“He who goes slowly, goes safely; he who goes safely, goes far.”
Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
Traditional Italy Wisdom
Proverbi italiani
Folk & Oral Tradition
Who is Traditional Italy Wisdom?
Traditional Italy Wisdom gathers the proverbs and sayings (proverbi) that have been passed down orally among the Italian people for generations. These lines have no single named author; they are the shared inheritance of farmers, artisans, sailors, grandmothers, and villagers who compressed hard-won experience into a few memorable words. Italian proverbs often draw on food and wine, the sea, farming and the seasons, family and neighbours, and everyday common sense, and they teach patience, prudence, contentment, friendship, and the gap between fine words and real deeds. Because Italy was for centuries a land of many regions and dialects, the same wisdom often appears in slightly different forms from Tuscany to Sicily, from Naples to the Veneto, and many sayings live in dialect as well as in standard Italian. Since these proverbs live in everyday speech rather than in a fixed printed source, small variations exist between regions and retellings. This platform records the widely recognised standard-Italian forms and, in keeping with its accuracy rule, presents them as traditional rather than attributing them to any one person.
Sources: Traditional Italian oral tradition (proverbi italiani), public-domain folk wisdom · Regional Italian proverb collections and dialect sayings — qualitative folk-tradition scholarship
Quotes by Traditional Italy Wisdom
“The morning has gold in its mouth.”
Il mattino ha l'oro in bocca.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
“Between saying and doing lies the sea.”
Tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
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“Not all doughnuts come out with a hole.”
Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
“A good wine makes good blood.”
Buon vino fa buon sangue.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
“He who is content enjoys.”
Chi si contenta gode.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
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“The world is made of stairs; there are those who go up and those who go down.”
Il mondo è fatto a scale, c'è chi scende e c'è chi sale.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
“He who finds a friend finds a treasure.”
Chi trova un amico trova un tesoro.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
“When the cat is away, the mice dance.”
Quando il gatto non c'è, i topi ballano.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition
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“Whoever sleeps catches no fish.”
Chi dorme non piglia pesci.
Source: Traditional Italian proverb, public-domain oral tradition