Proverbs

See Heather Forest's lesson plan for student created stories using proverbs from different countries around the world https://www.storyarts.org/lessonplans/lessonideas/index.html#proverbs

See list of proverbs from the different countries
Cambodia : When elephants battle, the ants perish





See also Heather Forest 's "Wisdom Tales"




From Wikipedia:
A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) is a simple and concrete saying, popularly known and repeated, that 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.

Almost every culture has examples of its own unique proverbs.

Proverbs, or portions of them, are used for themes and/or titles of books

Aesop fables are like parables alluding to a proverbial moral

***See the wikipedia entry for proverbs for many many more ideas and information about proverbs

It is safe to say that many proverbs come from the bible book of proverbs

Proverbs 17:12

 Better to meet a bear bereaved of her cubs Than to encounter someone stupid in his foolishness.

Proverbs 26:20

 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out, And where there is no slanderer, quarreling ceases.

Myths or Idioms
King Midas : be careful what you wish for
Steig's "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble"

Like idioms "to open a pandora's box" Rosemary Wells "Max and Ruby  Pandora's box
 "The forbidden fruit"


Poetry

Some sayings used by but many actually come from Shakespeare

Authors like Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens use many proverbial sayings in their stories

For more ideas see http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_proverbial_phrases

• Haste makes waste
• A stitch in time saves nine
• A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
• Don't cry over spilled milk.
• You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. 
• You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
• Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
• Everyone unto their own.
• Well begun is half done.
• A little learning is a dangerous thing.
• A rolling stone gathers no moss.
• It is better to be smarter than you appear than to appear smarter than you are.
• Good things come to those who wait.
• A poor workman blames his tools.
• A dog is a man's best friend.
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
• If the shoe fits, wear it!
• Honesty is the best policy
• Slow and steady wins the race
• Curiosity killed the cat
• Crime does not pay
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

• Do not bite the hand that feeds you^[1]
• Do not burn your bridges behind you

From wikipedia:

Another category of proverb is theanti-proverb (Mieder and Litovkina 2002), also called Perverb. In such cases, people twist familiar proverbs to change the meaning. Sometimes the result is merely humorous, but the most spectacular examples result in the opposite meaning of the standard proverb. Examples include, "Nerds of a feather flock together", "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and likely to talk about it," and "Absence makes the heart grow wander". Anti-proverbs are common on T-shirts, such as "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you."^[

• Do not cast your pearls before swine^[1]
• Do not cry over spilt milk
• Do not change horses in midstream^[1]
• Do not count your chickens before they are hatched^[1]
• Do not cross the bridge till you come to it^[1]
• Do not cut off your nose to spite your face^[1]
• Do not keep a dog and bark yourself^[1]
• Do not let the bastards grind you down^[1]
• Do not look a gift horse in the mouth^[1]
• Do not make a mountain of a mole hill
• Do not meet troubles half-way^[1]
• Do not put all your eggs in one basket^[1]
• Do not put the cart before the horse^[1]
• Do not put new wine into old bottles^[1]
• Do not rock the boat^[1]
• Do not spoil the ship for a ha'pworth of tar^[1]
• Do not throw pearls to swine^[1]
• Do not teach your Grandmother to suck eggs^[1]
• Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater^[1]
• Do not try to walk before you can crawl^[1]
• Do not upset the apple-cart^[1]
• Do not wash your dirty linen in public^[1]
• Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom^[1]