Proverbs That Make You Laugh and Think

I confess to being quite the fan of proverbs, witticisms and wonderful quotes that are either deeply wise or entertaining. As I browsed inside a post office recently I found the most exceptional bargain. Max Cryer's Preposterous Proverbs was on sale for a single dollar. Apparently this normally goes for $22.99 in Australia, so I counted myself quite fortunate. Inside I found a charming coffee table book full of proverbs and commentary.

Cryer takes the reader across cultures with proverbs from China, Russia, Denmark, Spain, Iran and Africa. Some are recent with many from the 20th century, but they are presented alongside the very old, with Euripides, Cicero and Seneca featuring. Generally the dating of the proverb is not given (and dating them exactly must have been a truly daunting task), and they are more identified by their country of origin rather than the most famous person that used them. They are presented as a product of cultures and different worldviews circulating to the extent that proverbs are often contradictory. Cryer takes great pleasure in pointing some of these out, asking the reader 'Take your pick' on whether you prefer 'Seek and ye shall find' to 'Curiosity killed the cat'.

This book proved to be quite enjoyable and thought provoking. Many will have been heard before by the reader, with their bastardised simpler versions used in everyday speak, but I was pleased to find so many new proverbs (African proverbs are not insignificant in number), from a variety of cultural sources. Cryer has done a good job, and while it is easy to blitz through and read them all, some need a lot of unraveling and Cryer does not tell what they all mean. That would take the fun out of it.

Some of my favourites are as follows:

Tell the truth and you ask for a beating (if childhood doesn't teach you this then work life will).

Who keeps company with wolves will learn to howl (a bit of a comment on socialisation there).

Grey hair is a sign of old age, but not wisdom (the young will brighten at this, the old may not).

When bulls fight, woe to the frogs (a bit of macro-political insight there).

Caesar has no authority over the grammarians (even Stalin the editor faced a severe editing after his death).

Never write a letter when you are angry (advice I managed to follow recently, luckily this proverb was in my mind at the time).

You're a lady, I'm a lady - who will feed the pigs?

The frog in the well knows nothing of the ocean (but online the frog may have an opinion about the tides).

A bad haircut is two people's shame (this is Danish, and the shame for both parties coming from a terrible haircut is something I remember quite clearly).

This is a useful educational resource as well, and I have been using this as a part of lessons to tutor the young. One of my students agreed with Randle Cotgrave who said in 1611 that 'A growing youth has a wolf in his belly', as did his mother.

Many of these proverbs remain relevant and thought-provoking. I recommend you give Preposterous Proverbs a look, after all, 'He who wishes to eat the kernel must first crack the nut.'