Selection of Swedish proverbs, sayings and idioms most used in Sweden, translated into Italian, as testimony to the wisdom of its people.
Swedish idioms
- Money opens all doors but not that of heaven.
- Butterflies forget they were once caterpillars.
- The words of the drunk man are the thoughts of the sober man.
- Death is the last doctor.
- Better to listen to a broken string than one that has never bent a bow.
- We praise to be praised.
- He who digs a pit for others often falls into it alone.
- We immediately notice the faults of others and easily forget ours.
- For lazy pigs the ground is always frozen.
- A bad craftsman complains about his tools.
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- He who knows how to do everything gets angry in everything.
- It is always the darkest moment before sunrise.
- Devils have more than twelve apostles.
- A job that has already been paid progresses slowly.
- He who whispers lies.
- He who speaks well knows how to lie well.
- Away from home is nice but at home it's better.
- Evening singing with alcohol: morning singing with cough.
- Justifying a mistake means making a mistake again.
- When there are no hens, the fox searches for crows.
- We are all children from the beginning.
- Mad and obstinate people make lawyers rich.
- A clear conscience is the best pillow.
- Lawyers and soldiers are the devil's playmates.
- The second wedding came the heated coffee.
- Anyone who has nothing to do is always busy.
- A good laugh prolongs life.
- Do not say hello before passing the climb.
- Bad cats have scratched skin.
- The joke is the weapon of the person of spirit; seriousness is the shield of the obtuse.
- Everything is not for everyone.
- Be serious and have fun at the same time.
- Away from home is nice but at home it's better.
- You can't teach old dogs to get into bed.
- Cry less, breathe more; talk less, talk more; hate less, love more and all good things will be yours.
- Nothing is so perfect that it can't be done better.
- Better a bird in your hand than ten in the woods.
- Whichever way you turn it the backside is always behind.
Swedish sayings
- A life without love is like a year without summer.
- How long did Adam stay in paradise?
- Those who get married for love have pleasant nights and heavy days.
- Gold blinds many, love blinds everyone.
- An ounce of lie saves tons of explanations.
- Those who dig a pit for others often fall into it.
- The afternoon knows things he never suspected in the morning.
- A successful writer has a good memory and hopes that others don't.
- Money opens all doors but not that of heaven.
- The more cooks are, the worse the soup is.
- The words of the drunk man are the thoughts of the sober man.
- Red hair and pine woods rarely grow where the land is good.
- Better to listen to a broken string than one that has never bent a bow.
- The stones placed on the grave of the dead by different hands than those of the children are rare.
- He who digs a pit for others often falls into it alone.
- Loyalty is the greatest treasure that can be found.
- For lazy pigs the ground is always frozen.
- Sometimes it is better with the fox's tail than with the lion's claw.
- He who knows how to do everything gets angry in everything.
- Poverty and love are difficult to hide.
- Devils have more than twelve apostles.
- More stupid than evil, the proud takes pity.
- He who whispers lies.
- In a good book the best thing is between the lines.
- Away from home is nice but at home it's better.
- Luck never gives; lends only.
- The important thing is not to win but to do your best.
- Shortcuts are often longer roads.
- The Lord gives all the birds a worm, but he does not let it find it in the nest.
- When a blind man brings a lame man, both proceed.
- It is getting darker before dawn.
- The miser runs after the riches like a crow behind a corpse.
- An admitted fault is half forgiven.
- There is no dance where the devil does not put his tail.
- Your praise stinks.
- For lazy pigs the ground is always frozen.
- There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.
- He who always knows everything never learns anything.
Swedish proverbs
- A bad craftsman complains about his tools.
- The coward dies thousands of times, the brave dies only once.
- Better a sincere no than a false yes.
- You have to take the customs of the place where you arrive.
- A chain is not stronger than its weakest link.
- He who fears every bush is not suitable to enter a wood.
- Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved.
- The liar is believed only once.
- A journey of a thousand miles always starts with one step.
- A piece of bread in your pocket is better than a feather on the hat.
- There is no bad weather, only inadequate clothes.
- A wise man hides his erudition better than a fool his ignorance.
- A clear conscience is the best pillow.
- All the fools in this world are brothers.
- Beauty fits any outfit well.
- The closer the source, the clearer the water.
- Nice people always arrive late.
- With servants it is like with clothes, they wear out with use.
- Young people go into gangs, adults in pairs, and old people all alone.
- In the desert, sand is cheap.
- Success brings friends, adversity tests them.
- The beautiful flowers wither immediately, the weeds last the whole season.
- Hand in hand we proceed faster.
- No tree grows to the sky.
- For lazy pigs the ground is always frozen.
- A shared happiness is a double happiness, a shared pain is half a pain.
- The neighbor's cow always has the largest breast.
- Through themselves you know others.
- He who does not want to work does not even have to eat.
- Whoever comes to the mill first grinds first.
- Everyone recommends prosperity, but few know how to rejoice.
- Do not heat your lips on the soup of others.
- If you give another little finger, you take the whole hand.
- An old love never rusts.
- A childless wedding is like a sunless sky.
- Writing well and speaking well is only vanity if you don't live well.
- Shortcuts are often longer roads.
- Do not climb a mountain when you have small stones in front of you.
- A true friend is the one with whom silence can be shared.
- A house built to satisfy everyone's taste will not have a roof.
