التكرار يعلّم الحمار. (it-tikraar yi3allim il-Humaar.)
Repetition teaches (even) a donkey. (Practice makes perfect.)

في الامتحان بكرم المرء أو يحان. (fil-imteHaan yokram il-mar' aw yohaan.)
At the time of a test, a person rises or falls. (People's real worth is known only through trial.)

يا واخد القرد على ماله يروح المال ويقعد القرد على حاله. (ya waa5od il-'ird 3ala maalu yiruuH il-maal wa yi'3od il-'ird 3ala Haalu)
If you marry a monkey (i.e. someone ugly) for his money, the money will go away and the monkey will stay the same (as ugly as ever). (Don't marry for money.)

الوحدة خير من جليس السوء. (il-waHda xeir min giliis is-suu'.)
Being alone is better than being with someone bad. (Warning about keeping bad company.)

امشي في جنازة ولا تمشي في جوازة. (imši fi ganaaza walla timši fi gawaaza.)
Being involved in a funeral is better than trying to arrange marriages. (Warning about matchmaking.)

القرد في عين أمه غزال. (il-'ird fi 3ein ummu ġazaal.)
In his mother’s eye, the monkey is (as beautiful as) a gazelle. (Comment about mothers' bias or partiality to their children.)

لا يلدغ المؤمن من جحر مرتين. (la yuldaġ il-mo'men min goHr marratein.)
The believer is not bitten from the same hole twice. (Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.)

قليل البخت يلاقي العظم في الكرشة. ('aliil il-baxt yilaa'i l-3aDm fil-kirša.)
The unlucky person finds bones in his tripe dinner. (You can't escape bad luck.)

الطيور على اشكالها تقع. (iT-Tuyuur 3ala aškaaliha taqa3u.)
Birds of a feather flock together.

اليد في الميّة مش زي اليد في النار. (il-iid fil-mayya miš zayy il-iid fin-naar.)
The hand in water isn’t like the hand in fire. (Easier said than done; used to criticize someone removed from the situation at hand who is telling those involved how to deal with it.)

اللى على البرّ عوّام. (illi 3ala l-barr 3awwaam.)
The one on shore is a master swimmer. (See above.)

اللى على راسه بطحة بيحصص عليها. (illi 3ala raasu baTHa biHaSSiS 3aleiha.)
Those who have an injury on their head keep checking it. (People who have a weakness show it.)

لبس البوصة, تبقى عروسة. (labbis il-buuSa, tib'a 3aruusa.)
Dressing up a stick turns it into a bride. (Clothes make the man.)

ابن الوزّ عوّام. (ibn il-wazz 3awwam.)
The son of a goose is a swimmer. (Like father, like son.)

دوام الحال من المحال. (dawaam il-Haal min il-muHaal.)
Continuing the same state is impossible. (Nothing stays the same.)

اللى يشوف بلوة غيره تهون عليه بلوته. (illi yišuuf belwit ġeiru tihuun 3aleih belwitu.)
Seeing someone else’s problems makes your own problems seem smaller. (Considering others' problems will give you perspective.)

باب النجّار مخلع. (baab in-naggaar maxalla3.)
The carpenter’s door is falling apart. (Used to criticize someone who tells other people how to do things but doesn’t apply his advice to himself.)

الشاطرة تغذل برجل الحمار. (iš-šaTra tiġzil bi-rigl il-Homar.)
The clever one spins with a donkey’s leg (i.e. can make something out of nothing). (Used to criticize someone who blames their tools for their bad work.)

اللى ماعندوهوش مايلزمهوش. (illi ma3anduhuuš mayilzimhuuš.)
He who doesn't have (the money to pay for something) does not need it. (If you can't afford something, think twice about whether you really need it or not.)

بعد ما شاب ودوه الكتّاب. (ba3d ma šaab wadduuh ik-kuttaab)
After his hair went white, he went to school. (You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Used to criticize someone old trying to do things more suited to young people.)

عريان الطوق بينط لفوق. (3iryaan iT-Tau' binuTT li-fau')
Someone without (even) a collar tries to jump up (i.e. to a higher social class). (Used to criticize someone poor trying to reach up too high above his social status.)

الفاضي يعمل قاضي. (el-faaDi yi3mel 'aaDi)
Someone free plays the judge. (Used to criticize someone with too much free time interfering in other people’s business.)

احنا في الهوا سوا. (eHna fil hawa sawa.)
We are in the same boat (lit. same air).

العروسة للعريس والجري للمتاعيس. (il-3aruusa lil-3ariis wel gari lil-mata3iis.)
The bride gets a bridegroom and the rest get miserable. (The bride and bridegroom are happy at a wedding, but the guests go home unhappily.)

اللى مكتوب عالجبين لازم تشوفه العين. (illi maktuub 3al-gibiin laazim tšuufu l-3ein.)
What is written on the brow will inevitably be seen by the eye. (One will inevitably meet one’s destiny.)

يا مآمن للرجال يا مآمن الميّة في الغربال. (ya me'aammin lir-ragaal ya me'aammin il-mayya fil-ġurbaal.)
Trusting men is like trusting water in a sieve.

