that even though it is little, the fly can have a big temper. The spleen was the home of angry emotions; compare English "splenetic," meaning irritable, peevish, spiteful, habitually angry. Compare also a similar saying about the tiny ant that you saw in a previous post: Ἔχει καὶ χολὴν ὁ μύρμηξ.

Δὶς παῖδες οἱ γέροντες.

Old men are twice children.

The idea is that as people become old, they become like children again, not understanding the things happening around them, no longer in control, etc. The saying appears in Aristophanes's The Clouds. You can see the Greek γέρων in English gerontology, and it is related to the noun γῆρας, "old age," which you have seen in other proverbs previously: Γῆρας διδάσκει πάντα and Τιθωνοῦ γῆρας.

Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος θεοῦ.

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.

The saying comes from the Biblical Book of Proverbs. The Greek word ἀρχὴ has a wide range of meaning: it can mean first in terms of time (as in English "archaic") and it can also refer to first in status, hence authority, command, etc. (as in English words like archangel and other arch- words).

Ἀξία ἡ κύων τοῦ θρόνου.

A dog worthy of a throne!

This is a mocking, ironical saying, as the Greeks did not hold dogs in high regard. A dog does not deserve any kind of throne, so this saying applies to a situation when someone has been elevated to a position of honor that they do not deserve. From the Greek root in ἄξιος we get the English word axiom.

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει. 

An elephant doesn't catch a mouse.

In other words: don't sweat the small stuff. If you are an elephant, the mouse is not worth your time and attention! This saying made its way into Erasmus's Adagia. A variation: Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐκ ἀλεγίζει, "An elephant doesn't trouble himself about a mouse."

Ἔχει καὶ ἡ ______ σπλῆνα.

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Ἔχει καὶ ἡ μυῖα σπλῆνα.

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______ παῖδες οἱ γέροντες.

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Δὶς παῖδες οἱ γέροντες.

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Ἀρχὴ σοφίας ______ θεοῦ.

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Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος θεοῦ.

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Ἀξία ἡ ______ τοῦ θρόνου.

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Ἀξία ἡ κύων τοῦ θρόνου.

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______ μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει.

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And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: July 23

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἐλέφας ______ οὐ δάκνει.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

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Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ ______.

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Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος.

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______ ἄγγος οὐ κλᾶται.

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Κακὸν ἄγγος οὐ κλᾶται.

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Ὄλος ὁ ______ ἐλλύχνιον.

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Ὄλος ὁ βίος ἐλλύχνιον.

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Ἐν ______ κυνομαχεῖν.

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Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

An elephant doesn't bite a mouse.

A proverb of incongruity! A mouse is too small to be worthy of the elephant's attention, much less provoke an attack. So, if you're an elephant and you happen to notice a mouse, just let it go; don't sweat the small stuff. You've seen a variation on this saying before in a previous blog post: Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει. 

Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος.

War (is) sweet to the inexperienced (person).

By implication, the person with experience of war knows that it is anything but sweet. The adjective ἄπειρος is an alpha-privative: ἄ-πειρος, and you can see the root πειρ- in English "empirical." From the root of γλυκύς, we get medical terms like hypoglycemia, "low blood sugar," in English.

Κακὸν ἄγγος οὐ κλᾶται.

A bad pitcher doesn't break.

The idea is that goodness is fragile, while something bad might turn out to be more durable: it is the bad pitcher that doesn't break, while the good one shatters. It's a very pessimistic proverb! Compare the English saying "Ill weeds grow apace."

῞Ολος ὁ βίος ἐλλύχνιον.

A whole life is a lamp wick.

In a world of candles and lamps, the action of the wick was something familiar: the wick draws up candle wax or lamp oil to the flame, much as we draw breath... so long as we are alive. But like the wick, our lives come to an end — and while an entire lifetime might seem long, this saying wants to remind us that it lasts no longer than a lamp wick. When the fuel runs out, we're done.

Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν.

To fight with dogs in a well.

This is definitely something you want to avoid! A dog-fight is bad enough, but it is even more violent and dangerous if it is happening in a confined space like a well. You can also read more about this Greek saying in Erasmus.

Ἐλέφας ______ οὐ δάκνει.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

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Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ ______.

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Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος.

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______ ἄγγος οὐ κλᾶται.

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Κακὸν ἄγγος οὐ κλᾶται.

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Ὄλος ὁ ______ ἐλλύχνιον.

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Ὄλος ὁ βίος ἐλλύχνιον.

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Ἐν ______ κυνομαχεῖν.

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Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν.

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And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: July 21

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

______ ψυχὴ πράγματος.

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Καιρὸς ψυχὴ πράγματος.

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Ὁ Καρπάθιος τὸν ______.

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Ὁ Καρπάθιος τὸν λαγών.

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Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας ______.

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Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας κίνει.

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Ὄνος ______ μιμούμενος.

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Ὄνος ἵππον μιμούμενος.

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______ Πεγάσῳ κρίνεις.

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Χελώην Πεγάσῳ κρίνεις.

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Καιρὸς ψυχὴ πράγματος.

The right moment is the soul of the matter.

In English, we might say "the heart" of the matter, rather than "the soul." For the wide range of meanings of Greek ψυχή, see the LSJ dictionary entry: soul, spirit, life, self, consciousness. The word gives us all the psych- words in English, like psychology, and Psyche is the lover of Eros / Cupid; see Wikipedia: Cupid and Psyche.

