Turkish Proverbs

The following needs no explanation:

Okuz altinda buzagi aranmaz. - (Do not search for a calf under a bull.) When someone shows unnecessary amount of suspicion for an action.

Havlayan kopek isirmaz. - (The dog that barks does not bite.) When a person talks too much, it usually does not lead to action.

Vakitsiz oten horozun basini keserler. - (The cock that crows too early gets his head cut off.) There is proper time for every thing.

Yenilen pehlivan gurese doymaz. - (A defeated wrestler never tires of wrestling again.) . A defeated person always asks for second chances.

Ofke ile kalkan zararla oturur. - (He who starts up in anger, sits down with a loss.) Used when one is trying to calm an angry person.

Keskin sirke kupune zarar verir. - (Sharp vinegar only damages its container.) Used to calm down or moderate a person.

Goz gormeyince gonul katlanir. - (Heart endures when eye does not see.) One can endure being far way from loved ones by not seeing them.

Gozden irak, gonulden de irak olur. - (If one is far away, one also gets far away from the heart.) Expresses the feeling that by being far away, one risks losing the love and affection of a person.

Ne ekersen, onu bicersin. - (You harvest what you sow.) Used to remind a person that one's own past actions are responsible for the present situation.

Ruzgar eken firtina bicer. - (One who sows wind will reap hurricane.) Used to caution people to moderate their actions.

Sormak ayip degil, bilmemek ayip. - (It is not disgraceful to ask, it is disgraceful no to know.) Used to encourage people to be inquisitive.

Bekarlik sultanliktir. - (A bachelor feels like a sultan.) Used by bachelors when asked to explain why they are still single.

Sinek kucuktur, ama mide bulandirir. - (The fly is small, but it can upset your stomach.) Used when an event that seems insignificant to others, still bothers a person.

Incir cekirdegini doldurmaz. - (It won't fill a fig seed.) Used to express the insignificance of someone's point in an argument.

Ceviz kabugunda firtina. - (Storm in a walnut shell.) Similar to tempest in a tea cup.

Askin gozu karadir. - (Love is daring.) Can mean that a lover can do anything without calculating the consequences or that love has a blind eye.

Kuzguna yavrusu sahin gorunur. - (To the raven's eye, its chickens look like falcons.) Used to express the feeling that any baby looks beautiful to its mother.

Suruden ayrilan koyunu kurt kapar. - (The sheep separated from the flock gets eaten by the wolf.) Used to encourage a person to stay within the group as it plans a move.

Ates dustugu yeri yakar. - (An ember burns where it falls.) Used when expressing an appreciation of pain for the people who are close to the injured or hurt person.

Sakinilan goze cop batar. - (An over-protected eye gets the speck.) Being overly careful or overprotective invites misfortunes.

Insan yedisinde ne ise yetmisinde de odur. - (What a man is at seven is also what he is at seventy.) Used when expressing dissatisfaction in unchanged human behavior or the fact that one never learns from one's mistakes.

Agac yas iken egilir. - (The tree branch should be bent when it is young.) Used to support the need to train a person early in life.

Bir elin nesi var, iki elin sesi var. - (It takes two hands to make a sound.) Similar to "it takes two to tango".

Saman altindan su yurutur. - (Lets water run unnoticed under straw.) Used to define a sly person or behavior.

Anasina bak, kizini al. - (Look at the mother before marrying the daughter.) Expresses the view that a young girl (or a bride) will eventually look and behave like her mother

Atin olumu arpadan olsun. - (Let the horse die from too much barley.) Used to express the feeling that the benefits over weigh the risks.

Deve bir pula, deve bin pula. - (A camel for a dime, a camel for a thousand dimes.) Used to show the irony when a person could not afford something even when it is very cheap, but can later afford it when it is thousand times more expensive.

Cocugunu dovmeyen, dizini dover. - (One who does not slap his children, will slap his knees.) Parents that do not discipline their children early on, will beat themselves later on when they learn the bad things their grown children have done.

Bal tutan parmak yalar. - (One who handles honey, licks his fingers.) Somebody in charge of handling money or resources, get to keep or enjoy some benefits for himself.

Tasima suyla degirmen donmez. - (You can't run a water mill by carrying water.) It is futile to start a business if you don't have a sustainable source or you can't sustain a life style with borrowed money.

Damlaya damlaya gol olur. - (Drop by drop, it will make a pond.) Small savings will lead to substantial wealth. Used to encourage people to save.

Yalancinin mumu yatsiya kadar yanar. - (Liar's candle will last till evening.) Lies will work only for a limited time.

Pire icin yorgan yakmak. - (Burning a bedcover for a louse.) Used when an action taken does not match the unimportance of the situation.

Kel basa simsir tarak. - (A boxwood comb for a bald head.) Used to make a point when a person indulges beyond his financial means.

Isteyenin bir yuzu kara, vermeyenin iki yuzu. - (The one who asks has one side of his face dark; the one who refuses to give has both sides.) Used to put the shame or burden on the side that can give but refuses to do so.

