Proverbs & Maxims
   

  1. ز گهواره تا گور دانش بجوی
    ze gahvāre tā gur dāneš bejuy
    “Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.”
  2. پرسیدن عیب نیست٬ ندانستن عیب است
    porsidan e’yb nist, nadānestan e’yb ast
    “He that nothing questions, nothing learns.”
    Literally, “The shame is not in asking; shame is in not knowing.”
  3. چو استاده ای٬ دست افتاده گیر
    co istādehi daste oftādeh gir
    “As long as you are standing, give a hand to those who have fallen.”
  4. در نومیدی بسی امید است پایان شب سیه سپید است
    dar nomidi basi omid ast pāyān-e šab-e siyah sepid ast
    “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.”
    Literally, “There is much hope in hopelessness; for at the end of the dark night, there is light.”
  5. قطره دریاست٬ اگر با دریاست ورنه قطره قطره٬ دریا دریاست
    qatre daryāst, agar bā daryāst varna qatre qatre, daryā daryāst
    “A drop is ocean only when it is in the ocean;
    otherwise, a drop is a drop and an ocean is an ocean.”
  6. سالی که نکوست٬ از بهارش پیداست
    sāli ke nekust, az bahāraš peydāst
    “If the beginning is good, the end must be perfect.”
    Literally, “A good year is evident in its Spring.”
  7. گر صبر کنی٬ ز غوره حلوا سازی
    gar sabr koni, ze γure halvā sāzi
    “With time and art the leaf of a mulberry-tree becomes satin.”
    Literally, “If you exercise patience, you may make a sweet-meat out of the sour grape.”
  8. مار گزیده از ریسمان سیاه و سفید می‌ترسد
    mār gazide az rismān-e siyah va sefid mitarsad
    “Once bitten, twice shy.”
    Literally, “He who has been bitten by a snake, is (even) scared of a black-and-white rope.”
  9. هیچ ارزانی بی علّت نیست
    hic arzāni bi e’lat nist
    “Nothing is cheap for no reason.”
  10. دروغگو کم حافظه است
    doruγgu kam hafeze ast
    “A liar should have a good memory.”
    Literally, “A liar is forgetful.”
  11. عاقبت حق به حق‌دار می‌رسد
    ā’qebat haq be haqdār miresad
    “Eventually justice serves he who is deserving.”
  12. ماهی را هروقت از آب بگیری تازه است
    māhi rā har vaqt az āb begiri tāze ast
    “Never too late”
    Literally, “Whenever you catch the fish it is fresh.”
  13. بخند تا دنیا به رویت بخندد
    bexand tā donyā be ruyat bexandad
    “Laugh and the world laughs with you.”
    Literally, “Smile, so the world smiles (back) onto your face.”
  14. جوجه را آخر پاییز می‌شمارند
    juje rā āxare pāiz mišomārand
    “Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.”
    Literally, “They count the chickens at the end of the Fall.”
  15. شاهنامه آخرش خوش است
    shāhnāme āxareš xoš ast
    “Praise a fair day at night.”
    Literally, “ Shahname is pleasant only at the end of it.”
  16. چو بد کردی٬ مشو ایمن ز آفات که واجب شد طبیعت را مکافات
    co bad kardi, mašo iman ze āfāt ke vājeb šod tabiat rā mokāfāt
    “Like fault, like punishment.”
    “What goes around, comes around.”
  17. سال به سال٬ دریغ از پارسال
    sāl be sāl, dariγ az pāsāl
    “Year after year we long for (what we left behind) the previous year.”
  18. تو نیکی می‌کن و در دجله انداز که ایزد در بیابانت دهد باز
    to niki mikon o dar dejle andāz ke izad dar biyābānat dahad bāz
    “What goes around, come around.”
    Literally, “You toss charity in the Tigris, and God shall return it in the desert.”
  19. کوه به کوه نمی‌رسد٬ آدم به آدم می‌رسد
    kuh be khu nemiresad, ādam be ādam miresad
    “Mountains don’t meet, but people do.”
