34 profound pieces of Italian wisdom to help you ponder the meaning of life

Italy is not only the cradle of European civilization, birthplace of some of the geniuses of the Renaissance, and the only country in the world shaped exactly like a boot. It’s also a fount of folk wisdom. This is a land of amazing, cheerful, profoundly emotional people who adore wine and love, and who are famous for a very long time. In short, we could all learn a lot from the Italians.

Here are 34 Italian folk sayings which are as bright, beautiful and distinctive as Italy itself.

1. When the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box.
2. Revenge is a dish that is best served cold.
3. It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.
4. Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.
5. Life is like a Christmas tree. There is always someone who breaks the decorations.
6. God save me from my friends. I can protect myself from my enemies.
7. He who knows himself knows the whole world.
8. Nothing is impossible if you truly desire it.
9. Do not judge people by what others have said about them.
10. Wine and friendship, if not old, are not worth a penny.
11. When telling lies, be brief.
12. From time to time it’s worth putting up with fools. Sometimes you can find out something worthwhile. But never argue with them.
13. The enemy is most dangerous when it seems that he has been defeated.
14. There are two ways to argue with a woman. However, neither of them works.
15. Beauty without kindness is like stale wine.
16. He who was born as a donkey cannot die as a horse.
17. In life, there’s nothing worse than having to do and then re-do something.
18. If you want to be appreciated, die.
19. Nobody wants to be lonely, even in Paradise.
20. Love, a fire and a bad cough are all difficult to conceal.
21. In a war of love, the one who wins is the one who leaves first.
22. It is not enough to have money. You have to know how to spend it.
23. An unhurried old age is the key to longevity.
24. Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.
25. Do not trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
26. The world belongs to the patient.
27. Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper.
28. Never test the depth of river with both feet.
29. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
30. There can be no peace in the hen house where the rooster is silent and the hen cries.
31. You either take advice or turn it down, but never give up what you are doing.
32. God loves to talk to those who keep silent.
33. It is the number of years that change a man, not the number of books.
34. Nobody can take that which belongs to you.

Source: Brightside.me