Contrary Proverbs

Newton's Third Law states: "Every action has an equal and an opposite reaction". So it would stand to reason that every proverb has an equal and opposite proverb:


A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush BUT A man's reach should exceed his grasp

A miss is as good as a mile/Do it well, or not at all BUT Half a loaf is better than none

All good things come to those who wait BUT Time and tide wait for no man

Birds of a feather flock together BUT Opposites attract

Clothes make the man BUT Never judge a book by its cover

Don't cross your bridges before you come to them BUT Forewarned is forearmed

Doubt is the beginning of wisdom BUT Faith will move mountains

Good things come in small packages BUT The bigger the better

Great starts make great finishes BUT It ain't over 'till it's over

He who hesitates is lost BUT Fools rush in where angels fear to tread/Act in haste, Repent at leisure

Look before you leap BUT Strike while the iron is hot/Carpe Diem

Practice makes perfect BUT All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

The nail that sticks up gets hammered down BUT The squeaky wheel gets the grease

The pen is mightier than the sword BUT Actions speak louder than words

You're never too old to learn BUT You can't teach an old dog new tricks

What's good for the goose is good for the gander BUT One man's meat is another man's poison.

Great minds think alike/Wise men think alike BUT Fools seldom differ

The best things in life are free BUT There's no such thing as a free lunch

Slow and steady wins the race BUT Time waits for none

Absence makes the heart grow fonder BUT Out of sight, out of mind/Distance lends enchantment to the view

Too many cooks spoil the broth BUT Many hands make light work

No news is good news/Ignorance is bliss BUT Knowledge is power

The grass is always greener on the other side BUT Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don't

Cowards may die many times before their death BUT Discretion is the better part of valour/He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day

Never let the sun go down on your anger BUT Revenge is a dish best served cold

Don't burn your bridges behind you BUT 破釜沉舟

Hold fast to the words of your ancestors BUT Wise men make proverbs and fools repeat them


I'd always been meaning to do this... but other people got there first.

Ah well - the early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese! (I get to compile a more comprehensive list, format it nicely and add some of my own)