Ideas

Proverbs

Quotations to stir heart and mind.

THE BEST TIME to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.Chinese proverb

IF YOU are planning for a year, sow rice. If you are planning for a decade, plant trees. If you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.Chinese proverb

IF YOU can talk, you can sing; if you can walk, you can dance.African proverb

TELL ME who’s your friend, and I’ll tell you who you are.Russian proverb

A JOY that’s shared is a joy made double.John Ray, English Proverbs

WORRY often gives a small thing a big shadow.Swedish proverb

MAN plans; God laughs.Yiddish saying

WHEN elephants fight, the grass always is the one that suffers.Swahili saying

AS A NAIL sticketh between a door and a hinge, so sticketh sin between buying and selling.Anabaptist saying

WHEREVER the heart is, the feet don’t hesitate to go.Togo saying

WHEN YOU were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.Indian proverb

VISITOR’S footfalls are like medicine; they heal the sick.Bantu proverb

NO SNOWFLAKE ever falls in the wrong place.Zen saying

THE DEATH of an old person is like the loss of a library.African proverb

MONEY IS a good servant but a bad master.H. G. Bohn, Handbook of Proverbs

DANGER and delight grow on one stalk.English proverb

WHEN “Do no evil” has been understood, then learn the harder, braver rule, “Do good.”Arthur Guiterman, A Poet’s Proverbs

THE BEGINNING of health is to know the disease.Spanish proverb

IT IS PART of the cure to wish to be cured.Latin proverb

A GOOD LAUGH and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.Irish proverb

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Past Reflections columns include:

Summer (June 27, 2006)

Philosophers’ Potpourri (June 9, 2006)

Ponder These Things (May 17, 2006)

Holy Week (April 4, 2006)

Evening Prayer (March 10, 2006)

Morning Prayers (Feb. 6, 2006)

Hope (Jan. 16, 2006)

Christmas (Dec. 19, 2005)

Poetry (Dec. 12, 2005)

Grace that Surprises (Oct. 3, 2005)

Friendship (August 31, 2005)

Wisdom That Sticks (August 8, 2005)

His Body, His Blood (June 08, 2005)

On Baptism (April 25, 2005)

Discovering God (April 07, 2005)

Welcoming the Stranger (Feb. 22, 2005)

The Church and Mission (Feb. 02, 2005)

The Church (Jan. 11, 2005)

Word Made Flesh (Dec. 20, 2004)

The Way of Salvation (Nov. 08, 2004)

Sin and Evil (Oct. 18, 2004)

Teaching and Learning (Sept. 15, 2004)

Wisdom for the Road (Aug. 02, 2004)

Discipleship (July 13, 2004

Conversion (June 09, 2004)

The Outpoured Spirit (May 03, 2004)

He Is Risen (April 08, 2004)

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

The Case for Kids

Pharmacists with No Plan B

Nate Anderson

Trivializing the Transcendent

Richard P. Sloan

The Jesus of Africa

Reviewed by Mark Noll

'A More Practical Approach'

Peretti in the House

Reviewed by Bob Smietana

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Gory

Reviewed by Elesha Coffman

Editorial

The AIDS Team

A Christianity Today Editorial

The Moral Imagination

Reviewed by John Wilson

Ka-Ching! You're a Parent

Reviewed by John Wilson

Law or Free Market?

Nate Anderson

The Noesen Saga

Nate Anderson

Jesus from East to West

Reviewed by J. P. Moreland

Our Transnational Anthem

Orlando Crespo

Editorial

Leveling the Investment Field

A Christianity Today Editorial

Marriage Matters

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

Falling Apart

Douglas LeBlanc

Bad Judgment

News

Passages

Compiled by CT staff

News

Big Screen Jesus

Mark Moring

News

<em>Christianity Today</em> News Briefs

Compiled by CT staff

News

Playing Favorites

Brad A. Greenberg

News

Go Figure

What (Not All) Women Want

How Then Shall We Politick?

Interview by Collin Hansen

News

Quotation Marks

Compiled by Ted Olsen and Rob Moll

News

New Life for Nepal

Anto Akkara in Kathmandu, Nepal

Prevention Wars

Timothy C. Morgan

A Counter Trend—Sort Of

Love to Love Children

Word Made Brash

<em>Darkness Is My Only Companion</em>

Reviewed by Robertson McQuilkin

Making Promises

Reviewed by John Wilson

View issue

Our Latest

Looking Past Bell Bottoms, Beads, Coffeehouses, and Communes

In 1971, CT said the Jesus People were not just another baby boomer fad.

I Have Chronic Pain. I Still Love the Olympics.

Aberdeen Livingstone

After a life-changing injury, I can’t compete like I used to. Watching the Olympics—the newest games starting tonight—brings me joy.

The Bulletin

International Surrogacy, Midterm Forecasts, and Temple Mount Prayer

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

Foreigners hire US citizens as surrogate mothers, midterm elections approach, and changes to prayer rules at Jerusalem holy site.

Review

Reckoning with Race, Immigration, and Power

Three books to read this month on politics and public life.

From Our Community

Where The Church Gathers, Listens, and Grows Together

How The Big Tent Initiative is fostering unity in the Church.

The Just Life with Benjamin Watson

Jemar Tisby: The History the Church Avoids

Understanding the past is essential for interpreting the present.

We Are Not Workhorses

Xiaoli Yang

In a culture that champions power, Proverbs 21:31 reframes what strength and victory look like for Chinese Christians.

News

Families of Venezuelan Political Prisoners Pray for Their Release

The acting president proposed an amnesty law, yet hundreds remain in prison.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastprintRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube