Sá veit gerst sem reynir.
“He who tries it knows it best.”
Direct experience teaches more reliably than any secondhand account or assumption.
— Traditional Iceland Wisdom, Iceland
Source: Traditional Iceland proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Iceland
Cattle die, kinsmen die, and you yourself will die; but the good name of a man never dies, if he has earned it well.
A person's reputation and good name outlast wealth, family, and life itself.
Traditional Iceland Wisdom
Read more →
Praise the day at evening, a wife when she is cremated, a sword when it is tried, a maiden when she is married, ice when it is crossed, and ale when it has been drunk.
Judge things only by their outcome, not by how they begin or appear.
Traditional Iceland Wisdom
Read more →
A house of one's own is better, though it be small; every man is somebody at home.
Owning even a modest home of one's own brings a dignity and independence that nothing else replaces.
Traditional Iceland Wisdom
Read more →
No better burden can a man carry on the road than much common sense.
Wisdom and good sense are the most valuable things a person can carry through life.
Traditional Iceland Wisdom
Read more →
A man should be moderately wise, never too crafty; the fairest life is led by those who know much, but not too much.
Excessive cleverness invites trouble; balanced, modest wisdom leads to the happiest life.
Traditional Iceland Wisdom
Read more →
Fire is best among the sons of men, and the sight of the sun, if a man can keep his health, and live a life free of shame.
The simplest gifts — warmth, light, health, and a clean conscience — matter more than riches.
Traditional Iceland Wisdom
Read more →