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Proverbs reflect the cultural heritage of a language
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Our Project

The Proverbs Project is an anthropological and sociolinguistic exploration of seven diverse cultures and languages of the world, using proverbs as a tool to gain insight into human nature and behavior.

Our Mission

To answer a rather novel question: Does the culturally accepted wisdom embedded in a particular Spanish proverb have an equivalent in all of these widely spoken languages?

English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili

To create a community of collaborators around the world

How we did it

Step 1: We randomly selected 53 commonly used Spanish proverbs

For example:
Vístame despacio, tengo prisa / Dress me slowly, I am in a hurry
A perro flaco, todo son pulgas / To a skinny dog, everything is fleas
A la tercera, va la vencida / On the third time goes the winner

Step 2: Then, we searched for and found the equivalent proverbs in all 6 other languages

English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili

Step 3: We realized the answer to our mission question was a resounding – Yes.

The wisdom conveyed by every one of the 53 Spanish proverbs do have an equivalent expression in the other 6 other languages.

One example of this shared human wisdom

#4 To kill two birds with one stone

English: To kill two birds with one stone

Spanish: Matar dos pájaros de un tiro

To kill 2 birds with one only shot

Hindi: एक तीर से दो निशान।

One arrow two targets.

Swahili: Kufa na kuzikana.

To be died and buried

Chinese: 一石二鸟

Throwing a stone hits two birds.

Russian: Убить двух зайцев одним выстрелом.

Kill two hares with one shot.

Arabic: قطف ثمار شجرة واحدة برمية واحدة

To gather the fruits of one tree with one throw

How to navigate the full list of 53 proverbs in 7 different languages?

1. If you click on any language below, for ex. Swahili, you’ll to see the full list of 53 proverbs in Swahili, which are the Swahili equivalents of the original 53 Spanish proverbs.

So, each proverb on the list is displayed like above and you are encouraged to make comments on the proverb. Click here to learn more about how to collaborate.

2. If you click on any of the 53 proverbs, you’ll see the equivalent proverbs in all 7 languages, just like you see in the example above.

So, the list of 53 Swahili proverbs are NOT translations of Spanish nor English proverbs. They are Swahili proverbs that convey the same meaning as the other 6 languages.

You will see a literal English translation below each Swahili proverb on the full list of 53. The same is true for Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Hindi.

Full List of 53 Proverbs in 7 Languages

See proverbs in:
English Spanish Russian Chinese Arabic Hindi Swahili
1.

ا يوجد دخان بدون نار
There is no smoke without fire
2.

كل ماء كان فيه زاد، فإنّه يتحطم
Every water that has an excess, it will eventually break.
3.

الذئب يغير الشعر ولا الأخلاق
The wolf changes its hair but not its character
4.

قطف ثمار شجرة واحدة برمية واحدة
To gather the fruits of one tree with one throw
5.

قطف ثمار شجرة واحدة برمية واحدة
To gather the fruits of one tree with one throw
6.

 “لا يوجد أعمى مثل أولئك الذين لن ير
There is no such blind as those who will not see
7.

الحاجة تعلم السباحة.
Necessity teaches swimming
8.

عين الرب في ماله
The owner's eye is on his wealth
9.

“البعيد عن العين بعيد عن القلب”
Out of sight from the heart of the eye
10.

ليس كل ما يلمع ذهبًا
Not all that glitters is gold
11.

َمِّن كلْبَكَ يأْكُلَك
Fat your dog and he will eat you
14.

ُصلّي الفرض ويُنقّب الأرض
Pray the necessary, then excavate the earth
15.

لشيء بمسماه يكون
A thing is known by its name
16.

الأفضل أن تتأخر من أن لا تأتي
Better to be late than never to come

The Universality Index

The striking conclusion of the Proverbs Project is that every proverb on our list of 53 randomly selcted Spanish proverbs has an equivalent in all of the other 6 languages:
English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili (Total number of proverbs = 392)

Click here to see: Full List of Proverbs

To measure how close the seven versions of a proverb are, we have developed a
Universality Index.
The Universality IndexAra: ﺔَﺘِﺑﺎﺛ ُ ﺔَﺜِﻟﺎﺜﻟا
The third is certain
100% coincidence in the use of professions (blacksmith / shoemaker / street vendor /
barber / weaver)
43% coincidence in shoemaker (Spanish / Russian / Hindi)
Proverb #44: In the house of the blacksmith, wooden spoon

Let’s use the following example below to explain what we mean by universality.
Proverb #44 expresses the idea that quite often people don’t apply in their personal
life things they know or do well.

Spanish: En casa del herrero, cuchillo de palo

In the house of the blacksmith, a wooden spoon

English: The shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot

Hindi: कबीरा ख़ार-जा, चप्पल छूर.

Kabir is a weaver, but his slippers are torn.

Swahili: Kinyozi hajinyoi.

A barber does not shave himself.

Chinese: 卖盐老婆喝淡汤

The woman who sells salt drinks light soup

Russian: Сапожник без сапог.

Shoemaker without boots.

Arabic: الإسكافي حافي وباب النَجَّار مَخْلوع

The cobbler is barefoot and the carpenter's door is broken

Shared Wisdom: Familiarity breeds complacency.

Percentage represents common usage of key words
Professions, several - 100% coincidence (7 of 7 languages)
Shoemaker - 43% coincidence (3 of 7 languages)

UNIVERSAL PROVERB = 100% use of a key word

What we want to do

To create a community of collaborators around the world

Become part of an engaging community dedicated to exploring the anthro-linguistic significance of proverbs and how they reflect the common values and beliefs of billions of people around the globe!

Learn more about how the multiple ways you can collaborate and contribute to the Proverbs Project

JOIN THE CONVERSATION