Monaco Proverbs (50)

A bellessa a nö fa boggî a pûgnatta.

“Beauty does not make the pot boil.”

Good looks alone provide no real sustenance — substance and hard work matter more than appearance.

A borsa pinn-a a fâ da passaporto.

“A full purse serves as a passport.”

Money smooths the way and opens doors wherever you travel.

A cavallo giastemmôu, ghe lûxe o peì.

“The cursed horse comes out with a shining coat.”

Ill will wished on someone else often ends up benefiting them instead.

A fænna do diao a va tutta in brenno.

“The devil's flour all turns to bran.”

Wealth or gain obtained dishonestly never truly profits the one who took it.

A mëgio mëxinn-a l'è o dechêutto de cantinn-a.

“The best medicine is the wine from the cellar.”

A good glass of wine, shared with company, can ease many of life's small troubles.

'Na bonn-a repûtassion a vä ciû de ûn milion.

“A good reputation is worth more than a fortune.”

A person's honest name and character outweigh any amount of money.

Sciúsciā e sciorbî no se pêu.

“You cannot blow and sip at the same time.”

Some things cannot be done at once — choose your course of action and commit to it.

Chi veu stâ ben piggie o mondo comme ven.

“Whoever wants to live well takes the world as it comes.”

Peace of mind comes from accepting circumstances as they are rather than fighting them.

Sbaglia finn-a o præve in to a dî messa.

“Even the priest makes a mistake while saying Mass.”

No one, however respected or skilled, is beyond making an error.

No guasta chi non fa ninte.

“Only he who does nothing spoils nothing.”

Mistakes are the price of taking action; avoiding all effort is the only way to avoid all failure.

Con o bon tempo semmo tûtti mainæ.

“In good weather, we are all sailors.”

Anyone can appear capable when conditions are easy; true skill shows itself in hardship.

Chi perde a mattina, perde a giorna.

“Whoever loses the morning loses the whole day.”

A wasted start to the day undermines everything that follows.

Chi due levre caccia, unn-a a fuzze e l'atra a scappa.

“He who chases two hares loses them both.”

Pursuing two goals at once usually means losing both of them.

Ògni cäso into cû o fa anâ un passo avanti.

“Every kick in the seat makes you take a step forward.”

Hardship and setbacks, however unwelcome, often push a person to grow and move ahead.

O meize de çiòule o ven pe tûtti.

“The month of onions comes for everyone.”

Hard times and sorrow eventually visit every household, sooner or later.

Chi l'é stæto brûxòu da l'ægua cäda, à puia da freida ascî.

“He who has been burned by hot water fears even the cold.”

A painful past experience makes a person cautious even about things that pose no real danger.

Chi l'é troppo bon o l'é ûn mincion.

“He who is too good is taken for a fool.”

Excessive kindness without limits invites others to take advantage.

Chi no sappa no lappa.

“He who does not hoe does not eat the soup.”

Only those who put in the work earn their bread.

Dio t'avvarde da chi lèze un libbro solo.

“God protect you from the man of a single book.”

Be wary of someone who knows only one idea or source and mistakes it for the whole truth.

I parenti en comme e scarpe.

“Relatives are like shoes: the tighter they are, the more they hurt.”

Family ties held too rigidly and too close can become a source of pain rather than comfort.

I sbagli di mèghi l'asconde a tèra.

“The doctor's mistakes are hidden by the earth.”

Some errors are buried along with their consequences and never truly answered for.

O corvo dixe a o merlo: cumme t'è neigru!

“The crow says to the blackbird, 'How black you are!'”

People are quick to criticize in others the very faults they carry themselves.

O tempo perso o no s'agguanta cià.

“Lost time can never be caught again.”

Time, once wasted, can never be recovered, so it should be used wisely.

Panza affama' no sente raxon.

“A hungry stomach does not listen to reason.”

Basic need overrides logic and patience; it is hard to reason with someone who is truly suffering.

Quando o gatto passaggia o ratto sta ascoso.

“When the cat passes by, the rat stays hidden.”

While someone in authority is watching, people stay in line; the moment supervision is gone, they act freely.

Chi è in taera predica, chi è in ma navega.

“He who is on land preaches, he who is at sea must sail.”

It is easy to give advice from safety on shore; it is far harder to act under real risk at sea.

