Amish Proverbs

Amish Proverbs

From the book “Amish Peace”
By: Suzanne Woods Fisher

He who has no money is poor, he who has nothing but money is even poorer.

It’s better to have a wife on your team than on your back.

Trickles tend to become streams, and streams become torrents. 

The most beautiful attire is a smile.

A man is rich in proportion to the things he can afford to leave alone.

Medicine and advice are two things more pleasant to give than to receive.

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

Enjoy today, it won’t come back. 

Days are like suitcases, all the same size, but some people are able to pack more into them than others.

Swallowing pride rarely gives you indigestion.

It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.

It is better to hold out a helping hand than to point a finger.

It is the set of the sails and not the gales that determine the path you go.

A friend is like a rainbow, always there for you after a storm.

If you sense your faith is unraveling, go back to where you dropped the thread of obedience.

Put the swing where the children want it.  The grass will grow back.

The person who forgives does more for himself than for anyone else.

There are no degrees of honesty. 

Swallowing words before you say them is so much better than having to eat them afterward. 

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

Story:

A deacon had to make a visit to a woman who was known for her gossip.  So he handed her a bag of feathers and told her to drop a few on the kitchen door of everyone of her church.  So she did.  Then she brought back the empty bag and handed it to the deacon.  The deacon told her, “Now go and get all the feathers collected again.”

“What?  How can I possibly do that?” she asked. “The wind has blown those feathers every which way!”

“That’s very true,” the deacon said.  “And the very same thing has happened with your words.”