Sutten agzi yanan, yogurdu ufleyerek yer. - (The one who burns his mouth for drinking milk too hot, eats even yogurt carefully.) Used to make the point that life's bad experiences teach people to be cautious.

Her yigitin bir yoqurt yeyisi vardir. -(Every man has his own style of eating yogurt.) Used to remind that others may have a different way of doing things and hence asking for tolerance.

Bedava sirke baldan tatlidir. -(Free vinegar is sweeter than honey.) Used to make a point when someone goes after something just because it is free or very cheap even though they would not normally even want it.

Bir kahvenin kirk yil hatiri vardir. -(A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship.) Used to remind that friendships should not be taken lightly and that one should have a long term commitment.

Bicak yarasi gecer, dil yarasi gecmez . -(A knife-wound heals, but a tongue wound festers.) Used to make a point that one should be careful before using hurtful language.

Akil bastadir, yasta degil. -(A man is as wise as his head, not his years.) Used to make a point that even an old person may not have all the wisdom.

Bir musibet, yuz tembihten iyidir. -(A tribulation is better than a hundred warnings.) Used to make a point that one learns better from their mistakes or misfortunes rather than the advice of others.

Guzellik gecer, akil kalir. -(Beauty passes, wisdom remains.) Used to make a point that wisdom matters more than physical beauty.

Dereyi gormeden pacalari sivama. -(Do not roll up your trousers before reaching the stream.) Used to make a point that one should not be overly eager and optimistic about an outcome.

It urur, kervan yurur. -(Dogs bark, but the caravan goes on.) Used to put down someone's efforts or words and meaning that it won't have any effect on the outcome. It is a rude but effective expression

Bos laf karin doyurmaz. -(Empty words will not fill an empty stomach.) Used to make a point that one is using empty promises without any real action.

Beterin beteri vardir. -(Every "bad" has its "worse.".) Used to make a point that things can always go even worse and one should make the best of current situation.

Her koyun kendi bacagindan asilir. -(Every sheep is hung by his own leg.) Used to make a point that every one is responsible from his own actions.

Kopegin duasi kabul olsa idi, gokden kemik yagardi. -(If a dog’s prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.) Used as response against somebody with a hurtful or evil wish. It is rude and used only in a verbal fight.

Kumasini verince, astarini ister. -(If you give him cloth, he’ll ask for the lining.) Used to make a point one is being greedy.

Deveye hendek atlatmaktan daha zor. -(It is more difficult than teaching a camel to jump (than to reason with fool).) Used to express frustration in discussion.

Gel demesi kolay, git demesi zordur. -(It is easy to say "Come," difficult to say "Go.".) Used to caution that it is easy to invite someone, but difficult to ask them to leave.

Tatli soz yilani deliginden cikarir. -(Kind words will get a snake out of its hole.) Used to express the effectiveness of kind words as opposed to confrontation.

Teker kirilinca yol gosteren cok olur. -(Many will point to the right way after the wheel is broken.) Used to make a point about second guessing after the outcome is known.

Ayagini yorganina gore uzat. -(Stretch your feet according to your blanket.) Used to make a point that one should spend according to his means.

Zenginin mali, fakirin cenesini yorar. -(The rich man’s wealth tires the poor man's jaw.) Used to make a point that poor talks too much about what the wealthy have.

Dost aci soyler. -(The real friend tells the bitter truth.) Used to soften the blow when a friend needs to give bitter advise.

El elden ustundur. -(One hand may be superior to another.) Used to remind that one should not assume no one else can do better.

Bekara kari bosamak kolay gelir. -(To a bachelor, divorcing a wife comes easy.) Used to point out that when one does not carry a responsibility, it is easy for them to give advice.

Dogmamis cocuga don bicilmez. -(One does not cut cloth for a yet unborn child.) Used to remind that one should not go far ahead of events or make too many assumptions.

Kotu komsu insani kap kacak sahibi yapar. -(Bad neighbour forces one to have his own pots and pans.) Used to remind that not depending on others, makes one self reliant.

Denize dusen yilana sarilir. -(The one that falls in to the sea grabs even a snake.) Used to point out that one may have to chose an unpleasant alternative in a dire situation.

Bu ne perhiz, bu ne lahana tursusu?. -(What is this diet, what is this pickled cabbage?) Used to point out inconsistencies in one's behaviour or words.

Meyve, agacinin dibine duser -(Fruit of a tree falls near its roots.) Used to point out that children usually turn out like their parents.

Meyve veren agac taslanir. -(The tree bearing fruit, gets stoned.) Used to point out that only a productive person trying to do new things gets to be criticized.

Kizim sana soylerim, gelinim sen anla. -(I tell it to my daughter, for my daughter-in-law to understand.) Used to point out that sometimes a message is intended for someone other than the actual recipient

Umit fakirin ekmegidir. -(Hope is the bread of the poor.) Used to point out that hope help sustain the poor or needy.

Zararin neresinden donulse kardir. -(Reversing losses at whatever point is a profit.) Used to point out that best action is to reverse course if one is going down the wrong path.

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