All the Business Proverbs You’ll Ever Need (Part1)

With all the junk knowledge related to business out there on the Internet, much of it from dubious origin, we decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to provide the following list of business maxims drawn from the one unquestionable source of everything – God’s Bible and Solomon’s Proverbs. Many of them you’ve probably heard before but a few might be new.

There are a total of 700 we’ll eventually share with you, though only in small doses so as not to make your head explode. Those beginning with the letters ‘a’ through ‘c’ are included today. The team at Solomon Success hope you take the time to at least scan through them and maybe even ponder for a moment whether you’re doing your best to uphold them on a daily basis.

If not for a code of ethics, what have you really got? In our opinion, not much.

A bad penny always turns up
A bad workman always blames his tools
A banker is someone who lends you an umbrella when the sun is shining, and who asks for it back when it starts to rain
A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist
A big tree attracts the woodsman’s axe
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers
A book holds a house of gold
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket
A book tightly shut is but a block of paper
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link
A coin of gold is delighting in a bag of silver coins
A constant guest is never welcome
A coward dies a thousand times before his death. The valiant tastes of death but once
A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections
A dull pencil is greater than the sharpest memory
A fool and his money is soon parted
A fool judges people by the presents they give him
A fox smells its own lair first
A full cup must be carried steadily
A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials
A good beginning makes for a good ending
A good enemy is a better person than a false friend
A good man in an evil society seems the greatest villain of all
A good surgeon has an eagle is eye, a lion is heart, and a lady is hand
A great talker is a great liar
A guilty conscience needs no accuser
A half truth is a whole lie
A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains
A house divided against itself cannot stand
A hungry man is an angry man
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
A kingdom is lost for want of a shoe
A leopard cannot change its spots
A lie can be halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
A little of what you fancy does you good
A loaded wagon makes no noise
A man is as old as he feels
A man is known by the company he keeps
A miss is as good as a mile
A nation is treasure is in its scholars
A new broom sweeps clean
A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse
A Pasoly in the eye is worth several in the shins
A penny saved is a penny earned
A person is known by the company he keeps
A picture paints a thousand words
A place for everything and everything in its place
A pot of milk is ruined by a drop of poison
A problem shared is a problem halved
A prophet is not recognized in his own land
A rat who gnaws at a cat is tail invites destruction
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A sly rabbit will have three openings to its den.
A stitch in time saves nine
A thief thinks everyone steals
A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men
A watched pot never boils
Ability can take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Act today only tomorrow is too late
Action is the proper fruit of knowledge
Action speaks louder than words
Advice most needed is least heeded
After a storm comes a calm
All cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet
All flowers are not in one garden
All for one and one for all
All good things must come to an end
All hat and no cattle
All is fish that comes the net
All is well that ends well
All that glitters is not gold
All the world is your country, to do good is your religion
All things must pass
Always care about your flowers and your friends. Otherwise they’ll fade, and soon your house will be empty
An ambitious horse will never return to its old stable.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind
An idle brain is the devil is workshop
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Any time means no time
Appearances are deceptive
April showers bring May flowers
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another
As soon as a man is born, he begins to die
As you make your bed so must you lie on it
As you sow, so shall you reap
Ask advice only of your equals
Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies
Attack is the best form of defense

B
Bad news travel fast
Barking dogs seldom bite
Be careful before every step
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still
Be on the safe side
Be the first to the field and the last to the couch
Before criticizing a man, walk a mile in his shoes
Beggars can’t be choosers
Better die with honor than to live with shame
Better late than never
Better safe than sorry
Better to be alone than in bad company
Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt
Between a rock and a hard place
Between the devil and the deep sea
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
Birds of a feather flocks together
Bite off more than one can chew
Bitter pills may have blessed effects
Blood is thicker than water
Brain is better than brawn
Burn the candle at both ends
Business before pleasure
Business is Business
Buy a pig in a poke
Buy the best and you only cry once

C
Call a spade a spade
Carry your own cross
Catch as catch can
Chance favours the prepared mind
Charity begins at home
Charity sees the need not the cause
Cleanliness is next to godliness
Clothes don’t make the man
Cold hands, warm heart
Common sense ain’t common
Comparisons are hateful
Corporations have proven that crime does pay, and pay very well for a long, long time
Count your blessings
Courtesy costs nothing
Creating the thing with which you will be beaten
Crime does not pay
Curiosity killed the cat
Cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it
Cut your coat according to your cloth

Obviously, these have been reworked slightly for modern day clarity of language. If you want to claim that we’ve given in to the dumbing down of the world, you might have a point. Regardless, we stand by our decision to present these business proverbs in a manner that the most people might be able to read and understand.

Stay tuned for part 2 coming up!

The Solomon Success Team

SolomonSuccess.com

 

 

 

 

 

(Flickr / Brett Jordan)