| |
| A barber learneth to shave by shaving fools. | 1 |
| A fair promise makes a fool merry. | 2 |
| A fool always comes short of his reckoning. | 3 |
| A fool always finds a greater fool than himself. Boileau. | 4 |
| A fool always finds a greater fool that admires him. German. | 5 |
| A fool and his money are soon parted. | 6 |
| A fool can dance without a fiddle. | 7 |
| A fool cannot be silent. Demaratus, king of Sparta. | 8 |
| A fool demands much, but he is a greater that gives it. | 9 |
| A fool has not stuff enough to make a good man. Rochefoucauld. | 10 |
| A fool if he holds his tongue passes for wise. Spanish. | 11 |
| A fool is better than an obstinate man. | 12 |
| A fool is full of words. | 13 |
| A fool is like other men as long as he is silent. Danish. | 14 |
| A fool is one who gives, and greater fool one who will not take. German. | 15 |
| A fool is the wise man’s ladder. African. | 16 |
| A fool laughs when others laugh. | 17 |
| A fool loses his estate before he finds his folly. | 18 |
| A fool may chance to say a wise thing. Dutch. | 19 |
| A fool must now and then be right by chance. Cowper. | 20 |
| A fool never admires himself so much as when he has committed some folly. Chinese. | 21 |
| A fool only wins the first game. Danish. | 22 |
| A fool shoots; God guides the bullet. Russian. | 23 |
| A fool thinks nothing right but what he does himself. | 24 |
| A fool unless he knows Latin is never a great fool. Spanish. | 25 |
| A fool wants his cloak on a rainy day. | 26 |
| A fool when he hath spoken hath done all. | 27 |
| A fool who speaks the truth is better than a hundred liars. German. | 28 |
| A fool will laugh when he is drowning. | 29 |
| A fool will not be foiled. | 30 |
| A fool will not gie his bauble for the tower of London. | 31 |
| A fool’s head never whitens. | 32 |
| A fool’s bolt is soon shot. | 33 |
| A fool’s bolt may sometimes hit the mark. | 34 |
| A fool’s heart dances on his lips. | 35 |
| A fool’s lips are the snare of his soul. Bible. | 36 |
| A fool’s speech is a bubble of air. | 37 |
| A fool’s tongue is long enough to cut his own throat. | 38 |
| A fool’s voice is known by a multitude of words. Bible. | 39 |
| A nod from a lord is a beefsteak for a fool. | 40 |
| A pointless saying is a fool’s doing. Punch. | 41 |
| A prating fool shall fall. Bible. | 42 |
| A thorn in the foot and a fool’s answer, are two sharp things. Irish. | 43 |
| A wise look may secure a fool if he talk not. | 44 |
| All but fools know fear sometimes. Henry Hein. | 45 |
| All cry “fie” on the fool. | 46 |
| All fails that fools think. | 47 |
All fools have still an itching to deride,
And fain would be upon the laughing side. Pope. | 48 |
| All places are filled with fools. Cicero. | 49 |
| All the fools are not dead yet. | 50 |
| |
|
|
| |
| All too good is every man’s fool. | 51 |
| An easy fool is a knave’s tool. | 52 |
| An ass will deny more in an hour than a hundred philosophers will prove in an hundred years. | 53 |
| An old fool is better than a young simpleton. Danish. | 54 |
| As the bell clinks so the fool thinks. | 55 |
| As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool. Bible. | 56 |
Be wise with speed,
A fool at forty is a fool indeed. Young. | 57 |
| Bray a fool in a mortar, he’ll be never the wiser. | 58 |
| By his immoderate laughter you can always distinguish a fool. Latin. | 59 |
| Even a fool can bet a good hand at poker. (A game of cards.) | 60 |
| Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise. Bible. | 61 |
| Even fools sometimes speak to the purpose. | 62 |
| Everybody must wear out one pair of fool’s shoes if he wear no more. German. | 63 |
| Every fool is pleased with his bauble. | 64 |
| Every fool is wise when he holds his tongue. | 65 |
| Every fool thinks he is clever enough. Danish. | 66 |
| Every fool wants to give advice. Italian. | 67 |
| Every fool will be meddling. Bible. | 68 |
| Every man a little beyond himself is a fool. | 69 |
| Every man hath a fool in his sleeve. French, Italian. | 70 |
| Every man’s friend, every man’s fool. German. | 71 |
| Far fools hae fair feathers. | 72 |
| Fool is he who alone talks and is his only listener. Turkish. | 73 |
| Fools and madmen ought not to be left in their own company. | 74 |
| Fools are all the world over, as he said who shod the goose. | 75 |
| Fools are always resolute to make good their own folly. | 76 |
| Fools are free all the world over. German. | 77 |
| Fools are known by looking wise. Butler. | 78 |
| Fools are not to be convinced. | 79 |
| Fools are pleased with their own blunders. | 80 |
| Fools are plentier than philosophers because there is more demand for them. Durbin Ward. | 81 |
| Fools for arguments use wagers. Butler. | 82 |
| Fools go in throngs. French. | 83 |
| Fools grin on fools. Young. | 84 |
| Fools grow without watering. Italian. | 85 |
