“A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot!”
The opening line of Brown's best-known poem, celebrating the quiet, restorative pleasure of a well-tended garden.
— T.E. Brown, Isle of Man
Source: T.E. Brown, "My Garden," in Old John and Other Poems (1893)
More Proverbs from Isle of Man
Time enough.
The best-known Manx expression, capturing an unhurried, relaxed attitude toward time and work — sometimes used self-mockingly about the Manx tendency to postpone tasks.
A country without its own language is a country without its own identity.
Language is treated as inseparable from a people's sense of who they are; losing the Manx tongue was felt as losing part of the nation itself.
A silent tongue is better than speaking evil.
Restraint in speech is wiser than using words to harm others.
A wise man thinks all he says, but a fool says all he thinks.
Wisdom lies in weighing words before speaking, while foolishness blurts out every unfiltered thought.
A gossip's mouth is the devil's postbag.
Gossip carries and spreads harm the way a postbag carries letters — the tale-bearer is a vessel for mischief.
It will be wet — the gulls are heading for the mountain.
Traditional island weather-lore: seabirds moving inland toward high ground was read as a sign that rain was coming.