Selection of Sardinian proverbs, sayings and idioms most used in Sardinia, including translation into Italian, as testimony to the wisdom of its people.
Sardinian idioms
- Bestidu, on stick paret unu baron. (Dressed, even a stick looks like a baron)
- Narat well if you say. (The saying goes well)
- Sa campana jamat sos ateros a cheja et ipsa never btrat. (The bell calls the others to church and it never enters it)
- Su not wobble east cause de milli vizios. (Not working is a cause for a thousand evils)
- Si cheres ammasettere lea muzere: naraiat unu a su mare. (If you want to get meek take a wife: someone said to the sea)
- Su mundu est tundu, and chie non ischit navigate falat a fundu. (The world is round and who doesn't know how to navigate goes down)
- S'avaru not faghet well yes not when he died. (The miser does good only when he dies)
- Su male remedialu cand’est minor. (To remedy evil when it is small)
- Si ti queres sanu, faedda pagu. (If you want to remain unharmed, speak little)
- Qui non pagat in lagrimas, pagat in suspiros. (Who does not pay in tears, pay in sighs)
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- S'arvure adderèctala dai minor, hence faghet nodu non adderectat plus. (Straighten the tree when it is small, after it ties a knot there is no more time)
- Linu muzzu, long canvas. (Short linen long canvas)
- Pius balet sperienti here does not know scientia. (Experience is more valuable than science)
- On non-faghet lege dinars. (Money doesn't make law)
- Abba up piston track, abba est, et abba s’atat. (The water pounded in his mortar, water is, and water remains)
- Su azzegat s’homine dinars. (Money blinds man)
- I went to the seas and did not deal with water. (Go to the sea and don't even find water)
- Cosa de duos cosa de niunu: what de tres de totu su mundu est. (What of two belongs to nobody: what of three belongs to the whole world)
- Sa domo est minor, on the east mannu choir. (The house is small, the heart is large)
- Sos males anzenos sunt leziones pro nois. (Others' ills are lessons for us)
- Mezus bastonadas de amigu who does not lusingas de inimigu. (Better to be beaten by a friend than to be flattered by the enemy)
- Sos maccos and sos pizzinnos narat sa veridade. (Mad and kids tell the truth)
- Cum sos mannos ista coment et in su fogu: non tantu accurzu, non tantu alluntanu. (With the powerful behaved as with fire: not very close and not very far)
- S’jerru non istat in chelu. (Winter is not in the sky)
- On machines hat trinta sex genias, et ognunu tenet su pagu sou. (The madness is of thirty-six species, and each has its own little)
- Without dinars you can't sing missa. (Without money you can't sing mass)
- Dai sa die qui prestas has unu inimigu de pius. (Since the day you make a loan, you have one more enemy)
- S'avaru cum sos poveros est che i su lupu cum sos anzones. (The miser with the poor is like the wolf with the lambs)
- Mezus fertu de balla, here not de machine. (Better hit by bullet than madness)
- Anything goes, go on the machine. (Water raises everything except madness)
- Mezus terra senza pane, que terra without justitia. (Better land without bread than land without justice)
- Sa muzere de su ladrone non riet semper. (The thief's wife doesn't always laugh)
- Sas cabras andant da in puncta in puncta, sos cascos dai bucca in bucca. (Goats go from top to top, yawns from mouth to mouth)
- Sa femina est that i know apple, pierces beautiful, and intro tip. (The woman is like the apple, beautiful outside and buggy inside)
- Chie disizat sa morte est unu vile, chie la timetable est pejus. (Who wants death is a coward, who fears it is worse)
- On whom ischit su foghile, who does not ischat on giannile. (What is said at home must not know outside)
- Bestidu, on stick paret unu baron. (Dressed, even a stick looks like a baron)
- Sa femina arrogante isbirgonzat su maridu. (The arrogant woman shames her husband)
Sardinian sayings
- Sa campana jamat sos ateros a cheja et ipsa never btrat. (The bell calls the others to church and it never enters it)
- You know what is most difficult est a connoscher a isse e totu. (The most difficult thing is to know yourself)
- Si cheres ammasettere lea muzere: naraiat unu a su mare. (If you want to get meek take a wife: someone said to the sea)
- Pro su dinari nissunu narat is enough. (No one says enough for the money)
- S'avaru not faghet well yes not when he died. (The miser does good only when he dies)
- Nen cum Santos nen cum maccos non servit bugliaare. (Do not mess with the saints or with the fools)
- Si ti queres sanu, faedda pagu. (If you want to remain unharmed, speak little)
- Jaganu semper et preideru mai. (Always a cleric and never a priest)
- S'arvure adderèctala dai minor, hence faghet nodu non adderectat plus. (Straighten the tree when it is small, after it ties a knot there is no more time)
- Su traballu fattu cum coru, est aggradessiu a Deusu. (The work done with the heart is pleasing to God)
- Pius balet sperienti here does not know scientia. (Experience is more valuable than science)
- In su bonu cum totu, in su malu cum nissune. (In good with everyone, in bad with nobody)
- Abba up piston track, abba est, et abba s’atat. (The water pounded in his mortar, water is, and water remains)
- Muzere bella, maridu corrudu. (Beautiful wife, cuckold husband)
- I went to the seas and did not deal with water. (Go to the sea and don't even find water)
- Morte de frades creschimentu de benes. (Death of brothers increase of goods)
- Ascutta arises little mean. (Listen to the mother-in-law to understand the daughter-in-law)
- Su molenti sardu du frigas a hit skeptics. (The Sardinian donkey you screw him once)
