[ti:Proverbs, Part 2]
[ar: Faith Lapidus]
[al:WORDS AND THEIR STORIES]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]Go to 51voa.com for more...
[00:11.36]Now, the VOA
[00:12.81]Special English program
[00:15.01]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
[00:17.89]A proverb is a short,
[00:20.69]well known saying
[00:22.68]that expresses
[00:23.77]a common truth or belief.
[00:26.46]Many proverbs give advice
[00:29.35]about the best way to live.
[00:31.89]We asked our listeners
[00:34.57]to send us
[00:35.97]their favorite proverbs.
[00:37.76]A short time later,
[00:39.80]we received suggestions
[00:41.79]from around the world.
[00:44.13]We heard from listeners
[00:46.12]in Africa, Asia, Europe
[00:49.25]and South America.
[00:51.05]The top proverb
[00:53.58]among these listeners
[00:54.98]is this one:
[00:56.92]"Where there is a will,
[00:59.11]there is a way."
[01:01.74]This means that you can
[01:03.74]rise above your problems
[01:05.69]if you have a goal
[01:07.68]and work very hard.
[01:09.92]Some listeners liked
[01:12.80]another proverb:
[01:14.54]"Strike while the iron is hot."
[01:17.88]This means it is best
[01:20.22]to take action quickly
[01:22.11]and at the right time.
[01:24.45]Another favorite proverb was,
[01:27.58]"God helps those
[01:29.08]who help themselves."
[01:30.82]Xu Da-ju from China
[01:34.36]wrote that his country
[01:36.20]has thousands of proverbs.
[01:38.29]Several of them are also
[01:40.59]used in the United States.
[01:43.13]One example is
[01:46.02]"Birds of a feather
[01:48.36]flock together."
[01:49.76]This means that people
[01:52.00]who are alike often
[01:53.94]become friends
[01:55.08]or spend time together.
[01:57.37]Another proverb is
[01:59.86]"Blood is thicker than water."
[02:02.65]This means family ties
[02:05.43]are stronger than
[02:07.13]other relationships.
[02:09.05]A similar proverb states
[02:11.19]"Charity begins at home."
[02:13.83]A person should help his family
[02:17.31]or close friends
[02:18.35]before helping others.
[02:19.91]Alina from China sent us
[02:23.89]this proverb:
[02:25.23]"He who would climb a ladder
[02:27.72]must begin at the bottom."
[02:30.01]That is good advice
[02:31.90]when working around your home
[02:33.79]or looking for a job.
[02:36.23]Antonio Jose from Brazil says
[02:40.16]his favorite proverb is
[02:42.50]"Tell me who walks with you,
[02:44.74]and I'll tell you who you are."
[02:47.28]Didier Vermeulen of France
[02:50.81]sent us this one:
[02:52.20]"It does not matter
[02:54.25]the speed you go.
[02:55.79]The most important thing
[02:58.03]is to never stop."
[03:00.42]Wafaa from Egypt says
[03:03.40]his favorite proverb is,
[03:05.49]"Think twice, act wise."
[03:08.48]He also says he is making
[03:11.11]an effort to use
[03:12.60]this saying in his life.
[03:14.09]Another favorite proverb
[03:16.98]among our listeners is
[03:18.62]"Practice makes perfect."
[03:21.16]This means you will become good
[03:24.09]at something if you keep doing it.
[03:26.83]Another popular proverb is:
[03:29.57]"If you want something
[03:32.16]done right, do it yourself."
[03:34.69]Najeeb from Afghanistan
[03:37.48]sent us this proverb:
[03:39.77]"If you risk nothing,
[03:41.91]then you risk everything."
[03:44.76]And, here is the favorite proverb
[03:48.59]of Marius Meledje in Ivory Coast:
[03:51.92]"Your defeat now is your victory
[03:55.71]in the future."
[03:56.91]He says it means you can
[03:59.71]learn from your mistakes.
[04:01.40]This will help you do better
[04:04.09]when facing similar situations
[04:06.43]in the future.
[04:07.57](MUSIC)
[04:18.27]This VOA Special English program
[04:22.40]was written by Shelley Gollust.
[04:24.84]I'm Faith Lapidus.
[04:27.08]We will present more programs
[04:29.27]about proverbs in the future.
[04:31.46]And you can find more
[04:34.10]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES
[04:35.54]at our website, 51voa.com.