  20. صبر تلخ است٬ ولیکن بر شیرین دارد
    sabr talx ast, valikan bar-e širin dārad
    “Patient men win the day.”
    Literally, “Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.”
  21. سنگ مفت٬ گنجشک مفت
    sang moft, gonješk moft
    “Nothing to lose!”
    Literally, “Stones are free and so are the sparrows.”
  22. طناب مفت ببیند٬ خود را دار می‌زند
    tanāb moft bebinad, xod rā dār mizanad
    “He would even hang himself, provided that the rope is free.”
  23. میگم نره٬ میگه بدوش
    migam nare, mige beduš
    “I say: ‘It’s a bull’; he says: ‘Milk it!’”
    “You cannot milk a bull.”
  24. هم خدا را می‌خواهد٬ هم خرما را
    ham xodā rā mixahad, ham xormā rā
    “You cannot have your cake and eat it too.”
    Literally, “He wants the God and the date both.”
  25. مرغ همسایه غاز است
    morγ-e hamsāye γāz ast
    “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”
    Literally, “The neighbor’s chicken is a goose.”
  26. تنبل نرو به سایه٬ سایه خودش میآیه
    tanbal naro be sāye, sāye xodeš miyaye
    “A lazy sheep thinks its wool heavy.”
    Literally, “Hey sloth, don’t go into the shade, the shade would eventually come to you.”
  27. هلو٬ برو تو گلو
    hulu boro tu galu
    “Piece of cake!”
    Literally, “Oh peach, get into (my) throat.”
  28. حسنی به مکتب نمی‌رفت؛ وقتی می‌رفت٬ جمعه می‌رفت
    hasani be maktab nemiraft, vaqti miraft, jome’ miraft
    “Finally when he decided to go to school, it was the weekend.”
  29. فلفل نبین چه ریزه٬ بشکن ببین چه تیزه
    felfel nabin ce rize, beškan benin ce tize
    “A little body often harbors a great soul.”
    Literally, “Don’t look at the small size of the pepper; break it and it is pretty strong.”
  30. از اون نترس که های و هو داره؛ از اون بترس که سر به تو داره
    az un natars ke hāy o ho dāre, az un betars ke sar be tu dāre
    “Fear not he who makes a lot of fuss; fear he who keeps to himself.”
  31. گل و خار همیشه با هم است
    gol va xār hamiše bā ham ast
    “No rose without a thorn.”
  32. گل پشت و رو ندارد
    gol poš o ru nadārad
    “A flower is beautiful from all sides.”
  33. زنبور همیشه پشت گله
    zanbur hamiše pošt-e gole
    “A bee is always behind the flower.”
  34. شتر دیدی؟ ندیدی
    šotor didi? nadidi
    “You see nothing, you hear nothing.”
    Literally, “Did you see the camel? No you did not!”
  35. کافر همه را به کیش خود پندارد
    kāfar hame rā be kiš-e xod pendārad
    “Who is in fault suspects everybody.”
    Literally, “An infidel believes of everybody being of his own faith.”
  36. دیوانه چو دیوانه ببیند خوشش آید
    divane co divane bebinad xošaš āyad
    “An ass is the most pleasing to another ass.”
    Literally, “A crazy person enjoys meeting another one.”
  37. دیگ به دیگ میگه: ”روت سیا“
    dig be dig mige: rut siyā
    “Pot calling the kettle black.”
  38. دیوار موش داره٬ موش هم گوش داره
    divār muš dāre, muš ham guš dāre
    “Walls have ears.”
    Literally, “Walls have mice, and the mice have ears.”
  39. موشه تو سوراخ نمی‌رفت٬ یه جارو هم به دمش می‌بست
    muše tu surax nemiraft, ye jāru be domeš mibast
    “You needed this like you needed a hole in the head.”
  40. پز عالی٬ جیب خالی
    poz-e āli, jib-e xali
    “Great boast, small roast.”
  41. میمون نمی‌تونه برقصه٬ میگه زمین کجه
    meymun nemitune beraqse, mige zamin kaje
    “The monkey could not dance and blamed it on the floor as being crooked.”