proverb · Traditional
A cheerful wife is the spice of life.
A cheerful wife called the spice of life praises pleasant companionship through a household image. The saying assigns a valued mood to a gendered role.
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134 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
A cherry year, a merry year.
A year with abundant cherries is imagined as a joyful one. The rhyme associates a pleasing yield with celebration.
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A contented mind is a continual feast.
Appreciating what is sufficient can make ordinary life feel abundant. The continual feast pictures ongoing satisfaction, without requiring someone to accept deprivation, injustice or unmet needs as though they were adequate.
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A day is lost if one has not laughed.
The saying calls a day without laughter lost. It places a strong value on moments of enjoyment.
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A day with no wine is like a day without sunshine.
A day without wine compared with a day without sunshine gives a drink an image of missing pleasure. The saying expresses a celebratory preference.
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A dog owns nothing, yet is seldom dissatisfied.
A dog owning nothing yet seldom dissatisfied contrasts possessions with an imagined contentment. The saying questions wealth as a complete measure of satisfaction.
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A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.
Laughter and long sleep called the best cures give enjoyment and rest a healing image. The saying praises conditions that may be welcome in everyday life.
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A heavy purse makes a light heart.
Having resources for a pressing need can bring relief. The heavy purse and light heart contrast material provision with a reduced emotional burden.
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A little nonsense now and then Is relished by the wisest men.
Even thoughtful people can enjoy occasional playfulness. Taking judgement seriously does not require every moment to be solemn, provided the humour suits the people and circumstances involved.
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A man is incomplete until he is married, after that he is finished.
Marriage changing a man from incomplete to finished turns an expected fulfilment into a joke about defeat. The saying plays on two senses of completion.
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A man of gladness seldom falls into madness.
The saying contrasts gladness with what it calls madness, claiming that one seldom leads to the other. It gives a cheerful disposition a protective role without evidence supplied here.
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A merry companion on the road is as good as a nag.
Good company can make a journey feel easier. The comparison with a horse praises the support of a cheerful companion, without claiming that conversation removes physical limits or replaces needed transport and rest.
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A pennyworth of mirth is worth a pound of sorrow.
A small amount of enjoyment can feel more valuable than a large burden of sorrow. The contrasting weights and prices express appreciation for relief, without treating grief as something a cheerful moment can simply remove.
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A place where flowers are priced so as to make them a luxury has yet to learn the first principles of civilization.
Flowers priced as luxury are used to question a society’s priorities. The saying values access to ordinary beauty as part of a civilised life.
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A rich man resides in heaven.
A rich person residing in heaven gives wealth an image of ease or privilege. The saying equates material position with an idealised place.
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A sorrow shared is but half a trouble, / But a joy that's shared is a joy made double.
Sharing sorrow can make it feel less solitary, while sharing joy can add another person’s pleasure to it. The balanced contrast values companionship without promising a fixed reduction in grief or increase in happiness.
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All the day you’ll have good luck.
The phrase promises good luck throughout a day. It gives a favourable expectation a complete span without explaining a cause or condition.
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All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
A life occupied entirely by work can lose enjoyment, variety and energy. Make room for rest and recreation instead of treating constant effort as the only worthwhile use of time.
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All's well that ends well.
A satisfactory outcome can make earlier trouble feel less important. People may judge a difficult experience more positively once its main problem has been resolved.
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An old cat laps as much as a young kitten.
Age does not necessarily remove appetite or desire. The older cat drinking as much as the kitten challenges an expectation that wanting must diminish.
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An onion can make people cry, however there’s never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.
An onion causing tears contrasted with no vegetable causing laughter makes a joke about unequal emotional effects. The saying juxtaposes ordinary food with a sweeping humour claim.
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Anticipate the good so that you may take pleasure in it.
Anticipating good so as to enjoy it gives expectation a role in appreciating a hoped-for event. The saying welcomes a forward-looking source of pleasure.
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As long lives a merry heart as a sad.
Enjoying life need not be treated as less serious or worthwhile than sorrow. The saying refuses to give sadness a privileged place in how a life is valued.
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As welcome as the flowers in May.
A person or event is warmly welcomed as a pleasing arrival. May flowers give the welcome an image of freshness and delight.
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