The following our Sicilian Proverbs:
*A message to a son, but really intended for his wife: ”I’m speaking with you son”, (but daughter-in-law you listen). Message really meant for the latter.
*Married children, problem doubled
*From the fruit you will know the(type of)tree.
*Bad grass never dies, (dries-up).
*The best wine has become vinegar, (meaning your best friend has become your enemy).
*Those who love you will make you cry, and those who hate you will make you laugh.
*With patience you will win (over the unjust cause).
*Listen to older people, if you want to learn.
* From being old, we return to being babies.
*When the clouds look like sheep wool, if doesn’t rain today it will rain in the morning.
*Lots of talk, but no action…
*To love and not be loved in return is the greatest folly in life..
*No one steals from you if he doesn’t know your possessions.
*To go to bed–and not be able to sleep; sit at the table –and be unable to eat; to wait–for someone who will not arrive–these are three 2)pains that can kill one
*After you’ve been robbed, you secure your property
*Make clear your intentions, and you’ll be successful.
*Neighbors are like snakes, if they don’t see you they can hear you.
*Extremely close friendship, can turn to many problems.
*Even the queen needed the help of a neighbor.
*We may criticize our own, but we won’t allow others to do it.
*With friends and relatives, it is best to have nothing in common, (do not conduct business).
*Don’t lend money to a friend, you’ll lose the money and the friend.
*When give and take exists, real friendship survives.
*With friends, speak clearly.
*When one has a true friend, it’s as if having 2 souls.
*Faraway friends may be very affectionate, but not so when they
are close by.
*God has given us a family; friends we get to choose.
*The husband’s relatives are as sour as vinegar, the wife’s relatives are as sweet as honey.
*A true friend will never abandon you.
*Relatives are like shoes, the tighter they are the more they hurt.
*Always stay real close to your enemies.
*Blood cannot become water…i.e. sooner or later blood relatives will regain closeness.
*Better to have a friend in a place of success then to have money in your pocket.
*There’s no “yours or mine” between good friends.
*If you have a good friend, overlook his/her bad habits.
*A true friend will never leave you in your adversity, he’ll stand by you with encouragement and loving care.
*Don’t confide in your friend regarding what you earn or reap (farming).
*With a true friend, one does not keep count as what’s given to him/her.
*If, at first, your friend pretends to not hear you, it’s a sign he is doesn’t like what he heard.
*Where there is sunshine, there’s no need for a doctor.
*We can live 100 years, but die in a moment.
*In the other world, (after our death) we will all see each other.
*When one is eating, he is fighting death. (Not being careful while eating as one can choke).(Grandma Gelsomina’s)
*If you live with only hope, you’ll die desperate.
*Against death, one does not need to be armed.
*God should keep our mind intact, until 3 days after our death.
*When one is well off, one should not whine.
*For a cold: Syrup of sheets. (i.e. stay comfy in bed).
*If it’s just a “fright/scare” it’s nothing.
*If you wish to be healthy, eat eggs, and drink wine.
*Nature, and bad habit will be with you to the grave.
*The tongue will strike where the tooth is sore.
*A cracked pot can last longer than a new one.
*To pretend to be deaf, blind and dumb, and not gossip, is to
*live 100 yrs.
*He who has health and freedom, is rich and does not know it.
*As we age, we will have more wisdom.
*What we do in our youth, we will enjoy in our old age.
*Life is full of years and suffering.
*The weight of our years, is the heaviest, (to bear).
*It’s not the years we’ve had, but what we show.
*Old age wants no games to play, but rather good food, wine, and warmth.
*Worries will turn your hair white.
*To be young is to be rich, and free…to be old is to be poor, and become enslaved.
*Strength is given to the young, wisdom given to the old.
*Wine should be old, and oil should be new.
*Be frugal while your barrel is still full, (as of wine), for when it’s nearly empty, there no sense in using (its content) sparingly.
*Dress up beggar, and you’ll look like a baron. (Grandma Gelsomina’s)
* Clothes speak to us in this manner: treat us well at home, and I will see that you’ll look your best when out and about.( Grandma G.)
*Run toward quality stuff, and run from cheap stuff. (Grandma G.)
*Sell in a hurry, but do not buy in a hurry. (Grandma G.)
*When the donkey does not want to drink, it’s useless to whistle (a sign for him to drink). (Grandpa Francesco)
*To bring the donkey in tail first (to do things the hard way). (G. F.)
*We’ve eaten the donkey, now all that’s left is the tail. Meaning the worse is over…(Aunt Antonetta)
*A dead nose can’t smell a rose. (Aunt Antonetta)
*St. Joseph your immediate intervention is needed. (Uncle Paul)
*A penny saved is a penny earned–and no tax! (Uncle Tom)
*Life is hard yard by yard, let Jesus be your ruler. (Uncle Tom)
*Man is a slave to his habits! (Uncle Pat)
*Our children are our enemies!! (Uncle Onofrio)
*”Who kills himself/herself for their children, is like hitting oneself with a mallet” (Grandma G.)
*That which is done for grandchildren and in-laws is all lost. (G. G.)
*Do a great job, and you can expect just reward. (G. G)
*If you’re asleep, there’s no way can you’ll catch fish.
*Better this than being stoned (meaning being stone is the worse ).
*Love your man with whatever fault he may be.
*The arrival of death and/or a husband comes when least expected.
*The wife should be of age 18, and the man of 28.
*The wife will either “make” or “break” the home.
*Children and husbands will act as they’ve been allowed.
*Better death, than live with a husband who makes a pole our of a hair.(Exaggerates)
*Better single than be married to the wrong person. (G.G.)
*When husband and wife argue, it’s best never interfere.
*He who works, eats.
*An ultra-sensitive surgeon, cannot be great at surgery.
*If you risk, you’ll find success.
*Children are pieces of our hearts, and should never be left..
*If someone should pretend to love you more than your mother, she is either crazy or fooling you.
*Mothers are like our souls, once lost, they’re never to be regained.
*A mother/father can care for 10 children, however 10 children cannot care for one mother/father.
*Parents give children wings, then it’s up to them to fly.
