Bermuda Proverbs (20)

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

It is better to hold onto something certain than to risk losing it while chasing something uncertain but seemingly greater.

“Actions speak louder than words.”

What a person actually does reveals more about their character than what they merely say.

“All that glitters is not gold.”

Something that looks valuable or impressive on the surface may not truly be so underneath.

“The early bird catches the worm.”

Those who act promptly and prepare ahead of others gain the greatest advantage.

“A stitch in time saves nine.”

Fixing a small problem right away prevents it from growing into a much bigger one later.

“Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.”

Do not assume something will succeed before it is actually certain.

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

Even the most difficult situations usually contain some hidden benefit or hope.

“Look before you leap.”

Think carefully about the consequences of an action before taking it.

“Practice makes perfect.”

Repeated effort and rehearsal are what ultimately produce skill and mastery.

“Honesty is the best policy.”

Telling the truth is always wiser and more rewarding in the end than deception.

“Where there is a will, there is a way.”

Strong determination can overcome even the most difficult obstacles.

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”

Ideas and words expressed through writing can have greater lasting influence than force or violence.

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Difficult or urgent circumstances often inspire people to find creative solutions.

“Two wrongs don't make a right.”

Responding to wrongdoing with more wrongdoing never truly resolves the injustice.

“You can't judge a book by its cover.”

A person or thing should not be judged only by outward appearance.

“When it rains, it pours.”

Difficulties often seem to arrive all at once rather than one at a time.

Quo Fata Ferunt

“Whither the Fates Carry Us.”

Bermuda's official national motto, expressing that the island's fate and future are guided by forces beyond human control — a fitting emblem for a colony founded by an accidental 1609 shipwreck.

“I have been a slave myself — I know what slaves feel — I can tell by myself what other slaves feel, and by what they have told me.”

Prince asserts that her own lived experience of slavery gives her testimony a credibility no outside observer could claim.

“All slaves want to be free — to be free is very sweet.”

A direct rebuttal to pro-slavery claims that enslaved people were content in bondage, insisting that the desire for freedom is universal.

“The man that says slaves be quite happy in slavery — that man is either ignorant or a lying person.”

Prince directly challenges pro-slavery propaganda that claimed enslaved people were content, calling such claims dishonest or uninformed.