Bucket gine up and down in well evah day, de bottom boun' tuh drop out. Sustained pressure and exertion will eventually lead to a breakdown. One-one blow does kill ole cow. What may seem like a trivial irritation may create a catastrophe if repeated often enough. Only a dog does return to 'e vomit. Once free of an offensive situation, you should avoid returning to it. Better fish in de sea dan wha' ketch. There is always someone that will make a better lover than the current one. When yuh en' got horse, ride cow. Utilize whatever resources you have available. When yuh keep company wid fowls and dey shit pon yuh table, it is hell to get out de stain. Associating with undesirable people can bring you trouble which could prove difficult to resolve. White mout fowl does eat and den wipe 'e mout in de grass. Some people don't show gratitude. Never eat an' forget. Never forget the hand that fed you. Yuh can' put mangoose tuh watch chicken. Never trust people with things which will be a great temptation to them. A eyeful en' a bellyful. Seeing is one thing, having it in your possession is another thing. This has sexual overtones. Cut pumpkin can' keep. Used in a sexual context, this means that once virginity is lost it is impossible to abstain thereafter. Play wid puppy an' 'e wuh lick yuh mout. To be overly familiar with those of a lower status creates an atmosphere for them to treat you with scant respect. Rat mout does sell 'e head. A loose tongue can be dangerous. Respect due to a dog. Respect is due to everyone irrespective of their social standing. Two poor cow does mek good dung. A couple can overcome their poverty by pooling their resources together. Two smart rat can' live in de same hole. Two tricksters can't get along with each other. Wait til yuh trough put an' bubble in it. This is a veritable insult meaning mind your own business. Coward dog keep whole bone. Avoiding confrontation can keep you out of trouble. Crow does fly high, but when 'e come down, de ants does still eat out 'e eye. Some people may enjoy great prosperity and be excessively proud of it, but should bad luck surface, they may endure disgrace equal to or greater than the wealth they once possessed. De dog dat bring a bone will kaah one. The very person who gossips with you about other persons may also gossip with them about you too. De higher de monkey climb, de more 'e show 'e tail. The more you show off, the more your faults are brought to the open. De las' calf kill de cow. Attempting to repeat the same action too often may result in disaster. Donkey got long ear, but 'e don' like to hear 'e own story. People do not like to hear or accept their own faults. Don' wait till de horse get outtuh de stable ‘fo’e yuh shut de door. Don't wait until the situation gets out of control then to take corrective action. Evah pig got a Saturday. Everyone will pay for his deeds at some point. Force medicine good fuh mad horse. Nothing, even if it is helpful, should be forced upon anyone. Gold teet don' suit hog mout. Elegant accessories are inappropriate when used or worn by those who are not accustomed to such. Hungry mek cat eat salt. Necessity often causes people to act contrary to their regular way of life. If blackbird fly wid pigeon 'e wuh get shoot. Keeping the wrong company will cause you to be measured by the same yardstick. If crab don' walk 'bout 'e won't get fat. You accomplish nothing by staying at home. It en' fuh lack o' tongue dat horse can' talk. You must learn to control what you say. It does tek one hand tuh feel a lice, but two tuh tek it out. Co-operation is essential if anything worthwhile is to be achieved. Loose goat don't know wha' tie goat sih. One has to be in someone else's shoes in order to understand what he is going through. Monkey sih, monkey do. A mild reprimand for imitating the behaviour of others. Never wuk (work) ground fuh monkey run pun. You should not exert great energy on a venture knowing that some unworthy person will benefit. Cat luck en' dog luck. What one person may get away, may cause problems for another. Cockroach en' had nuh right at hen party. Donkey en' have nuh right in horse race. Fowl cock en' got nuh right in bulldog fight. You should avoid situations which are difficult to cope with, or which do not concern you. Common dog does bark in church. Uncivilized individuals will conduct themselves in an uncouth manner irrespective of the situation. Wha' evah in de ole goat in de kiddie. Coconut don' grow pon pumpkin vine. Children inherit the traits of their parents. Wha' evah pon de ground fuh de cat an' de dogs. Finders, keepers. Wha' hurt turkey don' hurt duck. What may pose a problem for one person may not have that effect on another. Wha' sweet in goat mout does bun 'e tail. A source of great pleasure may turn out to be a problem later on. When a bird fly too fast, 'e does fly past 'e nest. Being over ambitious has its drawbacks. When a dog does suck egg, 'e does get blame fuh evah ting. Once a person has committed an offensive act, they are automatically blamed when that offence has been committed again. Don' leh nuhbody rub jobby in yuh mout and tell yuh um is pudding. Don't let anyone do or say anything harmful or insulting, under the guise that they are being nice. Eat soldier food, tek soldier blows. Do not expect to share in the benefits only, but be prepared to share in the problems as well. Fisherman nevah say dat 'e fish stink. A person will never give a bad report about himself. Force ripe fruit don' got nuh taste. This is used metaphorically to show disapproval of clever behaviour in children. If greedy wait, hot wud cool. Patience will be rewarded. Lime juice can' spoil vinegar. An individual can't be corrupted by another who is less corrupt. Wha' yuh eye en' sih, yuh stomach will tek. What you don't know won't hurt you. When yuh pick corn pon more dan one row, yuh don' know wih yuh get yuh bag full up. If a woman has relations with several men, she will not be sure which one got her pregnant. Yuh don' buy cow when yuh can get free milk. Why bother to get married when you are already enjoying the privileges of married life. Yuh should sell yuh butter wih yuh get yuh lard. Bet who bet you. Help those who help you. A carpenter wife nevah live in a good house. A shoemekker wife foot always at de door. ("At