- De homine codditortu et de female bases bricks, guardadinde. (Beware of the man with the crooked neck and the woman who kisses bricks)
- On Sunday and on Ferreri Schidone 'and Linna. (In the blacksmith's house wooden spit)
- Chie hat pius ricchesas hat pius pensamentos. (Who has more wealth has more thoughts)
- Domos prò habitare, and binza prò mandigare. (Home to live, and vineyard to eat)
- Is dis bonas si stugiant po is malas. (The beautiful days are preserved for the bad ones)
- Giustissia chi falta, giustissia de balla. (Missing justice, bullet justice)
- Chentu concas, chentu berrittas. (One hundred heads, one hundred ways of thinking)
- Plus balet unu bonu bighinadu, here not unu malu parentadu. (A good neighborhood is worth more than a bad parentage)
- So fuidu dai su fumu, et rutu que so in su fogu. (I ran away from the smoke and fell into the fire)
- Inue non penetrat sa femina, mancu su diaulu. (Where the woman doesn't go, the devil doesn't even go)
- Mutos de cara, non perdent amistade. (Words spoken in the face do not lose friendship)
- Amigu de s’inimigu meu, non est amigu meu. (Friend of my enemy is not my friend)
- Sas disgratias si afferrant cum sa fortalesa, et si binchent cum sa patientia. (Misfortunes are fought with fortitude, and are overcome with patience)
- Here non queret intender non narat. Et si bides faghedi cegu. (Whoever does not want to hear does not speak, and if you see, be blind)
- Chini sezzidi in cuaddu allenu, ndi calada candu non bolidi. (Anyone riding a horse of others must go down when they don't want to)
- Homine longu, homine locu. (Tall man, dumb man)
- In corpu de unu monte si podet intrare, in coro de unu homine no. (Inside a mountain you can enter, not in the heart of a man)
- Femina risulana, or est macca or est vana. (Woman who always laughs, or is mad, or is vain)
- Mellus fillu de fortuna that fillu de gurrei. (Better son of luck than son of the king)
- Chie trag phages not always trintunu phages. (Those who turn thirty don't always turn thirty-one)
Sardinian proverbs
- Here hat coverture de bidru non bettet pedra a domo anzena. (Who has a glass head does not throw stone in the house of others)
- De milli amigos, non sinde incontrat unu fidele. (A thousand friends are not found faithful)
- In tempus de gherra, faulas down to the ground. (In wartime, lies all the way to the ground)
- Cum Deus et cum on Re pagas paraulas. (With God and with the Sovereign few words)
- Sa pedra lodrurana never lays wool. (The boulder that breaks does not put the moss)
- Ad s’istranzu non abbaides sa bertula. (To the guest never wade the saddlebag)
- Deus serrada a ventana and oberridi a door. (God closes a window and opens a door)
- Contra a Deus non andat niunu. (Nobody goes against God)
- Su cavuru narada mali de s'aligusta. (The crab speaks badly of lobster)
- Andadu ses azu, torradu ses chibudda. (You went garlic and returned onion)
- Mezus facci ruiu qui non cori nieddu. (Better to blush from error than to be black in the heart)
- Every hortulanu bandat knows his ziodda. (Each greengrocer boasts his onion)
- Consizare sos ignorantes, meritorious work. (To advise the ignorant, it is a work of charity)
- Homine jogadore, homine pedidore. (Player man, miserable man)
- De amigos est bonu a nd’haer finzas in domo de su diaulu. (It is good to have friends even in the devil's house)
- Peccados de babbu et de mama, fizos los pianghent. (Parents' sins are mourned by their children)
- Unu solu Deus est without defetu. (Only God is sinless)
- Caddu lanzu, musca meda. (To the skinny horse many flies)
- Trabagliu continuu binchet everything. (Assiduous work wins everything)
- Bardadi de femina chi hat boghe de homine, and de homine chi hat boghe de femina.(Beware of the woman who has the voice of a man, and the man who has the voice of a woman)
- You know what furada pagu durat, and comente est bennida gasi si qu’andat. (The stolen thing does not last long, and how it gets away)
- Trunch’e figu, hastu’e figu. (Fig trunk, fig branch)
- Quie la queret crua, quie la queret cocta. (Who wants it raw who wants it cooked)
- An anzone guastat totu su masone. (A rotten sheep spoils all the flock)
- Non morzat depitore, here depidu never died. (Do not die debtor that debt never dies)
- Soul to Deus, su corpus ad sa terra, sos benes a quie restant. (The soul to God, the body to the earth, the goods to those who remain)
- Su mundu est de chie lu cheret: su chelu de chie l'alcansat. (The world belongs to those who want it: the heaven of those who get it)
- Su maccu learned su sabiu. (The fool teaches the wise man)
- Totu sos homines sunt homines. (Every man is man)
- To love and not to be amadu, est tempus ingannadu. (To love and not be paid, it's wasted time)
- Nen bella senza peccu, nen fea senza tractu. (There is no beautiful without defect, nor ugly without grace)
- Ama si cheres be amadu. (Love if you want to be loved)
- Here rigalu acceptat, libertade bendet. (Who gives gift, freedom sells)
- Su dinari in ojos de medas, and in manu de pagos. (Money is in the eyes of many, and in the hands of a few)
- Nen faeddu senza ancu, ne pedde senza fiancu. (Neither word without fail, nor word without side)
- Any herva tenet su value sou, but not lu saichimus. (Each herb has its value but we don't know it)
- Tres cosas sunt reversas in su mundu, s’arveghe, s’ainu et i sa femina. (Three things are stubborn in the world, the sheep, the donkey and the woman)
- Su pain pius duru est su morrer de famine. (The greatest pain is starving)
- Familia bona, donu de su chelu. (Good family is a gift from heaven)
