The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest.

Don’t swap horses in crossing a stream.

The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell.

A lot of truth is said in jest.

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

By gnawing through a dike, even a rat may drown a nation.

I am a humble but very earnest seeker after truth.

What we live by we die by.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

As a man sow, shall he reap. and I know that talk is cheap. But the heat of the battle is as sweet as the victory.

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.

A fool and his money are soon elected.

Hell isn’t merely paved with good intentions; it’s walled and roofed with them. Yes, and furnished too.

Opportunity makes a thief.

Truth is a good dog; but always beware of barking too close to the heels of an error, lest you get your brains kicked out.

He that waits upon fortune, is never sure of a dinner.

Good fame is like fire; when you have kindled you may easily preserve it; but if you extinguish it, you will not easily kindle it again.

Education forms the common mind. Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined.

Though men determine, the gods doo dispose: and oft times many things fall out betweene the cup and the lip.

There is only a finger’s difference between a wise man and a fool.

Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.

He who laughs best today, will also laughs last.

A youth, when at home, should be filial and, abroad, respectful to his elders. He should be earnest and truthful. He should overflow in love to all and cultivate the friendship of the good. When he has time and opportunity, after the performance of these things, he should employ them in polite studies.

I knew credibility would come only in time and through earnest performances.

Familiarity breeds contempt – and children.

He that rises late must trot all day.

Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.

Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance.

Don’t throw stones at your neighbors if your own windows are glass.

Occasionally, some brother sings very earnestly through his nose, often disturbing those around him, but it does not matter how the voice sounds to the ears of man. What is important is how the heart sounds to the ears of God.

In a rich man’s house there is no place to spit but his face.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

An ass may bray a good while before he shakes the stars down.

A squirrel dying in front of your house may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa.

The worst wheel of the cart makes the most noise.

If a man can… make a better mousetrap, the world will make a beaten path to his door.

Deeply earnest and thoughtful people stand on shaky footing with the public.

The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.

He that won’t be counseled can’t be helped.

An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.

That is never too often repeated, which is never sufficiently learned.

Heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters.

If misery loves company, misery has company enough.

He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.

He that sows thorns should never go barefoot.

An egg today is better than a hen to-morrow.

Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait.