Robert Christy, comp. Proverbs, Maxims and Phrases of All Ages. 1887.
Giving
A hand accustomed to take is far from giving.Arabian.
A benefit is estimated according to the mind of the giver.Seneca.
Better give than have to give.Italian, German.
Give a clown your fingers and he’ll take your whole hand.
Give a grateful man more than he asks.Portuguese.
Give a helping hand to a man in trouble.Latin.
Give a hint to the man of sense and consider the thing done.
Give a loaf and beg a shrive.
Give a poor man sixpence and not a bottle of wine.
Give a thing and take again and you shall ride in hell’s wain.
Give and spend and God will send.
Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell.
Give him rope enough and he’ll hang himself.
Give me roast meat and beat me with the spit.
Give assistance and receive thanks lighter than a feather.
Give at first asking what you safely can,
’Tis certain gain to help an honest man.
Give every man his due.
Give me liberty or give me death.Patrick Henry.
Give me a seat and I will make room to lie down.Spanish.
Give to him that has.Italian.
Give unto the king what is the king’s, and unto God what is God’s.German.
Giving begets love, lending as usually lessens it.
Giving is fishing.Italian.
Giving much to the poor doth increase a man’s store.
God loveth a cheerful giver.
Hand and tongue never give alike.Yorubas (Africa).
He gives an egg to get a chicken.Dutch.
He gives double who gives unasked.Arabian.
He giveth twice who giveth in a trice.
He is of the race of John Vancleve who would always much rather have than give.Dutch.
He sends his present with a hook attached. (Angling for a return.)Latin.
He that bestows but a bone on thee would not have thee die.
He that gives his goods before he be dead,
Take up a mallet and knock him on the head.
He that gives his heart will not deny his money.
He that gives honor to his enemy is like to an ass.
He that gives to a grateful man puts out to usury.
He that gives to be seen will relieve none in the dark.
He that giveth customarily to the vulgar borroweth trouble.
He that giveth to a good man selleth well.
He who can give has many a good neighbor.French.
He who gives all before he dies will need a great deal of patience.
He who gives bread to others’ dogs is often barked at by his own.Italian.
He who gives fair words feeds you with an empty spoon.
He who gives grudgingly shall be taught better by adversity.Sri Lankan.
He who gives little gives from his heart; he who gives much gives from his wealth.Turkish.
He who gives mankind a new food product is a benefactor.Stilson Hutchins.
He who gives must take. (Applied to joking.)German.
He who gives to the public gives to no one.Spanish.
He who gives quickly gives doubly.German.
He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord.German, Dutch.
He who giveth expecteth something in return.Chinese.
He who would take must give.Spanish.
His name is Doson (will give). Said of one always promising, never performing.Plutarch.
If a poor man gives to you he expects more in return.Portuguese.
If you give him an inch he’ll take an ell.
It is more blessed to give than to receive.New Testament.
It is not much to give the leg to him that gave you the fowl.Spanish.
Let the giver be silent, and the receiver speak.Portuguese.
Many give with their mouths, and not with their hands.German.
Many take by the bushel and give by the spoon.German.
Much is expected where much is given.
Not he gives who likes, but who has.Spanish.
Not usurers make more beggars where they live,
Than charitable men, who heedless give.Heywood.
One always regrets what he gives to the wicked.La Fontaine.
One must not give to another what he needs himself.German.
People don’t give black puddings to one who kills no pigs.Spanish.
People give to the rich and take from the poor.German.
Rent a man a garden, and he’ll make it a desert;
Give a man a rock, and he’ll make it a paradise.
Shameless they give, who give what’s not their own.Homer.
Sic as ye gie, sic will ye get.
The hand that gives gathers.
The hand that gives is above the hand that takes.Turkish.
The hard give no more than he that hath nothing.
They are free of fruit that want an orchard.
They that gie you hinder you to buy.
They that will give must take.Don Quixote.
To be slow to give and to refuse are the same thing.French, Portuguese.
To give an apple where there is an orchard.
To give an egg to get an ox.French, Dutch.
To give and keep there is need of wit.
To give and to have doth a wise brain crave.
To give is a noble thing.Ovid.
To give is honor, to beg dishonor.Portuguese.
To give is honor, to lose is grief.Spanish.
To give quickly is to give doubly.German.
To give one as good as he brings.
To give one the dog to hold; i.e., to serve one a dog’s trick.
To give tardily is to refuse.French, Portuguese.
To him who can take all you have, give what he asks.Italian.
To him who gives you a capon you can spare a leg or a wing.Spanish.
To him who gives you a pig, you may well give a rasher.Italian.
To one who has a pie in the oven you may give a bit of your cake.
What thou givest that shalt thou take with thee.Turkish.
What we gave we have, what we spent we had, what we left we lost.Epitaph of Edward, Earl of Devon.
What you give is written in sand, what you take with an iron hand.German.
Who gives away his goods before he is dead,
Take a beetle and knock him on the head.
Who gives his milk to the cats must drink water.German.
Who gives teaches a return.Italian.
Who gives the capon give him a leg and wing.
Who gives to me teaches me to give.Dutch.
Who gives sells dear if the receiver be not a churl.Italian.
Who little gives can give often.
Whoever gives thee a bone would not wish to see thee dead.Don Quixote.
Whoever makes great presents expects great presents in return.Martial.
Your lavished stores speak not the liberal mind, but the disease of giving.Epicharmus speaking to a prodigal.