A Proverb is experience in a few words

I know someone that has a proverb for everything. I think they believe it makes them sound like Confucius and they keep on reeling them out. I like proverbs though because there is one for every situation, no matter what you do there is a proverb that tells you to do it and another that tells you not to do it and there is a lot of wisdom in them that at least needs to be considered.

One of my favourites is ‘Look before you leap’. I’m a prepper, I am always looking several moves ahead and am always watching where I leap. The opposite one is of course ‘He who hesitates’. Well there is that being prepared makes you ready for any situation so you don’t hesitate. You have the best of both worlds. Now, being cautious usually means you miss out on the occasional bounty. An opportunity not to be missed goes by because it sounds too good to be true but in my experience you are more likely to have been screwed by a dozen scammers for every one that works out to be a bargain. Playing safe works out better in the long run I think although there are the few good ones that make you a fortune but they are few and far between. It is about finding the right balance with them and not just following them blindly.

I like to look at the proverbs, work out what they really mean, to me, and if relevant I stick to them. I like to plan and prepare a strategy and it generally means to play safe and it is in my nature to do so. The following are to me the critical proverbs that we all need to consider when prepping;. This is my list of favourites

• A drowning man will clutch at a straw
• Actions speak louder than words
• Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
• Blood is thicker than water
• Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder
• A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew
• Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight
• Don’t burn your bridges behind you
• Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched
• Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face
• Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
• Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
• He who pays the piper calls the tune
• Health is wealth
• If life gives you lemons, make lemonade
• If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail
• If you’re in a hole, stop digging
• It’s better to be safe than sorry
• Knowledge is power
• Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans
• Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves
• Look before you leap
• Make hay while the sun shines
• Measure twice, cut once
• One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter
• Perfect Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
• Practice make perfect
• Waste not, want not
• You can’t win them all

To me these all mean something that we should all know and accept. They are the wisdom of ages made available to you by others experiences. Heed them wisely or learn the harder way. By bitter experience.