Se i disonesti foissan nuvie, ghe saieiva de longo o diluvio.

“If dishonest people were clouds, the flood would never end.”

Dishonesty is so widespread that if it took physical form, it would rain without ever stopping.

I gondoin e i funzi nàscian sensa semenali.

“Fools and mushrooms are born without anyone sowing them.”

Foolishness, like mushrooms, springs up naturally and needs no cultivation.

Pestè l'égua in to mortè.

“Pounding water in the mortar.”

Said of wasted effort — working hard at something that can never produce a result.

De mazzo e de mazzon no levate o pelisson.

“In May and early June, do not shed your fur coat.”

Do not be fooled by early warmth into abandoning caution too soon.

A moœ pietosa a fâ i figgiêu rognosi.

“A too-merciful mother raises unruly children.”

Excessive leniency in raising children, however well-intentioned, tends to produce poorly behaved offspring.

A tôa no se ven vëgi.

“At the table, one does not grow old.”

Sharing a good meal in good company is one of life's pleasures that keeps the spirit young.

Amö vëgio o no fâ rûzze.

“Old love does not rust.”

A bond built over many years remains strong and does not fade with time.

Chi à di çeppi pêu fä buscagge.

“He who has logs can make kindling.”

Those who already have resources find it easy to create smaller opportunities or do favors for others.

Chi ben særa, ben arve.

“Who closes well, opens well.”

Finishing one task properly sets the stage for a good start on the next.

In bocca sarà n'intran de mosche.

“Flies do not enter a closed mouth.”

Staying quiet at the right moment keeps a person out of trouble.

Natale a-o barco, Pasqua a-o tisson.

“Christmas on the balcony, Easter at the hearth.”

A mild, sunny Christmas is a sign that a cold Easter will follow, and the reverse holds too — old weather lore balancing the seasons.

Dio m'avvarde da-i beghin e da chi va in gâxa tutte e mattin.

“God protect me from the overly pious, and from those who go to church every morning.”

Loud, constant shows of piety are often less trustworthy than quiet, genuine faith.

A San Martin mettite o feriôlin.

“At Saint Martin's, put on your cloak.”

By mid-November, the mild days are over — it is time to prepare properly for winter.

Çento mezûa e un taggio solo.

“A hundred measurements and a single cut.”

Plan and check carefully before taking an action that cannot be undone.

Chi arröba a un ladron, ha çent'anni de perdon.

“He who steals from a thief earns a hundred years of pardon.”

Wrongdoing turned back against a wrongdoer is judged far more leniently by popular justice.

Pe conosce un bôxardo bezêugna fâlo parlà trae votte.

“To know a liar, you must make him speak three times.”

A dishonest story falls apart under repetition, while the truth stays the same each time it is told.

Se Zena a l'avesse a cianûa, de Milan ne faievan unn-a seportûa.

“If Genoa had a plain, they would have made a grave out of Milan.”

A proud, tongue-in-cheek boast about Genoa's ambition, admitting the city's only real limit is its lack of flat land.

Voto da mainâ presto o se scorda, passâ a buriann-a ciû o no se ricorda.

“A sailor's vow is soon forgotten; once the storm has passed, it is remembered no more.”

Promises made out of fear during a crisis tend to be abandoned as soon as the danger is gone.

Chi vêu vive e stâ san da-i parenti stagghe lontan.

“Who wants to live long and stay healthy should keep some distance from relatives.”

A wry, humorous warning that family closeness, however loving, can also be a source of stress.

Adaxo barbé, che l'ægua a s'ascäda.

“Slowly, barber — the water is still warming.”

Do not rush a job before conditions are actually ready for it — patience prevents a poor result.

Chi veu vedde ün cattïo, fasse arraggiâ ûn bon.

“To see a truly bad person, make a good one angry.”

Even a normally kind person can reveal a harsher side when provoked.

No se peu beive e scigoa.

“One cannot drink and whistle at the same time.”

Some actions are simply incompatible — trying to do both at once accomplishes neither.

Se n'accorziemo a-o frizze, se saiàn pèsci o anghille.

“We shall know when frying whether they are fish or eels.”

The truth of a matter only becomes clear once it is put to the real test.

No ghé bella reuza ch'a no divente ûn grattacû.

“There is no rose so beautiful that it does not turn into a bramble.”

Even the finest and most beautiful things eventually reveal a rough or painful side.