Now, the VOA Special English program
"Words and their Stories".
Today
we talk about proverbs. A proverb is a short, well known saying that
expresses a common truth or
belief. Proverbs are found in most
cultures and are often very old.
In American history, Benjamin Franklin was famous for his proverbs.
Franklin lived in the 1700s. He was a
leader of the
American Revolution against English
rule. He was also a scientist,
inventor and writer.
For many years, Franklin published a book called "Poor Richard's
Almanac." He included many proverbs that he had
heard or
created. Some
of them are still used today.
Like this one: "Early to bed and
early to rise makes a man healthy,
wealthy and
wise."
Franklin is also remembered for other proverbs like,
"A penny
saved is a penny
earned." This means that money should
not be wasted.
Here are other examples of proverbs that Americans use. The first
ones are about love. Some people say, "All is fair in love and
war." They mean that anything you do in a
relationship or in
battle is acceptable.
Another proverb about love is,
"Absence makes the heart
grow fonder." This means you love someone even more when he
or she is far away. But other people say, "Out of sight, out
of mind." You may not even think about that person when he or
she is not with you. Which of these proverbs do you think is most
true?
Another proverb says
"Love is blind."
In other
words, when you are in love with someone, you may
refuse to see
anything bad about that person.
Here is another popular saying about love:
"The way to a
man's heart is through his stomach." Some people believe that
a woman can win a man's love if she prepares his favorite foods.
Some people are only interested in having a relationship with
someone who is very good-looking. You might tell them that
"Beauty
is only skin deep."
Your girlfriend may be lovely to look at,
but she may also have some bad qualities. Or the opposite may be true.
Your boyfriend is a wonderful person, but not good-looking. So what a
person looks like is not really important.
Another proverb is true in love and war or other situations:
"Actions speak
louder than words."
It means that what
you do is more important than what you say.
Sadly, we have no more time for this program. So we must say,
"All good things must come to an end."