为了学好英语，特别是为了提高英语写作和翻译水平，了解和熟悉一些英文谚语和格言十分必要。这些谚语源远流长，反映了前人在生活实践中所积累的经验和教训，既富有知识性和哲理性，又形象生动、通俗易懂。由于谚语大多韵律和谐，读来朗朗上口，听来印象深刻，所以比较容易记忆。如果再与我国相应的谚语和成语加以比较，就更易于人们全面掌握、正确使用。下文，本站小编为大家整理了英文谚语与西方文化，欢迎借鉴参考。
(1)A fool at forty is a fool indeed.
孔子云：四十而不惑。又云：年四十而见恶焉，其终也已。 (The person who at the age of forty still evokes the dislikes of others is a hopeless case.) 西谚谈的也是这个意思，只不过换了一种说法。正如另一句西谚所说，Life begins at forty.
E.g. John never lived up to the expectations of his family. Twenty years after college, he has accomplished nothing, which reminds us of the proverb, "A fool at forty is a fool indeed!"
(2)Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
孔子有相似的论断，但境界更高：“己所不欲，勿施于人”。在西方，《圣经》中也有类似的警句。
E.g. Washington likes to accuse other governments of violating human rights. However, those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Why not try, instead，to eliminate the numerous human rights violations in the United States?
(3)Old habits die hard.
这句谚语说的是一个习惯问题。如果要找出一个相应的中文成语来匹配的话，那就是“江山易改，本性难移。” 当然，中文这个成语里有些许贬义，但英文这句话本身的使用却不受褒贬的限制，有时还可能有自嘲的意思。
E.g. A: Why, I have told Joe millions of times that he should leave his dirty shoes outside, but it seems that he is just turning a deaf ear to my advice!
B: Come on, calm down. Old habits die hard, you know.
(4)Everybody's business is nobody's business.
一个和尚挑水吃，两个和尚还能抬水吃，而三个和尚却落得个“没水吃”, 不正是此意吗?
E.g. It is commonly said that everybody's business is nobody’s business. Just look at the graffiti pollution on public buildings, and you'll see that although nobody likes it, no one has done anything to get rid of it.
(5)Bad news travels fast.
正所谓 “好事不出门 , 坏事传千里。” 这也许与人们的猎奇心理有关，越是有争议的话题越能得到人们的关注，bad news 自然就会大有市场，令人们奔走相告。
E.g. A: Newman missed the championship by a mere 0.1second. The news just came out at noon, but now the whole city seems to be talking about it!
B: Yeh, bad news travels fast.
(6)There is truth in wine.
东方与西方在“酒后吐真言”这一点上达到了惊人的共识。
E.g. A: Listen, Julia! You may not believe it, but it did happen! Yesterday, after several glasses of beer, Peter told me he's been wanting to marry me for quite some time but just didn't have enough courage to say so.
B: Oh, how could it be so dramatic? Congratulations then! There is truth in wine!
(7)Great oaks from little acorns grow.
请注意，这是“Great oaks grow from little acorns ”的倒装句。再大的橡树也是从小小的种子开始发芽、成长的，任何事物的发展都有个由少到多、由小到大逐渐积累的过程。
E.g. We have just heard a marvelous performance. She is sure to become a great pianist. Great oaks from little acorns grow, as the saying goes.
(8)Many a little makes a mickle.
mickle 一词现今只存在于苏格兰语中，意思是：a good quantity or amount。
这一句与上一句有相通之处，都有“ 积少成多” 的意味。
E.g. No matter how little you've learned, keep on learning and absorbing. Many a little makes a mickle, you are sure to achieve more.
(9) Man proposes, God disposes.
这个说法最早见于 14 世纪，起初以“If man proposes evil, God disposes of it”的形式出现，意思是上帝会阻止想要为恶的人。就像我们常说的“尽人事，听天命”、“谋事在人，成事在天”一样，尽力而为之后，还要顺从自然的规律。
E.g. A: Bob, how about tomorrow's driving test? Sure to pass, huh?
B: I don't how. I've done enough, I'd say. Anyway，man proposes, God disposes. I am praying for good luck.
(10) It is a sin to steal a pin.
