German Proverbs

German proverbs to make you wiser. The German language is full of interesting proverbs that hold valuable life advice.

German learners, memorize some or all of these if you’d like to add some weight to your words… or simply to impress your German friends.

Proverbs that are similar in English and German

• 🔊 Listen Du siehst den Wald lauter Bäumen nicht

Literally: you don’t see the forest for all the trees

Since this proverb is so similar to the English equivalent, its literal and metaphoric translations are the same! This proverb is a good reminder to not just look at the details, such as specific failures or successes, but rather the whole picture.

• 🔊 Listen Erst denken, dann handeln

Literally: first think, then act

While this might translate directly, the more common English equivalent is ‘think before you speak,’ or ‘think before you leap.’ Essentially, this proverb is instructing you to take a moment and consider possible consequences and outcomes before doing anything.

• 🔊 Listen Kümmere dich nicht um ungelegte Eier

Literally: don’t care/worry about the unlaid eggs

This proverb is fairly similar to the English ‘don’t count your chickens before they hatch.’ However, this version isn’t suggesting we shouldn’t rely on means we don’t have, but rather to not worry about things that haven’t and might never happen.

• 🔊 Listen Wer ernten will, muss säen

Literally: whoever wants to harvest will sow

While this proverb’s literal translation might seem unrelated to any English proverbs, it has the colloquial meaning of ‘you reap what you sow.’ It’s one of the many ways of saying ‘what goes around comes around,’ good or bad. For example:

🔊 Listen Ich fiel mein Prüfung aus!   (I failed my test!)

🔊 Listen Wer ernten will, muss säen. Du hättest studieren sollen.    (You reap what you sow. You should’ve studied)

• 🔊 Listen Das Auge isst mit

Literally: the eye eats too

In English, the proverb becomes ‘eat with your eyes,’ and is perhaps more popular among chefs/cooks. It highlights that our eyes see things before we eat them and can alter perceptions about the food.

A similar proverb that can be applied more generally would be ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ or ‘verurteile niemals ein Buch aufgrund seines Covers.’

German proverbs about learning

• 🔊 Listen Anfangen ist leicht, Beharren ist Kunst

Literally: to start is easy, to persist is art

Anyone who has tried to start a new habit, learn a new skill, or even tried to get kids to clean up after themselves has probably felt this German proverb. Essentially it means that starting to do something is much easier than seeing it all the way through.

• 🔊 Listen Aus Schaden wird man klug

Literally: through detriment/disadvantage one becomes smart

A more metaphoric translation of this proverb would be ‘failure makes one smart.’ This is probably a particularly helpful reminder for perfectionists. We don’t have to be perfect at everything we do, and in fact, failing actually does help us learn!

• 🔊 Listen Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr

Literlly: what Hansy/little Hans doesn’t learn, Hans will never learn

This proverb can be seen colloquially as ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.’ Generally, it is thought to mean that if you don’t learn something while you’re young, you won’t learn it at all.

However, it can also be taken to mean that if you don’t teach your kids the fundamentals (i.e., manners, patience, resilience) when they’re young, then they won’t have those things when they’re adults and will struggle to acquire them later in life.

• 🔊 Listen Übung macht den Meister

Literally: practice makes the master

This German proverb is pretty similar to the English ‘practice makes perfect,’ but instead emphasizes mastery over perfection. Even if you’re naturally good at something, you won’t become a master at it without practice. Here’s an example:

🔊 Listen Komm schon. Du spielst immer Geige, kommst an den Strand

(Come on. You always play the violin, come to the beach)

🔊 Listen Vielleicht später. Übung macht den Meister   (Maybe later. Practice makes perfect)

German proverbs about life

• 🔊 Listen Kleinvieh macht aus Mist

Literally: small livestock/domestic animals also make manure

This German proverb serves as a good reminder that even the small things add up, both good and bad. On the one hand, perhaps you think that not recycling is fine since others do it, but if a bunch of people think that way, then those ‘individuals’ make a big impact.

On the other hand, if you put away even 2% of your paycheck each month, then over time you’ll have a much larger amount. This alternate scenario is a bit optimistic, though, and generally this proverb is used for negative actions.

• 🔊 Listen Wenn zwei sich streiten, freut sich der Dritte

Literally: when two fight, the third is happy

Essentially this German proverb is saying that when two people are fighting, there might be a third person profiting from the conflict. It’s a good reminder to be aware of the circumstances and understand why you’re even fighting with someone in the first place, and whether it’s really worth it.

• 🔊 Listen Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof/Wunschkonzert/Zuckerschlecken

Literally: life is not a pony farm/musical request program/lick of sugar/bed of roses

Much like in English, German also has a saying for how life is not like X pleasurable thing. There are a couple of different ways to get this sentiment across in German, so I’ve included them all here. You can pick and choose depending on which you feel life is least like at the moment.

• 🔊 Listen Krummes Holz gibt auch gerades Feuer

Literally: bent wood also makes straight fire