To Respect the Elders

As the old cock crows, the young cock learns.

Praise the ripe field not the green corn.

The old dog for the hard road and leave the pup on the path.

The schoolhouse bell sounds bitter in youth and sweet in old age.

The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.

Young people don’t know what old age is, and old people forget what youth was.

To Drink Responsibly

It’s the first drop that destroys you, there’s no harm at all in the last.

If it’s drowning you’re after, don’t torment yourself with shallow water.

A man takes a drink, the drink takes a drink, the drink takes the man.

To Soothe Hurt Feelings

Everyone feels his own wound first.

You never miss the water till the well runs dry.

A glowing ember is easily rekindled.

The person bringing good news knocks boldly on the door.

The pig in the sty doesn’t know the pig going along the road.

Pity him who makes an opinion a certainty.

It is the quiet pig that eats the meal.

No two people ever lit a fire without disagreeing.

Seeing is believing, but feeling is the God’s own truth.