الحلو حلو لو قام من النوم, والوحش وحش لو غسل وشّه كل يوم. (il-Helw Helw law 'aam min in-naum, wal-weHš weHš law ġasal wiššu kul yaum.)
The beautiful is beautiful (even right after) rising from sleep, and the ugly is ugly (even) if they wash their face every day. (You can't hide beauty or make the ugly beautiful.)

يد واحدة ماتسقفش. (iid waaHida matsa''afš.)
One hand doesn’t clap. (Cooperation from all sides is necessary to accomplish anything.)

تحت العمّة قرد. (taHt il-3emma 'ird.)
Under the sheikh’s hat is a monkey. (Used to criticize someone who tries to appear good on the outside to cover up their faults, specifically if they try to appear pious.)

يا ما تحت السواهي دواهي. (yaama taHt is-sawaahi dawaahi.)
Underneath the nice exterior is a bunch of problems. (Used to criticize someone who tries to put up a good appearance to cover up their faults.)

على قد لحافك مد رجليك. (3ala 'add liHaafak midd regleik.)
Stretch your legs as far as your blanket extends. (Don’t live beyond your means.)

اللي يتلسع من الشوربة ينفخ في الزبادي. (illi yetlesse3 min iš-šorba yinfox fiz-zabaadi.)
He who burns his tongue from soup will blow in yogurt (to cool it). (Once burned, twice shy.)

انت تريد وهو يريد والله يفعل ما يريد. (anta turiid wa-howa yuriid wallaah yaf3al ma yuriid.)
You want what you want and he wants what he wants, but God does what He wants. (Man proposes, God disposes.)

عريان الطيز يحب تأميز. (3iryaan iT-Tiiz beHebb it-ta'miiz.)
Someone with their ass exposed likes to criticize. (Used in reference to hypocrites.) Note the crude language in this saying!

أقول تور, يقول احلبوه. (a'uul taur, yi'uul iHlibuuh.)
I say it's a bull, he says milk it. (Used when you're talking at cross-purposes with someone who won't see reason.)

العين ماتعلاش عالحاجب. (il-3ein mate3laaš 3al-Haagib.)
The eye doesn't go higher than the brow. (No one can go above their status in life.)

المتعوس متعوس ولو ركبه على راسه فانوس. (il-mat3uus mat3uus walaw rakibu 3ala raasu fanuus.)
The miserable person will be miserable even if you hang a lantern on his head. (You can't escape your luck.)

لقّيني ولا اتغدّيني. (la''iini wallitġaddini)
Better a warm welcome than being invited to lunch. (Welcoming people warmly is important.)

ظرّط الإمام, خريوا المصلّين. (ZarraT il-imaam, xiryu l-muSalliin.)
The imam farted, so those praying behind him shitted. (A leader's errors are compounded by his followers.) Note that this saying uses crude language, so you should be careful who you say it around.

طبّاخ السمّ بيدوقه. (Tabbaax is-simm biyduu'u.)
One who cooks poison tastes it. (You have to share, so other people benefit from something you do or get.)

اللي يلاقي اللي يطبخ له لية يحرق صوابعه؟ (illi ylaa'i lli yuTbuxlu leih yiHra' Sawab3u?)
Why should one who finds someone to cook for him burn his fingers? (Don't do your own dirty work if you can find someone to do it for you.)

اتغدّى بيه قبل ما يتعشّى بيك. (itġadda biih 'abl ma yit3ašša biik.)
Eat him for lunch before he eats you for dinner. (Kill him before he kills you; get your blow in first.)

القط مايحبش الا خناقه. (il-'uTT mayHebbiš illa xannaa'u.)
The cat only likes its strangler. (People only respond to harsh treatment.)

الغاوي ينقط بطاقيته. (il-ġaawi yna''aT bi-Ta'iytu.)
The fan will donate his skullcap. (An enthusiast will give away everything he has for what he loves.)

الحركة بركة. (il-Haraka baraka.)
Movement is a blessing. (Exercise is good.)

دبّور زنّ على خراب عشّه. (dabbuur zann 3ala xraab 3eššu.)
A wasp that brought about the destruction of its own nest through its buzzing. (He asked for it, it was his own fault.)

تضرب القدرة على فمها تطلع البنت لأمها. (tiDrab il-'idra 3ala fummaha, tiTla3 il-bint li-ummaha.)
Like mother, like daughter.

خسارة قريبة أحسن من مكسب بعيد. (xosaara qariiba aHsan min maksab ba3iid.)
A loss soon is better than a victory much later. (It's better to cut your losses and admit defeat quickly rather than stick it out and eventually win a victory that cost you a lot.)

شحات ونزهي. (šaHHaat we-nozahi.)
A beggar but acting like a rich man. (Used to describe someone who's in no position to be picky but is still acting like he can set the terms of whatever bargain etc. is going on. Sort of like the equivalent of "Beggars can't be choosers," but in reverse.)

شحات وعايز رغيف. (šaHHaat we-3aayiz riġiif.)
A beggar, and he wants a (whole) loaf. (If you're relying on other people's generosity, you should just be grateful for whatever you can get instead of complaining you didn't get more.)

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