Filipino proverbs
Overview
 
Filipino proverbs or Philippine proverbs are traditional sayings or maxims
Maxim (philosophy)
A maxim is a ground rule or subjective principle of action; in that sense, a maxim is a thought that can motivate individuals.- Deontological ethics :...

 used by Filipinos
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 based on local culture, wisdom, and philosophies from Filipino life
Culture of the Philippines
Philippine culture is related to Micronesian, Bornean, Mexican and Spanish cultures. The people today are mostly of Malayo-Polynesian origin, although there are people with Spanish, Mexican, Austro-Melanesian and Chinese blood. Geographically, the Philippines is considered part of Southeast Asia...

. The word proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...

corresponds to the Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...

 words salawikain, kasabihan (saying) and sawikain (although the latter may also refer to mottos or idioms), and to the Ilocano word sarsarita. Proverbs originating from the Philippines are described as forceful and poetic expressions and basic forms of euphemisms. If used in everyday conversations, proverbs are utilized to emphasize a point or a thought of reasoning: the Filipino philosophy.
Quotations

Aanhin ang malaki na hahanapin pa, kung mayroong maliit na nasa kamay na?

What would one do with a big one that needs to be searched for, if there is a small one that is already in one's hands?

Aanhin pa ang damo, kung patay na ang kabayo?"

Literally, "What good is the grass if the horse is already dead."

Aanhin mo ang palasyo, kung ang nakatira ay kuwago. Mabuti pa ang bahay kubo, ang nakatira ay tao.

What good is a palace if it's inhabited by owls. Better a straw hut inhabited by humans.

Ang buhay ay parang gulong, minsang nasa ibabaw, minsang nasa ilalim.

Life is like a wheel, sometimes (you're) at the top, sometimes (you're) at the bottom.

Ang gawa sa pagkabata, dala hanggang pagtanda.

What one learns in childhood he carries into adulthood.

Kung gusto, maraming paraan; kung ayaw, maraming dahilan.

Those who want (to do something) (find) many ways; Those who don't want (to do something) (find) many excuses.

Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda.

He who does not love his native language is worse than a beast or a putrid fish.

Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.

He who does not look back where he came from will never get to his destination.

Ang katamaran ay kapatid ng kagutuman.

Laziness is the sibling of starvation.

Ang langaw na dumapo sa kalabaw, mataas pa sa kalabaw ang pakiramdam.

A fly that lands on a carabao feels itself superior to the carabao.

 
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