Yiddish

Mothers-in-law are fine so long as they are deaf and blind.
What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.
Some people are electrifying; they light up a room when they leave.
Confidence is half of victory.
When you have left a country, you have left everyone.
Let it be worse, so long as it’s a change.
Better to hear curses than to be pitied.
The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes.
The best horse needs a whip, intelligent men need advice, and devout women need a man.
Better a thief for a neighbor than an overzealous rabbi.
When luck joins in the game, cleverness scores double.
It’s good to hope, it’s the waiting that spoils it.
You do not fall because you are weak; you fall because you think you are strong.
What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.
The rich man who is stingy is the worst pauper.
Who dances at the wedding, weeps at the funeral.
Too humble is half proud.
If you want to know what God thinks of money, look at the people he gives it to.
Better a steady dime than a rare dollar.
Better to die upright than to live on your knees.
When the time comes for you to live, there aren’t enough years.
With money in your pocket, you are wise, handsome and you sing well too.
To be rich is not everything, but it certainly helps.
When a thief kisses you, count your teeth.
You can make the dream bigger than the night.
Better an ounce of luck than a pound of gold.
In life, each of us must sometimes play the fool.
She who wants to marry her stepfather regrets it in bed.
He who is aware of his folly is wise.
When the ox just stumbles, they all sharpen their knives.
The wolf is not afraid of the dog, but he doesn’t like the sound of his barking.
Provide for the worst; the best can take care of itself.
You can wash your body but not your soul.
You can’t measure the whole world with your own yardstick.
Better an honest slap in the face than an insincere kiss.
Prayers go up and blessings come down.
Many complain of their looks, but none of their brains.
The heart of a man may be compared to a sausage; no one can tell exactly what’s inside.
You buy yourself an enemy when you lend a man money.
Weeping makes the heart grow lighter.
Once it was the parents who taught their children to talk; now the children teach their parents to keep quiet.
Words should be weighed, not counted.
If we cannot do what we will, we must will what we can.
You find everything when you are spring cleaning.
God created a world full of little worlds.
Better ten times ill than one time dead.
Better ruined ten times than dead once.
Someone who can hold on to his money is worth more than the one who earns it.
Before you start up a ladder, count the rungs.
When God wants to punish an idiot, He teaches them a few words of Hebrew.
You are ushered in according to your dress; shown out according to your brains.
You cannot hold your head high with your hand out.
The nearer to the synagogue, the farther from God.
By day they’re ready to divorce, by night they’re ready for bed.
The heaviest burden is an empty pocket.
Not all nice things are dear, but those that are dear are nice.
Nothing tastes bitterer than the truth.
If you’re healthy, you’re wealthy.
Who talks a lot, talks about himself.
You can’t make cheesecakes out of snow.
With time even a bear can learn to dance.
Better a Jew without a beard than a beard without a Jew.
The pen wounds deeper than an arrow.
To every answer you can find a new question.
From success to failure is one step; from failure to success is a long road.
One old friend is better than two new ones.
Men would not be richer for being miserly; generosity does not make a man poorer.
The rabbi drinks the wine and asks the others to be happy.
Give me, Lord, my daily bread, I will get my own brandy.
Beware of still water, a still dog, and a still enemy.
Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven.
Make new friends, but don’t forget the old ones.
You can throw a cat whoever you want; it always falls on its feet.
When both parties are right, it’s a bad day for “right.”
Small children won’t let you sleep, bigger children won’t let you live.
What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your mouth.
Old age, to the unlearned, is winter; to the learned, it’s harvest time.
Lost years are worse than lost dollars.
When Dame Fortune calls, offer her a chair.
What can you do with a good cow that gives a lot of milk and then kicks the bucket over
When one comes to comfort a young widow, he does not mean to perform a good deed.
The cold strengthens you more than hunger.
If it must always be better, it can never be good enough.
If things are not as you wish, wish them as they are.
Money buys everything but good sense.
Who wins first, loses last.
Hope for miracles, but don’t rely on one.
Better the best of the worst than the worst of the best.
You can’t put thank you in your pocket.
The truly rich are those who enjoy what they have.
You reproach your daughter, but you mean your daughter-in-law.
Don’t be scared when you have no other choice.
Women can keep only one secret – their own.
Better ask ten times than go astray once.
Time is the best doctor.
The longer the blind live, the more they see.
Experience is what we call the accumulation of our mistakes.
The doctor has a remedy for everything but poverty.
You never lose a false coin.
Walk straight and you will not fall.