de door" means exposed, because of holes in the shoes.) Skilled workmen seldom take time off to use their skills for personal advantage. Cheap tings en nuh good. Beware when things come too easy. Dirty water does cool hot iron. Once aroused, almost any woman, whether good or bad, can quench a man's lust. Don't heng yuh hat wih yuh hand can' reach. Don't strive for positions that are beyond your reach. Don' rush de brush and trow 'way de paint. Don't let haste create problems for you. Don' ship all yuh sugar in one vessel. Do not risk all your resources in a single venture. Gih Jack 'e jacket. Give every man his due credit. Good looks can' kaah tuh de shop. Having physical beauty in itself does not offer any practical benefits. Head en' only mek fuh hat . You should always use your common sense. Home drum beat first. Before taking on someone else's problems, you should first look after your family interest. Ef yuh wuking wid paint you got tuh get daub. If you are working in a particular situation, at some point you will become affected. High wind know wih ole house live. Duppy know who tuh frighten. (Duppy means ghost, spirits) Advantage is taken of those known to be weak. If rain water en' full yuh barrel, dew water can' full it. If you did not successfully convert the opportunities offered in your life, it is unlikely that when there are less or no opportunities available, that you will find success. It en' de gun dat does kill yuh, it is de shot. It is usually the small problems, not the big ones that cause the most difficulty. It don't tek a big axe tuh cut down a big tree. Size, or lack of it, does not limit capabilities. Ole coachman nevah forget de snap o' de whip. You rarely forget a skill which you have learnt and practised for a long time. Ole stick a fire don' tek long tuh ketch back up. Once two people have been lovers, it takes very little for them to become lovers again. One smart dead at two smart door. No matter how smart you think you are, there is somebody smarter than you. Small pitcher got wide ear hole. Be careful what is said in front of children who might understand far more than you think. Yuh can' want it in de glass and de bottle too. You can't have it both ways. Yuh can' be in de church an' de chapel too. You can't be in more than one place at the same time, so you can't know everything. It usually implies that you should mind your own business. Yuh got tuh christen yuh own child before yuh can len' out de christening clothes. You must solve your own problems before trying to solve someone else's. Crave all, get none at all. A warning against covetousness. De devil does find work fuh idle hands to do. People with nothing to do, get themselves into mischief. De more yuh peep, de less yuh sih. Spying on others is a waste of time, as they will soon devise ways to out manoeuvre the spy. Evah bush is a man. Be careful how you talk, as you never know who may be listening. Night talk and day talk should 'gree wid Christian. Christians or self-respecting persons should show consistent behaviour. Wha' yuh do in de dark does come out in de light. It is impossible to hide all of your actions. Whoever got clothes heng out does look fuh rain. Whenever people go on the defensive, it means they have something to defend. Yuh got plaster fuh evah sore. You have an answer for everything. Yuh got more tricks dan a monkey. You are very clever. Yuh can' stop yuh ear from hearing but yuh can stop yuh mout from talking. A warning against repeating what one has heard. Who help yuh buy a big guts mule don' help yuh feed it. The person who leads you into trouble is never around to help you get back out. De same mout dat court yuh, don' marry yuh. He who encourages you to do certain things is, never around when you desperately need their help. De tongue dat buy yuh does sell yuh. The one who flatters you now, may deceive you later. Do fuh do en' nuh obeah. One should not be unduly offended if one is treated the same way one has treated another person. Don' court Robin fuh 'e rags. Don't encourage a friendship only for what you can get out of it. Evah fool got 'e sense. Everybody is knowledgeable in one area or the other, no matter how dull and ignorant they may seem. Evah skin-teet en' a laugh. Not all outward signs of friendliness should be taken as genuine. Halfway en' nuh warning. It's no use warning a person to be careful without telling him what it is he should be careful about. Hard ears yuh won' hear, bye and bye yuh gine feel. Persistent disobedience will eventually result in pain. Hold de light fuh de devil tuh sih, and when yuh get a chance, blow it out in 'e face. When you know that somebody has bad intentions but is pretending they mean well, you should play along with them until the opportunity comes when you can foil their plans. Hurry-hurry nevah dun. Anything done in a hurry is never done properly. "If ah did know.." does come too late. It is better to think before taking unwise or rash action, which you will later regret. If yuh can' beat a man yuh got tuh 'gree wid 'e. If you can't beat them, join them. Fus trick en' nuh trick. Having fooled someone does not mean that you can fool that person again. Mek sure better dan cock sure It is better to make absolutely sure that everything is all right rather than assume that all is well. News don' lack a carrier. There is always someone ready to spread anything newsworthy, especially if it's gossip. Nuh name, nuh blame. Nuh name, nuh lock up. If no names are called, no one can be accused. Talk does mek talk. It is usually best to remain silent when somebody is trying to pick a quarrel. Tek time en' laziness. By taking your time, you can achieve a lot. Tongue and teet does got word. The most loving couples may quarrel on occasions, so don't be overly upset by a little spat. Wha' mout sey, han' can' do. It is not always easy to back up your boast with the appropriate action. De closer de bone, de sweeter de meat. Thinner women make better lovers. De longest day does bring home night. Night does run 'til day ketch up wid it. Sooner or later retribution overtakes wrong doers. Yuh can' plant yam and reap eddoe. You are rewarded or punished for your actions. De sea en' got nuh back door. The sea is not a safe place since there is no guarantee that you will get back out.