English proverbs (L)

English proverbs (L)

Proverbs are popularly defined as short expressions of popular wisdom. Efforts to improve on the popular definition have not led to a more precise definition. The wisdom is in the form of a general observation about the world or a bit of advice, sometimes more nearly an attitude toward a situation.

L

• Laugh and the world laughs with you .. Cry and you will find no one with tears.
• Laugh when you're happy, cry when you're sad, and do both when you're the happiest you've ever been.
• Laughter is the best medicine for them who do not know how to laugh.
• Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
• The law is a jealous mistress.
  • - Professor Ferdinand Fairfax Stone, Tulane Law School, early and mid 1960s.
• Law is the solemn expression of legislative will.
• Lead to Success, Follow to Failure
• Learn to walk before you run.
  • Possible interpretation: Do not rush into what you do not know.
  • Alt. interpretation: Learn the basics before you start using more complex tools or methods
• Least said sooner mended.
  • meaning: those who speak less get more done
  • Alt. Interpretation: dwelling on the problem/blame makes it worse and delays the ability to get on and fix things
• Leave it alone and it will grow on its own.
• Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
  • Jesus Christ
• Let sleeping dogs lie.
  • Agatha Christie's Sleeping Murder
• Let the cobbler stick to his last.
• Let us go hand in hand,not one before another.
• A lie can be halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on.
  • Charles Spurgeon. A great lie may be widely accepted before the truth comes to light.
• Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas.
  • meaning: When you get revenge, you will be punished in some way or other
• Life begins at forty.
• Life does not come with any guarantees
• Life imitates art
• Life imitates chess -Kasparov
• Life is a perception of your own reality.
• Life is just a bowl of cherries.
• Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're gonna get
• Life is too short to drink bad wine.
• Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
  • Attributed to John Lennon
• Life is what you do while you're waiting to die.
  • Quote from song sung by Zorba from the musical 'Zorba' by Kander and Ebb
• Life is what you make of it.
  • meaning: Nothing's going to change unless you do something about it
• Life's battle don't always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can.
• Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
• Like cures like.
  • Meaning: A person can better help another if they have something in common.
• Like father, like son.
• Like water off a duck's back.
  • interpretation: Do not let this impact you, but let it pass off you like water rolls off of a ducks back.
• Little bean comes around his little salary
• Little by little and bit by bit.
  • Meaning: Do things slowly and carefully
• Little enemies and little wounds must not be despised.
• A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
  • A little Learning is a dangerous Thing;
    Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring:
    There shallow Draughts intoxicate the Brain,
    And drinking largely sobers us again. ~ Alexander Pope
• A little pot is easily hot.
• Live and let live.
  • Alternative: Live simply to let others simply live.
• A loaded wagon makes no noise.
  • People with real wealth don't talk about it.
• Long absent, soon forgotten.
• The longest mile is the last mile home.
• Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
  • Possible interpretation: Take care of the details. (12 pence to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound.)
  • Alt. interpretation: Save every penny you can and it will build up into a significant amount of money.
• Look before you leap.
• Look on the sunny side of life.
• Loose lips sink ships.
  • World Wartime mantra encouraging people to avoid talking about things which could have been overheard by spies
• Love is a bridge between two hearts.
• Love is anger disappointed.
• Love is blind.
• Love is like war, Easy to start, Hard to end, Impossible to forget.
• Love is not finding someone to live with; it's finding someone whom you can't live without.
• Love laughs at locksmiths.
• Luck favors the prepared - Louis Pasteur
• Luck is a mirror of hard work - Beslin