This document compares and contrasts proverbs from different cultures and languages including German, Japanese, Greek, and ancient Greek. It provides examples of common proverbs and their meanings from each culture. For example, it provides the proverbs "Calm waters are deep" from German and "Time is money" from Japanese. It also analyzes some proverbs in more depth, explaining their origins and historical contexts. In general, it finds that ancient Greek proverbs tend to be more philosophical while modern Greek proverbs come from culture and religion.

1. Group C
Proverbs in My Country
Old sayings, Words of Wisdom etc.

2. Definition

3. German Proverbs
Stille Wasser sind tief.
English: Calm waters are deep. Meaning: Just because people are shy or quiet doesn't mean
they are not interesting or intelligent.
Origin: First official use by Friedrich Ludwig Schröder (German actor, manager and dramatist)
Lügen haben kurze Beine.
English: Lies have short legs. Meaning: You will not get far in life when you lie. Someone will
always catch you.
Origin: Translation of a verse in the Talmud.
Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben.
English: Do not praise the day before the evening. Meaning: Do not be to happy and high-spirited
about something before it is finished or before you can be completely sure about it.
Origin: Modification of a biblical verse (`Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day
may bring forth.’)
Most of the German proverbs and sayings have a religious
background or they are similar to biblical sayings. They remind people
for example not to lie, not to be unfair with or prejudge anyone and
to be calm and balanced instead of rushed.

4. Japanese Proverbs
・女心と秋の空
English: women`s mind is like the
weather of autumns.
Meanings: a women`s mind is
always mutable.
・河童の川流れ
English: the best swimmer
sometimes get drowned.
Meanings: even if professionals,
he sometimes takes a mistake.
河童（かっぱ）→
One of japanese monster related to
water. He is famous for good swimmer
and his favorites is cucumber.

5. Japanese proverbs
• 敵は本能寺にあり
English: ones enemy is in honnoji.
Meanings: ones trues purpose lies
elsewhere.
Origins: Mitsuhide Akechi is
subordinate of Nobunaga Oda who is
one of famous general in the age of
civil wars(戦国時代). In 1582
Mitsuhide was on his way to conquer
the other place as Nobunaga`s
subordinates, but he suddenly
change his ways to Honnoji where
Nobunaga stayed. And he betrayed
Nobunaga and killed him.

6. Keep learning new things , as long as you are living.

7. 今日事，今日畢
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today .

8. Everything you get, you should think of where it
comes from and appreciate that.

10. Greek Proverbs

11. Ancient Greek Proverbs

12. Ellhnika
• Όποιος λέει αλήθεια, έχει τό θεό βοήθεια
• Whoever tells the truth has God’s help

13. Arceia Ellhnika
• Εάν δέν πάθεις, δέ θά μάθεις
• If nothing happens to you, you will never learn

14. Ellhnika
• Τό ξύλο βγήκε από τόν Παράδεισο
• The wood fell from paradise?

15. Arceia Ellhnika
• Τό γοργόν και χάριν έχει
• The quicker you do something, the better

16. Ellhnika
• Κάνε τό καλό καί ρίχτο στό γιαλό
• Do good deeds and throw them onto the glass

17. Arceia Ellhnika
• Άσκεφτος ο νους, διπλός ο κόπος
• Next to the non-thinking mind is work

18. Greek vs Ancient
• Ancient Greek proverbs are more
philosophical
• Greek proverbs usually spawn from culture
and religion
• My preference is Ancient Greek proverbs
– They use very powerful words

19. Proverb
• Jaｐanese 時は金なり
• English Time is money.
• Japanese 急がば回れ
• English Haste makes waste./ If you hurry, take a long but steady
road.
• Japanese 井の中の蛙大海を知らず
• English The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean. /
He that stays in the valley shall never get over the hill.
• Japanese 漁夫の利
• English Two dogs fight for a bone and the third runs away with it.
• Japanese 類は友を呼ぶ
• English Like attracts like./Jackdaw always perches by
jackdaw./Like breeds like.