Polish Proverbs

Just as an author's books are the key to his or her personality, a people's proverbs are a doorway to its culture's accumulated wisdom. Poles are gregarious, cheerful, hard-working, earnest people. These qualities are reflected in their proverbs. While many of the proverbs have been around for hundreds of years and reflect traditional values, they are also universal, illuminating unchanging aspects of human nature. Some examples: "Love enters a man through his eyes and a woman through her ears." "Without work there is no bread." "Do not push the river; it will flow on its own accord."