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Beggars can’t be choosers.
Un mendiant n’a pas le choix.
A beggar doesn’t have a choice.
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An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Pomme du matin éloigne le médecin.
A morning apple keeps the doctor away.
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Home is where the heart is.
Où se trouve le Cœur, là est la maison.
Wherever the heart is, that’s home.
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You have to strike while the iron is hot.
Il faut battre le fer quand il est chaud.
You must strike the iron when it’s hot.
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A fool and his money are soon parted.
Aux idiots l’argent brûle les doigts.
For idiots, money burns the fingers.
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Every dog has its day.
À chacun son heure de gloire.
To each his/her hour of glory.
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It never rains, but it pours.
Un malheur n’arrive jamais seul.
A misfortune never comes alone.
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The chickens have come home to roost.
On récolte ce que l’on sème.
We harvest what we sow.
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Long absent, soon forgotten.
Qui s’absente, se fait oublier.
Those who make themselves absent get forgotten.
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Let bygones be bygones.
Passons l’éponge, oublions le passé.
Pass the sponge [wipe the slate clean], let’s forget the past.
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To err is human, to forgive divine.
L’erreur est humaine.
Mistakes are human.
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Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Il n’y a jamais de fumée sans feu.
There’s never smoke without fire.
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Actions speak louder than words.
Les actes en disent plus long que les mots.
Actions tell more than words.
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You’ve made your bed, and now you’ll have to lie in it.
Comme on fait son lit, on se couche.
We (go to) sleep as we make our beds.
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The early bird catches the worm.
Le monde appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt.
The world belongs to those who wake up early.
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April showers bring May flowers.
En avril, ne te découvre pas d’un fil.
In April, don’t remove a thread (of your clothing). [Warm weather in April isn’t to be trusted.]
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Better late than never.
Mieux vaut tard que jamais.
Better late than never.
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Better safe than sorry.
Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir.
Better to prevent than cure.
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A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras.
Better to have one than two promised.
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Birds of a feather flock together.
Qui se ressemble s’assemble.
Those who look similar gather together.
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Curiosity killed the cat.
La curiosité est un vilain défaut.
Curiosity is a dreadful flaw.
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The devil is in the details.
Le diable est dans les détails.
The devil is in the details.
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Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Ne fais pas à autrui ce que tu n’aimerais pas que l’on te fasse.
Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t like them to do to you.
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Don’t judge a book by its cover.
L’habit ne fait pas le moine.
The (monk’s) robe doesn’t make the monk.
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The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Les chiens ne font pas des chats.
Dogs don’t make (give birth to) cats.
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Better be alone than in bad company.
Mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné.
It’s better to be alone than in bad company.
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The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
On juge l’arbre à ses fruits.
We judge the tree by its fruit.
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Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Se coucher tôt, se lever tôt, c’est amasser santé et sagesse.
To go to bed and wake up early is to pile up health and wisdom.
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When there’s a will, there’s a way.
Quand on veut, on peut.
When one wants, one can.
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Let sleeping dogs lie.
Ne revenons pas sur les sujets qui fâchent.
Let’s not return to topics that anger.
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All talk and no action.
Ce sont de belles paroles.
Those are/were beautiful words.
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You’re casting pearls before swine.
Donner de la confiture à des cochons.
Give jam to pigs. [Waste something by giving it to someone who won’t use/appreciate it.]
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You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
On ne peut avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre.
We cannot have both the butter and the butter’s money.
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He who pays the piper calls the tune.
Le client est roi.
The customer is king.
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One can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.
On ne fait pas d’omelette sans casser des oeufs.
One can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.
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Not every truth should be said.
Toute vérité n’est pas bonne à dire.
Not every truth should be said.
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All roads lead to Rome.
Tous les chemins mènent à Rome.
All roads lead to Rome.
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Love is blind.
L’amour est aveugle.
Love is blind.
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Think before you speak.
Réfléchis avant de parler.
Think before speaking.
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As you sow, so shall you reap.
Qui sème le vent, récolte la tempète.
He who sows the wind harvests the storm.
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You never know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
On reconnaît le bonheur au bruit qu’il fait en claquant la porte.
We recognize happiness from the sound it makes in slamming the door (behind it).
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Necessity is the mother of invention.
La nécessité est mère de l’invention.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
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You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Ce n’est pas aux vieux singes qu’on apprend à faire la grimace.
It’s not the old monkeys that you teach to make funny faces.
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If you want something done well, do it yourself.
On n’est jamais si bien servi que par soi-même.
We are never better served than by ourselves.
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Time is money.
Le temps, c’est de l’argent.
Time is money.
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Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Il ne faut jamais vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué.
Never sell a bear’s fur before killing it.
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The grass is always greener on the other side.
L’herbe est toujours plus verte ailleurs.
The grass is always greener elsewhere.
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Every cloud has a silver lining.
