French Proverbs (www.about.com)

These French proverbs are followed by their English equivalents, and then their literal translations "in quotation marks."

À cœur vaillant rien d'impossible.

Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.

"To a valient heart nothing impossible."

À l'impossible nul n'est tenu.

No one is bound to do the impossible.

À quelque chose malheur est bon.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

"Unhappiness is good for something."

Après la pluie le beau temps.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

"After the rain, the nice weather."

L'arbre cache souvent la forêt.

Can't see the forest for the trees.

"The tree often hides the forest."

Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait.

No sooner said than done

"Immediately said, immediately done."

Autres temps, autres mœurs.

Times change.

"Other times, other customs."

Aux grands maux les grands remèdes.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"To the great evils great remedies."

Avec des si (et des mais), on mettrait Paris en bouteille.

If ifs and ands were pots and pans there'd be no work for tinkers' hands.

"With ifs (and buts), one would put Paris in a bottle."

Battre le fer pendant qu'il est chaud.

To strike while the iron is hot.

"To hit the iron while it's hot."

Bon sang ne saurait mentir.

What's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh.

"Good blood doesn't know how to lie."

Chacun voit midi à sa porte.

To each his own.

"Everyone sees noon at his door."

Un clou chasse l'autre.

Life goes on.

"One nail chases the other."

En tout pays, il y a une lieue de mauvais chemin.

There will be bumps in the smoothest roads.

"In every country there is a league of bad road."

Heureux au jeu, malheureux en amour.

Lucky at cards, unlucky in love.

"Happy in the game, unhappy in love."

Il faut casser le noyau pour avoir l'amande.

No pain no gain.

"You need to break the shell to have the almond."

Il faut qu'une porte soit ouverte ou fermée.

There can be no middle course.

"A door must be open or closed."

Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard.

Leave nothing to chance.

"Nothing should be left to chance."

Il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

"There's no smoke without fire."

Il n'y a que les montagnes qui ne se rencontrent jamais.

There are none so distant that fate cannot bring together.

"There are only mountains that never meet."

Impossible n'est pas français.

There is no such word as "can't."

"Impossible isn't French."

Les jours se suivent et ne se ressemblent pas.

There's no telling what tomorrow will bring.

"The days follow each other and don't look alike."

Un malheur ne vient jamais seul.

When it rains, it pours!

"Misfortune never comes alone."

Mieux vaut plier que rompre.

Adapt and survive.

"Better to bend than to break."

Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir.

Prevention is better than cure.

"Better to prevent than to cure."

Mieux vaut tard que jamais.

Better late than never.

"Late is worth more than never."

Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

"Paris wasn't made in a day."

Les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières.

Tall oaks from little acorns grow.

"The little streams make the big rivers."

Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire.

Once the first step is taken there's no going back.

"When the wine is drawn, one must drink it."

Rien ne sert de courir, il faut partir à point.

Slow and steady wins the race.

"There's no point in running, you have to leave on time."

Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait.

Youth is wasted on the young.

"If youth knew, if old age could."

Un sou est un sou.

Every penny counts.

"A cent is a cent."

Tous les goûts sont dans la nature.

It takes all kinds (to make a world).

"All tastes are in nature."

Tout est bien qui finit bien.

All's well that ends well.

Toute peine mérite salaire.

The laborer is worthy of his hire.

"All trouble taken deserves pay."

Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

"One that you hold is better than two that you will have."

Vouloir, c'est pouvoir.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

"To want, that is to be able."