Thursday, May 27, 2010

Yiddish proverbs - faults and virtues


A little charm and you are not ordinary.
Charm is more than beauty.
No man suffers from another's sins - he has enough of his own.
Charity and pride have different aims, yet both feed the poor.
Charity covers a multitude of sins.
Charity excuseth not cheating.
One good deed has many claimants.
Spare us what we can learn to endure.
An imaginary ailment is worse than a disease.
A living dog is better than a dead lion.
If you lie on the ground, you can't fall.
It is far easier to spot faults in another than virtues in oneself.
The girl who can't dance says the band can't play.
It is the kindness and not the harshness in the headmaster’s voice that pushes tough boys to cry.
Understanding is something we're sure the other fellow hasn't got.
Laughter is heard farther than weeping.
What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul
Weeping makes the heart grow lighter.
One always thinks that others are happy.
Your neighbour’s apples are the sweetest.
Your pot broken seems better than my whole one.
All brides are beautiful; all the dead are pious.
If you're going to do something wrong, enjoy it!
A bad peace is better than a good war.
The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes.
The whole world is a big town.
Measure the corn of others with your own bushel.
Make no more haste than good speed.
Show her the rudder, but don't steer her boat.
A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams.
A man should live if only to satisfy his curiosity.
We have far greater compassion for another's misfortune than our pleasure in another's good fortune.
When fortune calls, offer her a chair.

Image ‘Sound of Heavens’ from Yossef Sofrim

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Discover The Tale of Genji, the 11th Century classic of Japan (click image)

Discover The Tale of Genji, the 11th Century classic of Japan (click image)
Kiyomizudera Temple has a large veranda looking out over Kyoto and beyond