Thrift is a great revenue - Proverb for January 31

Today's proverb is that "Thrift is a great revenue" and simply means that we can often save a significant amount of money by cutting our spending.  This proverb is a good reminder to review our expenses on occasion as so many companies are after our hard earned money.  We can often save a significant amount of money simply by simplifying our lives instead of worrying about increasing our income to afford our desires. Personally I enjoy the challenge of finding the best price and looking for ways to save money.

Virtue is its own reward - Proverb for January 30

The proverb that "Virtue is its own reward" simply means that we should be virtuous simply because it is the right thing to be.  We should not do it in the expectation of some reward or recognition but simply knowing that we are living with the goal to be good and honorable.  The meaning of virtue is doing what is right or good and with integrity.  It certainly seems that this is becoming a more rare thing to see as we follow the news and hear some of the stories of what people do each other.  It's good to hear the stories and examples of someone who does what is right.  Some of the positive examples that come to mind is someone who returns a large amount of money they have found to the rightful owner.

He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount - Proverb for January 29

Todays proverb is "He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount".  The imagery here is quite vivid as we can imagine that someone has managed to get on a tiger but is now afraid to get off because they know the tiger will turn on them and attack them.  The best they can do at this point is to just hang on.  The meaning behind this proverb is that once you have begun something dangerous it may actually be more dangerous to stop this action and so the idea is that the smarter or safer thing to do is to carry through with it.  A common area we see this proverb put into practice is when someone starts to lie and continue in the lie expecting that they will come out unscathed.  Of course the best course of action is to stay off the tiger in the first place.  We must consider the consequences of everything we start.

Speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them - Proverb for January 28

The proverb "Speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them" is meant to be taken quite literally and was simply meant that we should not speak of the debts of someone else unless we mean to pay them. After considering this proverb I think this proverb can take on a much larger meaning.

This proverb can apply to so many other situations where people seem to have no problems criticizing us but fail to provide anything constructive or helpful. It's easy to bring people down but if we don't offer any help or guidance then we are better off not saying anything at all.

I will certainly consider this proverb more in the future before I speak about someone else in a negative manner.

Self-preservation is the first law of nature - Proverb for January 27

Our proverb for January 27 of "The Worlds Greatest Proverbs" is that "Self-preservation is the first law of nature."  The idea behind this proverb is that all living things will fight to survive.  Additionally that people will look out for themselves first.  While this may be true in many situations I don't believe this is universal.  We have all heard stories of people who have sacrificed something, even their own life in some extreme situation, for another.  Some examples are a parent sacrificing their life to save a child,  a firefighter for the life of someone in trouble, and every soldier who has gone to battle for another.  With that in mind I don't find this proverb very agreeable.

It is never too late to mend - Proverb for January 26

The meaning behind the proverb "It is never too late to mend" is that there is always time to heal or work on a damaged relationship.  Mending is the repairing of something that is damaged or torn.  This proverb encourages us to heal those relationships that have become strained one way or the other.  We can often get the ball started here by apologizing for our part in the matter.

We must eat a peck of dirt before we die - Proverb for January 25

The proverb for January 25 is that "We must eat a peck of dirt before we die".  This proverb seems to have a couple meaning behind it.

The first meaning is that everyone must put up with some unpleasant things in his or her lifetime.  No one can escape some misfortune or difficulty.

The second meaning is more literal by saying that in a lifetime everyone will eat some dirt through the food we ingest or through falls and spills.  This will often be said to someone who has taken a fall and ends up with a mouth full or dirt.