Russian proverbs
From Wikiquote
Русские пословицы и поговорки
Russian proverbs gained popularity in the West thanks to Ronald
Reagan, who supposedly was a fan of Russian folklore. Russians
have possibly thousands of proverbs. Below is a very short list of
Russian proverbs with translation.
- Баба с возу — кобыле легче
- Transliteration: Baba s vozu — kobyle legche
- Translation: It is easier for the horse when a woman is off
the cart.
- English version: "One less problem"
- Без кота мышам раздолье.
- Transliteration: Bez kota mysham razdolye
- Translation: Without a cat mice have no limits.
- English version: "When the cat is away, the mice will play"
- Бережёного бог бережёт.
- Transliteration: Berezhyonogo bog berezhyot
- Translation: God keeps safe those who are kept safe.
- English version: "The Lord helps those who help themselves"
- Бешеной собаке семь верст не крюк.
- Transliteration: Beshenoy sobakye syem' vyerst nye kryuk
- Translation: For a mad dog seven miles is not a detour.
- Moral: If you are passionate (or unreasonably driven) about
something you will do all the extra work without noticing it
- Богу молись, а добра-ума держись
- Transliteration: Bogu molis', a dobra-uma derzhis'
- Translation: Pray to God, but be level-headed.
- English version: "Trust in God, but steer away from the rocks"
- Большому кораблю — большое плавание.
- Transliteration: Bol'shomu korablyu — bol'shoye plavaniye
- Translation: Big voyage for a big ship
- English version: "A great ship asks deep waters"
- Бодливой корове бог рог не даёт
- Transliteration: Bodlivoy korove bog rog ne dayot
- Literally: God does not give horns to a cow that likes to gore
- Moral: Overzealous people often don't have means to do what
they would like to
- Была не была.
- Transliteration: Byla ne byla
- Translation:
- English version: "Sink or swim"
- В гостях хорошо, а дома лучше.
- Transliteration: V gostyakh khorosho, a doma luchshe.
- Translation: Visiting is good, but home is better.
- English version: "There is no place like home."; East or
West, home is best"
- В семье не без урода.
- Transliteration: V sem'ye ne bez uroda.
- Translation: No family is without an ugly member.
- English version: "Many a good father has but a bad son"
- В тихом омуте черти водятся.
- Transliteration: V tikhom omute cherti vodyatsa.
- Translation: Devils breed in still waters.
- English version: "Still waters run deep" (The devil lurks
behind the cross)
- В Тулу со своим самоваром (не ездят).
- Transliteration: V Tulu so svoim samovarom (ne yezdyat).
- Translation: "(Don't go) to Tula with your own samovar" (Tula
is famous as city were the best Russian samovars are made)
- English version: "Don’t carry coals to Newcastle"
- В чужой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят.
- Transliteration: V chuzhoy monastyr' so svoim ustavom ne
khodyat.
- Translation: Do not go to another monastery with your own
charter.
- English version: "When in Rome, do as the Romans"
- Век живи — век учись.
- Transliteration: Vek zhivi — vek uchis'.
- Translation: "Live for a century — learn for a century."
- English version: "Live and learn"
- Вкруте и вяз переломишь
- Transliteration: Vkrute i vyaz perelomish
- Translation: "Together it is possible to break even an elm"
- English version: "There is strength in numbers."
- Волков бояться — в лес не ходить.
- Transliteration: Volkov boyat'sa — v les ne khodit'.
- Translation: If afraid of wolves, can't go to the forest.
- English version: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
- Вот в чём загвоздка
- Transliteration: Vot v chyom zagvozdka
- Translation: "That's the snag!"
- English version: "That’s where the shoe pinches. That’s the
crux (the rub)"
- Вот где собака зарыта.
- Transliteration: "Vot gde sobaka zaryta"
- Translation: "That's where the dog is buried"
- English version: "That’s where the shoe pinches. That’s the
crux (the rub)"
- Всё хорошо, что хорошо кончается.
- Transliteration: Vsyo khorosho, chto khorosho konchayetsa.
- Translation: "All is well that ends well"
- English version: "All is well that ends well"
- Всяк кулик своё болото хвалит.
- Transliteration: "Vsyak kulik svoyo boloto khvalit"
- Translation: "Every sandpiper praises his own swamps"
- English version: "Every cook praises his own broth"
- Всякому овощу своё время.
- Transliteration: Vsyakomu ovoshchu svoyo vremya.
- Translation: "Every vegetable has its time"
- English version: "Everything is good in its season"