Jersey Proverbs (50)

Cœur vaillant se fait royaume.

“A valiant heart makes a kingdom.”

True greatness comes from courage and character, not from size or status; the official motto of Jersey.

Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.

“Little by little, the bird builds its nest.”

Great achievements are built gradually through small, patient efforts.

Après la pluie, le beau temps.

“After the rain, comes the good weather.”

Difficult times are always followed by better ones; hardship does not last forever.

Qui vivra verra.

“He who lives will see.”

Only time will reveal how things truly turn out.

Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre.

“Everything comes in time to those who know how to wait.”

Patience is eventually rewarded.

L'habit ne fait pas le moine.

“The habit does not make the monk.”

Outward appearance does not determine a person's true character.

Qui trop embrasse mal étreint.

“He who grasps too much holds on to little.”

Trying to take on too much at once often leads to losing everything.

Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide.

“A scalded cat fears even cold water.”

A painful past experience makes a person overly cautious even about harmless things afterward.

Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse.

“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

Someone who never settles or commits builds little lasting wealth or stability.

Les bons comptes font les bons amis.

“Good accounts make good friends.”

Being clear and honest about money and obligations preserves friendship.

Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera.

“Help yourself, and heaven will help you.”

Take responsibility and make your own effort before expecting outside help.

Qui sème le vent récolte la tempête.

“Whoever sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind.”

Reckless or harmful actions bring consequences far greater than intended.

Rira bien qui rira le dernier.

“He laughs best who laughs last.”

Final success matters more than an early, premature victory.

Il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu.

“There is no smoke without fire.”

Persistent rumours or suspicions usually have some basis in truth.

Les murs ont des oreilles.

“Walls have ears.”

Be careful what you say, because private conversations can be overheard.

Mieux vaut tard que jamais.

“Better late than never.”

Doing something after a delay is still better than never doing it at all.

Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras.

“A bird in the hand is worth two you will have later.”

A smaller certain gain is worth more than the promise of a bigger uncertain one.

Vouloir, c'est pouvoir.

“To want is to be able.”

Strong determination is often the key to achieving what once seemed impossible.

Il faut battre le fer pendant qu'il est chaud.

“Strike while the iron is hot.”

Act on an opportunity immediately, while conditions are favourable.

Chacun voit midi à sa porte.

“Everyone sees noon at their own doorstep.”

People naturally judge situations from their own narrow point of view and self-interest.

Qui va à la chasse perd sa place.

“He who goes hunting loses his seat.”

Step away from an advantage and someone else may claim it in your absence.

Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué.

“One must not sell the bear's skin before killing it.”

Do not count on the rewards of something before it is truly achieved.

L'argent ne fait pas le bonheur.

“Money does not make happiness.”

Wealth alone cannot provide true and lasting contentment.

Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire.

“When the wine is drawn, it must be drunk.”

Once committed to a course of action, one must see it through.

Deux avis valent mieux qu'un.

“Two opinions are worth more than one.”

Seeking counsel from others improves the quality of a decision.

Ce n'est pas la mer à boire.

“It is not the sea to drink.”

A daunting task usually turns out easier than it first appears.

Rien ne sert de courir, il faut partir à point.

“There is no use running; one must leave at the right time.”

Careful timing matters more than frantic, last-minute haste.

Petite pluie abat grand vent.

“A little rain calms a great wind.”

A small, calm response can settle even a heated situation.

Tel père, tel fils.

“Like father, like son.”

Children often inherit the traits and habits of their parents.

Ce que femme veut, Dieu le veut.

“What a woman wants, God wants.”

A determined woman's will is said to be nearly unstoppable.

“When the tide is out, the table is laid.”

Jersey's exceptionally wide tidal range exposes the reef and shoreline at low water, turning what looks like bare rock into a rich source of shellfish and food — a genuinely Jersey-specific saying, distinct from the shared Norman-French entries above.

Jo di e dirai ke jo sui, Wace de l'isle de Gersui.

“I say and will say that I am Wace, of the Isle of Jersey.”

Wace's own self-identification as a Jersey-born writer; inscribed on his memorial stone in the Royal Square, St Helier, and regarded as the earliest known Jersey author claiming the island as his origin.

En l'isle de Gersui fui nez, a Chaem fui petiz portez, iloques fui a letres mis.

“I was born on the Isle of Jersey; as a small child I was carried to Caen, and there I was put to my letters.”

Wace's autobiographical account of his own upbringing, the earliest first-person record of a Jersey childhood.

Haro! Haro! Haro! à l'aide, mon Prince, on me fait tort!

“Haro! Haro! Haro! To my aid, my Prince, I am being wronged!”

The Clameur de Haro is an ancient Norman customary-law cry, still legally recognised in Jersey and Guernsey today, by which a wronged person can bring a disputed act to an immediate public halt pending judgment by the court.

“Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character.”

“The most successful way to play golf is the easiest way.”

“For this game you need, above all things, to be in a tranquil frame of mind.”

“Don't play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty.”

“I do not regret one moment of my life.”

“No person in the world ever lost anything by being nice to me.”

“With It, you win all men if you are a woman and all women if you are a man.”

Elinor Glyn's description of "It" — the indefinable magnetic charm she popularised through her 1927 novel It, which gave rise to the term "It girl".

Qui ne risque rien n'a rien.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Without taking a risk, one cannot expect any reward.

Loin des yeux, loin du cœur.

“Out of sight, out of mind.”

Affection or attention fades for people or things no longer nearby.

L'occasion fait le larron.

“Opportunity makes the thief.”

Easy temptation can lead even an otherwise honest person into wrongdoing.

Tout ce qui brille n'est pas or.

“All that glitters is not gold.”

Appearances can be deceiving; something attractive on the surface may lack real value.

Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir.

“Prevention is better than cure.”

It is wiser to avoid a problem in advance than to fix it after it happens.

Chacun pour soi, Dieu pour tous.

“Each for himself, and God for all.”

A wry saying acknowledging that in hard times people often look out for themselves first.

Nécessité fait loi.

“Necessity knows no law.”

In dire circumstances, people set the usual rules aside to do what survival requires.

Ventre affamé n'a point d'oreilles.

“A hungry belly has no ears.”

A person in urgent need cannot be reasoned with until that need is met.

Qui n'avance pas, recule.

“He who does not go forward, goes backward.”

Standing still is not neutral — without progress, one inevitably falls behind.