Ὁ Καρπάθιος τὸν λαγών.

The Carpathian (brought) the rabbit.

This is mentioned as a proverb in Aristotle's Rhetoric, and it was already known to Archilochus. The story goes that a Carpathian unwittingly imported a pair of rabbits onto the island (Κάρπαθος), and the rabbits multiplied, devastating the crops. Compare the rabbits in Australia.

Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας κίνει.

Do not disturb the graves of the dead.

This is a saying found in Theophrastus, and it can be applied metaphorically to anything that is "dead and buried" and is best left undisturbed. Don't go digging it up again! Note the accentuation on κίνει, which alerts you that it is the imperative, along with μὴ as a clue that you are not dealing with an indicative verb (κινεῖ would be the 3rd-person indicative).

Ὄνος ἵππον μιμούμενος.

A donkey imitating a horse.

This saying refers to someone unworthy who claims honors that do not belong to them. Aesop has his own take on this comparison: he tells a fable about a donkey who envied a noble horse... until he saw the horse badly wounded in war. The donkey then decided that being a donkey is maybe not so bad! Here's that fable: The Donkey who Envied the Horse.

Χελώην Πεγάσῳ κρίνεις.

You're comparing a tortoise to Pegasus.

Of course, the tortoise is slow and crawls on the ground, while Pegasus, the winged horse, is fast and flies through the air. Erasmus gives the form Χελώνην Πηγάσῳ συγκρίνεις (= συν-κρίνεις). For more about the famous flying horse, see Wikipedia: Pegasus. For another proverb about Pegasus, see this earlier post: Πηγάσου ταχύτερος.

______ ψυχὴ πράγματος.

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Καιρὸς ψυχὴ πράγματος.

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Ὁ Καρπάθιος τὸν ______.

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Ὁ Καρπάθιος τὸν λαγών.

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Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας ______.

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Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας κίνει.

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Ὄνος ______ μιμούμενος.

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Ὄνος ἵππον μιμούμενος.

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______ Πεγάσῳ κρίνεις.

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Χελώην Πεγάσῳ κρίνεις.

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And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: July 16

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):|

Δὶς καὶ ______ τὸ καλόν.

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Δὶς καὶ τρὶς τὸ καλόν.

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Πάντα γὰρ ______ καλά.

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Πάντα γὰρ καιρῷ καλά.

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Αὐτοὶ ______ ἐσθίετε.

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Αὐτοὶ χελώνας ἐσθίετε.

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Κοσκίνῳ ______ ἀντλεῖς.

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Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ ἀντλεῖς.

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______ ἀνὴρ μακρόβιος.

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Κακὸς ἀνὴρ μακρόβιος.

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Δὶς καὶ τρὶς τὸ καλόν.

Two times and three times (repeat what is) good.

The idea is that if something is good, once is not enough: repeat it again, and then again — two times and three. You can find this proverbial saying in Plato. Here's a rhyming version in English: That which seemeth well, 'tis well twice and also thrice to tell. The saying is often applied to things that are well said, but I like to think of having second and third helpings of food that is good to eat!

Πάντα γὰρ καιρῷ καλά.

All things (are) good at the right moment.

These words come from Sophocles's Oedipus the King, in a dialogue between Oedipus and Creon near the end of the play. Here and elsewhere I have not tried to translate the Greek particle γὰρ, although it shows up often in proverbs and sayings, providing a link between the saying and the context to which it is to be applied.

Αὐτοὶ χελώνας ἐσθίετε.

Eat the turtles yourselves!

A fuller form of the saying is Αὐτοὶ χελώνας ἐσθίεθ᾿ οἵπερ εἵλετε, "Eat the turtles yourselves, you who caught them." This is from a story about Hermes and some fishermen, as Erasmus explains: the fishermen had caught more turtles than they could eat, so when Hermes came by, they offered him some turtles to eat, but he realized their hospitality was not sincere, just convenient, so he told them to eat the turtles themselves. 

Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ ἀντλεῖς.

You're drawing water with a sieve.

This is a fool's errand: you can scoop all you want, but the sieve is not going to hold the water. Compare a similar saying you saw earlier: Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ φέρει, "He's carrying water in a sieve." The original meaning of the verb ἀντλέω is to bale bilgewater; the noun ἄντλος means bilgewater.

Κακὸς ἀνὴρ μακρόβιος.

The wicked man lives a long time.

Compare the English saying, "Only the good die young." (Or the less well-known English saying, "A creaking door hangs long on its hinges.") You can see the Greek root κακ- in the English word "cacophony," and English "macrobiotic" is from μακρό-βιος.

Δὶς καὶ ______ τὸ καλόν.

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Δὶς καὶ τρὶς τὸ καλόν.

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Πάντα γὰρ ______ καλά.

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Πάντα γὰρ καιρῷ καλά.

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Αὐτοὶ ______ ἐσθίετε.

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Αὐτοὶ χελώνας ἐσθίετε.

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Κοσκίνῳ ______ ἀντλεῖς.

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Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ ἀντλεῖς.

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______ ἀνὴρ μακρόβιος.

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Κακὸς ἀνὴρ μακρόβιος.

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And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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