Poster: Beauty of the mind

From Tamil Proverbs collected and translated by P. Percival: 9. The beauty of the mind appears in the face.



Photo: Tamil woman working in a tea plantation in central Sri Lanka. Photo by Christophe Meneboeuf.

Poster: Lotus in the Mud

There will be no lotus if there is no mud.

(Vietnamese proverb)

The source for the proverb is a student in my Indian Epics class who learned this proverb when she was little.

The image is by PublicDomainPictures.net.

The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Kite and String

If the string is long, the kite will fly high.
(Chinese proverb)

The source for the proverb is David Crystal's book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006).

The image is by IrisDragon at Flickr.

The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Planting Trees

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now.
(Chinese proverb)

The source for the proverb is David Crystal's book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006).
The image is by Sustainable Sanitation at Flickr.
The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Adjust the Sails

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.

(German proverb)

The source for the proverb is David Crystal's book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006). Crystal does not provide the proverbs in the original, but I would guess this might be the German: Wir können den Wind nicht ändern, aber die Segel anders setzen.

The image is by paslotte at Flickr.

The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Lay the Egg

First lay the egg, then cackle.

(Estonian proverb)

The source for the proverb is David Crystal's book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006).

The image is by randomtruth at Flickr.

The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Rolling the Stone

The one who is not strong enough to lift the stone must roll it.
(Estonian proverb)





The source for the proverb is David Crystal's book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006).

The image is from Wikipedia. It is one of the dwarves of Wrocław!

The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: After the Game

After the game the king goes into the sack like the pawn.
(Italian proverb)

The source for the proverb is David Crystal's book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006).

The image is by Fortinbras at Flickr.

The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Trees in the Wind

Where is there a tree that is not shaken by the wind?
(Armenian proverb)

The source for the proverb is Armenian Proverbs and Sayings by Kework Bayyan (1889).

The image is by gomattolson at Flickr.

The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Anthill

Don't poke a stick into an anthill.
(Polish: Nie wtykaj kija w mrowisko.)

The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image is from Wikipedia.

Poster: Mouse Hole

A mouse cannot trust just one hole.
Mus non uni fidit antro.

Compare Chaucer's Prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale: "I think that a mouse's heart is not worth a leek if the mouse has but one hole to run to; and if that one fails, then all is over." The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image is by Zak Malik at Flickr.

Poster: Spurs

A running horse has no need of spurs.
Equo currenti non opus calcaribus.

You can find this in the sayings of Publilius Syrus. The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image is by Tsutomu Takasu at Flickr.

Proverb: Fried Eggs

No chick ever came from a fried egg.
(Latin: Ex frixis pullus ovis numquam venit ullus.)

The source for the proverb is Philosophia Patrum by Julius Wegeler (GoogleBooks). The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image by mccun934 (Flickr).

Poster: Hope

Hope is a sweet deceit.
(Italian: Speranza dolce inganno.)

The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image is at Cheezburger.

Poster: Landing

A cat always lands on its feet
(French: Un chat retombe toujours sur ses pattes.)

The source for the proverb is A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs by Henry G. Bohn (GoogleBooks). The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image is from Cheezburger.

Poster: Summer and Winter

What summer stores up, the winter consumes.
(Polish: Co lato odkłada, to zima przejada.)

The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image shows home-canned food at Wikipedia.

Poster: Go Around

Better to go around the manure than to move it.
(Polish: Gówno lepiej obejść, jak ruszyć.)

The poster is made with AutoMotivator. The image is a picture of manure at Wikipedia.

Poster: Four Eyes

Those who can read and write have four eyes.

(Albanian proverb)

The source for the proverb is David Crystal's book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006).
The image is by cucosan at Flickr.
The poster is made with AutoMotivator.

Poster: Blossom

All the buds upon a bush do not blossom.
(Kashmiri proverb)

The source for the proverb is A Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs by H. H. Knowles (Google Books): Tharih posh chhih nah warish gatshan.

The image is by barb howe (Flickr).

Poster: Two Crocodiles

Two crocodiles don’t live in one pond.
(Proverb from Ghana)

The source for the proverb is David Crystal’s book, As They Say in Zanzibar: Proverbial Wisdom from Around the World (Oxford University Press: 2006).
The image is by aacool at Flickr.
The poster is made with AutoMotivator.