| Fools’ haste is no speed. | 86 |
| Fools laugh at their own sport. | 87 |
| Fools live poor to die rich. | 88 |
| Fools must not be set on eggs. German. | 89 |
| Fools refuse favors. | 90 |
| Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Pope. | 91 |
| Fools set far trysts. | 92 |
| Fools shou’d na hae chopping sticks. | 93 |
| Fools should not see half-done work. | 94 |
| Fools will not part with their bauble for all Lombard street. | 95 |
| Fools worship mules that carry gold. | 96 |
| Forbid a fool a thing and that he’ll do. | 97 |
| From many questions one knows a fool. German. | 98 |
| “God help the fool!” said the idiot. | 99 |
| God sends fools fortune. | 100 |
| Great fools have great bells. Dutch. | 101 |
| Greater fools than those of Zago, who dunged the steeple to make it grow. Italian. | 102 |
| He does a good day’s work who rids himself of a fool. French. | 103 |
| He exposes himself to be thought a fool who reports the follies of others. French. | 104 |
| He has great need of a fool who makes himself one. French. | 105 |
| He is a fool who avoids the place where he has aforetime broken his nose. Russian. | 106 |
| He is a fool who boasts of four things: that he has good wine, a good horse, a handsome wife, and plenty of money. Italian. | 107 |
| He is a fool who buys an ox to have good cream. German. | 108 |
| He is a fool who makes his physician his heir. French. | 109 |
| He is a fool that makes a mallet of his fist. French. | 110 |
| He is a fool who only hears himself speak. German. | 111 |
| He is a fool who only sees the mischiefs that are past. Bryant. | 112 |
| He is a fool who spends more money than his receipts. French. | 113 |
| He is a fool who thinks that another does not think. Italian, German, Portuguese. | 114 |
| He is a great fool who forgets himself to feed another. Spanish. | 115 |
| He is fool enough himself who will bray against another ass. | 116 |
| He is nae the fool that the fool is, but he that wi’ the fool deals. | 117 |
| He shall have enough to do who studies to please fools. | 118 |
| He that cannot reason is a fool. | 119 |
| He that can turn his hand to anything hath not the mind of a fool. Chinese. | 120 |
| He that is only his own pupil shall have a fool for his tutor. | 121 |
| He that is well sheltered is a fool if he stir out into the rain. | 122 |
| He who is born a fool is never cured. | 123 |
| He who is very learned is a very learned fool. Tamil. | 124 |
| He who would make a fool of himself will find many to help him. Danish. | 125 |
| He is a fool that’s wiser abroad than at home. | 126 |
| I will not dance for every fool’s pipe. | 127 |
| If a fool have success it ruins him. | 128 |
| If all fools wore white caps we should look like a flock of sheep. | 129 |
| If every fool were to wear a bauble, fuel would be dear. | 130 |
| If every fool wore a crown, we should all be kings. Welsh. | 131 |
| If every one were wise, the fool would be the prize. German. | 132 |
| If fools ate no bread, corn would be cheap. German, Dutch. | 133 |
| If fools went not to the market, bad wares would not be sold. | 134 |
| If there were neither fools or knaves in the world all people would be of one mind. Spanish. | 135 |
| If thou play the fool stay for a fellow. | 136 |
| If you play with a fool at home he’ll play with you in the market. | 137 |
| If you want to get into the bog, ask five fools the way to the wood. Livonian. | 138 |
| It is a cunning part to play the fool well. | 139 |
| It is better to be a beggar than a fool. | 140 |
| It is better to deal with a whole fool than a half fool. German. | 141 |
| It is better to please a fool than to anger him. | 142 |
| It is the part of a fool to say, “I should not have thought it.” Latin. | 143 |
| It is the property of fools to be always judging. | 144 |
| It needs a cunning hand to shave a fool’s head. Dutch. | 145 |
| Knaves and fools divide the world. | 146 |
| Learned fools are the greatest of all fools. German. | 147 |
| More fools, more fun. French. | 148 |
| Neither give to all nor contend with fools. German. | 149 |
| Never challenge a fool to do wrong. | 150 |
| Never defy a fool. French. | 151 |
| No fool like an old fool. | 152 |
| No one is a fool always: every one sometimes. | 153 |
| Nobody is twice a fool. Accra (Africa). | 154 |
| No creature smarts so little as a fool. Pope. | 155 |
| None but a fool is always right. | 156 |
| None is so wise but the fool overtakes him. | 157 |
| Nothing looks so much like a man of sense as a fool that holds his tongue. German. | 158 |
| Nothing so foolish as the laugh of a fool. Martial. | 159 |
| Old fools are more foolish than voting ones. Rochefoucauld. | 160 |
| One begins by being a fool and ends by being a knave. | 161 |
| One fool is enough in a house. | 162 |
| One fool praises another. | 163 |
