Better a thief for a neighbor than an overzealous rabbi.

More Yiddish Proverbs

• Money buys everything but good sense.
• When you have left a country, you have left everyone.
• When the time comes for you to live, there aren’t enough years.
• Many complain of their looks, but none of their brains.
• The nearer to the synagogue, the farther from God.
• Give me, Lord, my daily bread, I will get my own brandy.
• Who wins first, loses last.
• Let it be worse, so long as it’s a change.
• With money in your pocket, you are wise, handsome and you sing well too.
• The heart of a man may be compared to a sausage; no one can tell exactly what’s inside.
• By day they’re ready to divorce, by night they’re ready for bed.
• Beware of still water, a still dog, and a still enemy.
• Hope for miracles, but don’t rely on one.
• Better to hear curses than to be pitied.
• To be rich is not everything, but it certainly helps.
• You buy yourself an enemy when you lend a man money.
• The heaviest burden is an empty pocket.
• Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven.
• Better the best of the worst than the worst of the best.
• The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes.
• When a thief kisses you, count your teeth.
• Weeping makes the heart grow lighter.
• Not all nice things are dear, but those that are dear are nice.
• Make new friends, but don’t forget the old ones.
• You can’t put thank you in your pocket.
• The best horse needs a whip, intelligent men need advice, and devout women need a man.
• You can make the dream bigger than the night.