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

An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.

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

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

He that sows thorns should never go barefoot.

Opportunity makes a thief.

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

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.

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.

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

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

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

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 won’t be counseled can’t be helped.

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.

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

A fool and his money are soon elected.

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

What we live by we die by.

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

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

Heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters.

The worst wheel of the cart makes the most noise.

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

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

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.

If misery loves company, misery has company enough.

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

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

He that rises late must trot all day.

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

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

A lot of truth is said in jest.

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

The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.

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

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

Familiarity breeds contempt – and children.

I am a humble but very earnest seeker after truth.

He who laughs best today, will also laughs last.

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

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

Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait.

Don’t swap horses in crossing a stream.

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

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

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.