| One should be born either a king or a fool. German. | 164 |
| Ordinarily I can bear the sensible knave better than the fool. Pope. | 165 |
| Send a fool to market and a fool he’ll return. | 166 |
| Silent fools may pass for wise. | 167 |
| Speak not of stones to a fool lest he cast them at thy head. Turkish. | 168 |
| The assistance of fools only brings an injury. Latin. | 169 |
| The false modesty of fools will conceal ulcers rather than have them cured. Horace. | 170 |
| The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Bible. | 171 |
| The feast passes and the fool remains. Italian, Spanish. | 172 |
| The first chapter of fools is to esteem themselves wise. | 173 |
| The fool and the brutish person die and leave their wealth to others. Bible. | 174 |
| The fool cuts himself with his own knife. French. | 175 |
| The fool discerns the faults of others and forgets his own. Cicero. | 176 |
| The fool has always wet weather in his calendar. German. | 177 |
| The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. Bible. | 178 |
| The fool hunts for misfortune. French. | 179 |
| The fool is busy in every one’s business but his own. | 180 |
| The fool runs away while his house is burning. | 181 |
| The fool saith, “Who would have thought it.” | 182 |
| The fool thinks nothing well done but what he has done himself. | 183 |
| The fool who falleth into the fire rarely falleth out of it. Arabian. | 184 |
| The fool who is silent passes for wise. French, Portuguese. | 185 |
| A fool’s life is half death. German. | 186 |
| The fool’s pleasure costs him dear. | 187 |
| The more riches a fool hath, the greater fool he is. | 188 |
| The older a fool the worse he is. German. | 189 |
| The poor fool that closeth his mouth never winneth a dollar. Spanish Gypsy. | 190 |
| The prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Bible. | 191 |
| The shadow of a lord is a cap for a fool. Italian. | 192 |
| The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. Bible. | 193 |
| The world is too narrow for two fools a quarrelling. | 194 |
| There are bearded fools. | 195 |
| There cannot be a more intolerable thing than a fortunate fool. | 196 |
| There is a fool at every feast. Dutch. | 197 |
| There is a medium betwixt all fool and all philosopher. | 198 |
| There is no art can make a fool wise. | 199 |
| There is no fool in this world but who is sure to find a greater fool than himself. French. | 200 |
| There is no fool like a learned fool. Italian. | 201 |
| There is no knife cuts keener than a fool turned doctor. German. | 202 |
| There is no man that hath not a vein of the fool in him. German. | 203 |
| There is no need to fasten a bell to a fool, he is sure to tell his own tale. Danish. | 204 |
| There is nothing blackens like the ink of fools. Pope. | 205 |
| There is nothing so intolerable as a fortunate fool. Latin. | 206 |
| There must be fools in the world. German. | 207 |
This fellow’s wise enough to play the fool,
And to do that well craves a kind of wit. Shakespeare. | 208 |
| Though a coat be ever so fine that a fool wears, yet ’tis but a fool’s coat. | 209 |
| Though the fool waits, the day does not. French. | 210 |
| Thrust not thy finger into a fool’s mouth. Dutch. | 211 |
| ’Tis sweet to play the fool in time and place. Homer. | 212 |
| To be a fool or knave in print doth but bring the truth to light. | 213 |
| To every fool his cap. Dutch. | 214 |
| To promise and give nothing is comfort to a fool. | 215 |
| To reprove a fool is but lost labor. | 216 |
| Two fools in one house are too many by a couple. | 217 |
| Unless a fool knows Latin he is never a great fool. Spanish. | 218 |
| We have all been fools in our time. Latin. | 219 |
| What gifts to fools avail? Homer. | 220 |
| When a fool finds a horseshoe, he thinks ay the like to do. | 221 |
| When a fool has spoken he has done all. | 222 |
| When a fool hath bethought himself the market is over. | 223 |
| When fools go to market, pedlers (hucksters) make money. Dutch, Danish. | 224 |
| When fools have nothing to talk about they talk about the weather. German. | 225 |
| When gods gave fools mouths, it was not that they might talk but eat. Turkish. | 226 |
| Where two fools meet the bargain goes off. | 227 |
| Where you see a jester a fool is not far off. | 228 |
| When fools shun one sort of vices they fall on their opposite extremes. Horace. | 229 |
| Who is born a fool is never cured. Italian. | 230 |
Why thinks the fool with childish hope to see
What neither is, nor was, nor e’er shall be? Ovid. | 231 |
| Wise lads and old fools were never good for anything. Italian. | 232 |
| With fools it is always holiday. Latin. | 233 |
| Worthless is the advice of fools. Latin. | 234 |
| Young fools think that the old are dotards, but the old have forgotten more than the young fools know. Dutch. | 235 |
| |
