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I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts of wisdom and knowledge. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky		Tuesday Dec 30, 2025
		Quotes: 53419 Authors: 9969

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The Proverbes of John Heywood is the earliest collection of English colloquial sayings. It was first printed in . The title of the edition of is, John Heywoodes Woorkes. A Dialogue conteyning the number of the effectuall proverbes in the English tounge, compact in a matter concernynge two maner of Maryages, etc. The selection here given is from the edition of (a reprint of ), edited by Julian Sharman. 1546

Quote Author: John Heywood

	John Heywood
	John Heywood (c. 1497 - c. 1580) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. He was born in or near London, but fled to Europe to avoid religious persecution for his Catholic faith and is believed to have died in Mechelen, Belgium. His son was the poet and translator Jasper Heywood, and his grandson was the poet and preacher John Donne. Read More

Other John Heywood Quotes

Follow pleasure, and then will pleasure flee, Flee pleasure, and pleasure will follow thee.

They do not love that do not show their love.

The world's a theatre, the earth a stage, Which God and nature do with actors fill.

The loss of wealth is loss of dirt, As sages in all times assert; The happy man's without a shirt.

A fig for a care, a fig for a woe!

Burnt child fire dredth.

Fieldes have eies and woods have eares.

It is a foul bird that filleth his own nest.

To keep the wolf from the door.

A cat may looke on a King.

A day after the faire.

A fooles bolt is soone shot. 1546

A hard beginning maketh a good ending.

A man may well bring a horse to the water, But he cannot make him drinke without he will.

A peny for your thought.

A short horse is soone currid.

A sleveless errand.

A woman hath nine lives like a cat.

All a green willow, willow, All a green willow is my garland.

All is fish that comth to net.

All is not Gospell that thou doest speake. 1546

All is well that endes well.

All thing is the woorse for the wearing.

An ill winde that bloweth no man to good.

And while I at length debate and beate the bush, There shall steppe in other men and catch the burdes.

Be the day never so long, Evermore at last they ring to evensong.

Beaten with his owne rod.

Beggars should be no choosers.

Better is halfe a lofe than no bread.

Better is to bow then breake.

Better one byrde in hand than ten in the wood.

Better to give then to take.

Beware of, Had I wist.

But in deede, A friend is never knowne till a man have neede.

By hooke or crooke.

Children and fooles cannot lye.

Children learne to creepe ere they can learne to goe.

Cut my cote after my cloth.

Enough is as good as a feast.

Every cocke is proud on his owne dunghill.

Every man for himselfe and God for us all.

Feare may force a man to cast beyond the moone.

For when I gave you an inch, you tooke an ell.

God never sends th' mouth but he sendeth meat.

Good to be merie and wise.

Happy man, happy dole.

Haste maketh waste.

Have yee him on the hip.

He must needes goe whom the devill doth drive.

He that will not when he may, When he would he shall have nay.

Hee must have a long spoone, shall eat with the devill.

Hold their noses to grinstone.

I know on which side my bread is buttred.

I perfectly feele even at my fingers end.

I pray thee let me and my fellow have A haire of the dog that bit us last night.

Ill weede growth fast.

It had need to bee A wylie mouse that should breed in the cats eare.

It hurteth not the toung to give faire words.

It is a deere collop That is cut out of th' owne flesh.

It is a foule byrd that fyleth his owne nest.

It is better to be An old man's derling than a yong man's werling.

It will not out of the flesh that is bred in the bone.

Leape out of the frying pan into the fyre.

Let the world slide, 2 let the world go; A fig for care, and a fig for woe! If I can't pay, why I can owe, And death makes equal the high and low.

Let the world wagge, and take mine ease in myne Inne.

Like will to like.

Look ere ye leape.

Love me litle, love me long. 1546

Love me, love my dog.

Mad as a march hare.

Many hands make light warke.

Many small make a great.

Men say, kinde will creepe where it may not goe.

Might have gone further and have fared worse.

More frayd then hurt.

Much water goeth by the mill That the miller knoweth not of.

New brome swepth cleene.

No man ought to looke a given horse in the mouth.

Nothing is impossible to a willing hart.

Nought venter nought have.

Now for good lucke, cast an old shooe after me.

Of a good beginning cometh a good end.

One good turne asketh another.

One swallow maketh not summer.

Out of Gods blessing into the warme Sunne.

Pryde will have a fall; For pryde goeth before and shame commeth after.

Reckeners without their host must recken twice.

Rome was not built in one day.

Set all at sixe and seven.

Set the cart before the horse.

She frieth in her owne grease.

She is nether fish nor flesh, nor good red herring.

She looketh as butter would not melt in her mouth.

Shee had seene far in a milstone.

Small pitchers have wyde eares.

So many heads so many wits.

Than catch and hold while I may, fast binde, fast finde.

The cat would eate fish, and would not wet her feete.

The fat is in the fire.

The greatest Clerkes be not the wisest men.

The grey mare is the better horse.

The loss of wealth is loss of dirt, As sages in all times assert; The happy man 's without a shirt.

The moe the merrier.

The moone is made of a greene cheese.

The neer to the church, the further from God.

The Proverbes of John Heywood is the earliest collection of English colloquial sayings. It was first printed in . The title of the edition of is, John Heywoodes Woorkes. A Dialogue conteyning the number of the effectuall proverbes in the English tounge, compact in a matter concernynge two maner of Maryages, etc. The selection here given is from the edition of (a reprint of ), edited by Julian Sharman. 1546

The rolling stone never gathereth mosse.

The still sowe eats up all the draffe.

The tide tarrieth no man.

The wise man sayth, store is no sore.

The wrong sow by th' eare.

There is no fire without some smoke.

This hitteth the naile on the hed.

This wonder (as wonders last) lasted nine daies.

Though chaunge be no robbry.

Though he love not to buy the pig in the poke.

Three may keepe counsayle, if two be away.

Time trieth troth in every doubt.

To hold with the hare and run with the hound.

To robbe Peter and pay Poule.

To tell tales out of schoole.

To th' end of a shot and beginning of a fray.

Two heads are better then one.

We both be at our wittes end.

Wedding is destiny, And hanging likewise.

Went in at the tone eare and out at the tother.

When all candles bee out, all cats be gray.

When the iron is hot, strike.

When the skie falth we shall have Larkes.

When the steede is stolne, shut the stable durre.

When the sunne shineth, make hay.

While betweene two stooles my taile goe to the ground.

While the grasse groweth the horse starveth.

Who is so deafe or so blinde as is hee That wilfully will neither heare nor see?

Who is worse shod than the shoemaker's wife?

Who waite for dead men shall goe long barefoote.

Would yee both eat your cake and have your cake?

Yee have many strings to your bowe.

You stand in your owne light.