A Proverb By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet

I stumbled across an oddly titled book yesterday and took it back to my office to inspect. The title in question? Racial Proverbs. I wanted to make certain that the contents were indeed racial (relating to race) and not racist (having the belief that one race is superior to another), and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did I find such gems as this Welsh proverb "A puddle will not grow dirty" (83) and this Wolof (Senegambian) one "Without fingers the hand would be a spoon" (600), I also found several lovely book-related proverbs. Enjoy!

Albanian
Who can read and write has four eyes (15).

Arabic
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket (330).

Chinese
To read a book for the first time is to make the acquaintance of a new friend; to read it a second time is to meet an old one (351).

Italian
Wives, horses, and books should never be lent (211).

Latin
Life without literature is death (220).

Moorish
The sight of books removes sorrows from the heart (556).

Indian
A book is a good friend which reveals the mistakes of the past (410).

Fijian
Ignorance is the night of the mind (639).

I'll leave you with this witty Argentine proverb that we should all try to emulate:
Clear accounts and thick chocolate (614).

Champion, Selwyn G. Racial Proverbs: A Selection of the World's Proverbs Arranged Linguistically. New York, NY: Barnes and Noble, 1963. Print.
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