À quelque chose malheur est bon.
To something, misfortune is good.
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When the cat’s away the mice will play.
Quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent.
When the cat’s away the mice will dance.
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The end justifies the means.
La fin justifie les moyens.
The end justifies the means.
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Two heads are better than one.
Deux avis valent mieux qu’un.
Two opinions are better than one.
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All that glitters is not gold.
Tout ce qui brille n’est pas or.
All that glitters is not gold.
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Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Rome ne s’est pas faite en un jour.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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Out of sight, out of mind.
Loin des yeux, loin du coeur.
Far from the eyes, far from the heart.
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One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Le bonheur des uns fait le malheur des autres.
One’s happiness is others’ misfortune.
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It is raining cats and dogs.
Il pleut des cordes.
It’s raining ropes.
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A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C’est dans le besoin qu’on reconnaît ses vrais amis.
It’s when you are in need that you recognize your real friends.
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An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Oeil pour oeil, dent pour dent.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
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Do the right thing without hope of reward.
Donner sans attendre en retour.
Give without waiting for something back.
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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir.
Better to prevent than cure.
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Better one eye than quite blind.
Mieux vaut être borgne qu’aveugle.
Better to be one-eyed than blind.
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Never put off to tomorrow what can be done today.
Ce qui est fait n’est plus à faire.
What is done no longer has to be done.
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He who is absent is always in the wrong.
Les absents ont toujours tort.
Those who are absent are always wrong.
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There is no free lunch.
On n’a rien sans rien.
We don’t have anything (We have nothing) without anything.
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One may sooner fall than rise.
Il est plus facile de tomber que de s’élever.
It’s easier to fall than to get up.
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It takes all kinds to make a world.
Il faut de tout pour faire un monde.
It takes all kinds to make a world.
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Still waters run deep.
Il faut se méfier de l’eau qui dort.
Be wary of sleeping (still) water.
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Don’t put the cart before the horse.
Il ne faut pas mettre la charrue avant les bœufs.
Don’t put the plow before/in front of the oxen.
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Even a worm will turn.
Il y a des limites à tout.
Everything has its limits.
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Fortune favors the brave.
La fortune sourit aux audacieux.
Fortune smiles on the bold.
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Money can’t buy happiness.
L’argent ne fait pas le bonheur.
Money does not make happiness.
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The exception proves the rule.
L’exception confirme la règle.
The exception proves the rule.
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Assiduity makes all things easy.
L’habitude rend tout facile.
Habits make everything easy.
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Short reckonings make long friends.
Les bons comptes font les bons amis.
The right amounts make good friends.
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Great minds think alike.
Les grands esprits se rencontrent.
Great minds meet each other.
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Time and tie wait for no man.
On n’arrête pas le temps qui passe.
We do not stop the time that passes.
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All covet, all lose.
Pour avoir trop convoité, on laisse tout échapper.
To covet too much is to let everything escape.
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Spare the rod and spoil the child.
Qui aime bien châtie bien.
He who cares chastises.
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Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Qui ne tente rien n’a rien.
Those who try nothing have nothing.
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Time will tell.
Qui vivra verra.
He who lives will see.
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He who laughs last laughs best.
Rira bien qui rira le dernier.
He who laughs last will laugh best.
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Knowledge is power.
Savoir, c’est pouvoir.
Knowledge is power.
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Bear, and forbear.
Supporte et attends.
Bear/Tolerate and wait.
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All good things come to an end.
Toutes les bonnes choses ont une fin.
All good things come to an end.
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All things come to him who waits.
Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre.
All things come to him who waits/to him who knows to wait.
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Forewarned is forearmed.
Un homme averti en vaut deux.
Someone forewarned is worth two people.
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Shameless craving must have a shameful nay.
À demande insolente, réponse tranchante.
To an insolent demand comes a sharp answer.
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God helps those who help themselves.
Aide-toi et le ciel t’aidera.
Help yourself and the sky will help you.
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Everybody’s friend is nobody’s friend.
Ami de tous, ami de personne.
Everybody’s friend is nobody’s friend.
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There are better days ahead.
Après la pluie le beau temps.
After the rain comes the good weather.
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Triumph without peril brings no glory.
À vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire.
To vanquish without peril is to triumph without glory.
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In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed is king.
Au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois.
In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed is king.
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A good beginning makes a good ending.
Bien commencer, amène à bien terminer.
A good beginning makes a good ending.
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Practice makes perfect.
C’est en forgeant qu’on devient forgeron.
It’s in forging that one becomes a blacksmith.
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Slow but sure.
Doucement mais sûrement.
Slow but sure.
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All is fair in love and war.
En amour comme à la guerre, tous les coups sont permis.
In love as in war, all blows are allowed.
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Money talks.
L’argent fait la loi.
Money makes the law.
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United we stand, divided we fall.
L’union fait la force.
There is strength in unity.
