Persian Sayings, Persian Idioms,
Persian Phrases, and Persian Expressions

Please note:
The Persian Sayings below are not in any particular order.
Meanings or occasions are mentioned (in Italics) when necessary.

Here we go!
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Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are!

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If they had planted “if,” a tree would have grown in its place.

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When you pick up the stick, the stealing cat gets alert.
Guilty people are always on guard, looking over their shoulder.

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He who leaves the eye will leave the heart.
If people don’t see you, they’ll forget you.

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Taking rye to (the city of) Kerman.
About doing something that is a waste of time.

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Walls have mice; mice have ears.
Be careful. Someone might be listening!

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One who’s been bitten by a snake is afraid of a black-and-white rope.

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A good year is apparent from the spring.

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He pulls a snake out of the nest with his tongue.
About being diplomatic. A smooth talker.

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Silence is the sign of agreement.

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One idiot throws a stone in the well, and it takes a hundred wise men to (try to) get it out.

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Bake the bread while the oven is hot.
Do it while the opportunity is still there.

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I haven’t come from behind the mountains.
I am not stupid!

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One hand has no sound.
Reference to the effectiveness of cooperation among people, to do good or evil.

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Don’t pick up two watermelons with one hand.
Don’t do too many things at the same time.

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The mouse couldn’t fit through the hole, and then it tied a broom to its tail.
Refers to people who take on more responsibilities than they can handle.

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It’s not a shame to ask. It’s a shame not to know.

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Clothes after the New Year are good for the top of the minaret.
A reference to being too late to do something.

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Water finds the pothole.
People with similar characteristics find each other.

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Don’t stretch your legs beyond your quilt.
Know your limits and adapt to the situation.

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Once the fire starts burning, the damp and the dry will burn together.
Be careful who you choose to be your friends.

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Gone to the judge alone, and is back happy.
There are two sides to every story.

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Fallen from the elephant’s nose.
Said about a person who acts like a snob.

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If you don’t want to be found out, take the appearance of the people around you.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

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A fight in the beginning is better than peace in the end.
Go over the details before you agree to something.

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She tells the sun, “Don’t rise. I’ve come out!”
She’s so beautiful!

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One will take someone to the spring and bring them back thirsty.
A very cunning person.

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A mountain won’t catch up to a mountain, but a person will catch up to a person.
Be nice to people on your way up because you might meet them on your way down.

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If you see behind your ear.
A reference to something that will never happen.

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With a single flower, there won’t be spring.
One needs more than one indication to draw conclusions.

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Coming back with arms longer than legs.
Coming back without success.

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Came out of the pothole, fell into the well.
You may get out of one problem but then find yourself facing a bigger problem.

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They count the chickens at the end of autumn.
Don’t act as if you have something until you really do.

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Door, I’m speaking to you. Wall, you listen.
About warning someone indirectly.

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Someone cut before they measured!
Think thoroughly before you act.

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They tried to fix the eyebrow and ended up blinding the eye, too.
Instead of fixing the problem, they made it worse.

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Do a good thing and throw it in the river. God will reward you in the desert.

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The neighbor’s hen is a goose to a neighbor.

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A slap in the face now is better than promised candy later.

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Heaven is under the mother’s foot.
If you respect your mother, you’ll go to heaven, that’s how high a mother’s place is.

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Five fingers are brothers, not equals.

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Two midwives, and the baby’s head will be crooked.

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When there are two cooks, the soup will be either too salty or tasteless.

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Tell a lazy man to do something. Listen to philosophy!

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First dig a well, then steal the minaret.
About planning ahead.

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