该句的字面意思是：即使是偷一根针也是一种罪过。还记得那句古训吗?“勿以恶小而为之，勿以善小而不为。”冀望之切，溢于言表。
E.g. Honesty is the best policy. Never covet what is not yours, for it is a sin to steal a pin.
(11) If you play with fire, you get burnt.
正如西方谚语所说：Fire is a good servant but a bad master 。所谓“玩火者必自焚，铤而走险的盲目举动会招致无穷祸患。
E.g. The abuse(滥用) of power has sent many people into jail(监狱), which shows that playing with fire could get you burnt.
(12) Revenge is a dish that could be eaten cold.
很形象的一句谚语。所有的菜肴都必须趁热吃，唯独revenge 是个例外。“君子报仇，十年未晚。”
E.g. He has done serious wrong to his friends. You just wait and see. They will not let him go scot- free(免于受罚的). Revenge is a dish that could be eaten cold.
(13) There is no smoke without fire.
无风不起浪，有水才行船。做人、谋事，谨慎为佳。
E.g. “No smoke without fire," said the detective.
"Smoke signals can be misread," countered Sloan.
(14) Every dog has its day.
这里的day,是指opportunities(机遇)，即成功的.机会;而dog则泛指那些地位低下、似乎没有出息的人。
(又作All dogs have their days)
E.g. You must not look down upon him. Though poor and gloomy, he could turn out to be outstanding one day. As the saying goes, every dog has its day.
(15) If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas(跳蚤).
这是一句很经典的谚语，也就是我们中文里说的“近朱者赤，近墨者黑”。在这条英文谚语中体现出来的只是“近墨者黑”的一面。
E.g. --Harry! How come you're back so late? Where have you been?
一Just to a friend's.
一 To a friend. Just for a glass of liquor, huh? You're going to be drowned in 1iquor(酒). I'd say! If you lie down with dogs, you'll get up with millions of fleas!
(16) It is easy to find a stick to beat a dog.
人非圣贤，孰能无过。人们总会犯一些错误，也许做者无心但观者有意。有些小人，自己抱残守缺，不干实事，却挖空心思，找别人的缺点和麻烦。
E.g. 一 Did you know that Jeff's been fired?
-- No. What for?
-- Jeff sometimes had ideas different from our boss's.
-- Yeah, but Jeff hasn't done anything wrong, has he?
-- Well, boss is boss. It is always easy to find a stick to beat a dog.
(17) You can't teach old dogs new tricks.
这句谚语说的是：人老了思想容易僵化，对新生事物很难接受。
E.g. Don't forget Wang is already 80. At his age, you can't expect him to learn the tap dance. You can't teach old dogs new tricks, you know.
从以上几则谚语我们可以观察到中西文化的一个有趣的区别。西方人经常用狗来比喻人，如，lucky dog(幸运儿)，因为他们并不歧视狗。而在汉语中，有不少涉及狗的谚语和成语都是贬义的，如“狗改不了吃屎”、“挂羊头卖狗肉”、“狗仗人势”、“狗嘴里吐不出象牙”等。当然，英文中dog一词有时也带有贬义，但往往含义与中文不尽相同，我们使用时切忌望文生义。如It is a dog's life Chris is leading.某位教授认为“a dog's life”的意思是“悲惨的生活”，因而在一篇论及中英文化差别的文章中将其译成“过着牛马不如的生活”。其实“a dog's life”指的是“争吵不休，过着不安宁的日子”。这类成语很多，如 go to the dogs(每况愈下),dog-eat-dog (狗咬狗的，损人利己的),dog in the manger (占着茅坑不拉屎的人)。还有一些没有任何褒贬涵义的用法，如 dog days (大热天),doggy bag (餐馆里的打包袋),据说，早先人们碍于面子，不愿明说要把剩菜带回家吃，佯称要带给狗吃，所以叫doggy bag 。
(18) One swallow does not make a summer.
swallow 是燕子。西谚说，一只燕子飞来不能代表夏天的来临。而中国成语却说，一叶知秋。两种说法各有其智慧。“One swallow does not make a summer”，强调的是要区别一般性与特殊性的辩证哲理;而“一叶知秋”体现的则是从细微的端倪窥见总体趋势的睿智。
E.g. -- Hey, look! The scores are a1ready 2:1! Liverpool is sure to win, I bet!
-- I don't think so. One swallow does not make a summer. Miracles(奇迹) always happen the last minute.