Sayings about Donkeys
Patience is the virtue of the donkeys. ~ French Proverbs
An ass is but an ass, though laden with gold. ~ Romanian Proverbs
A hare is like an ass in the length of its ears, yet it is not its son. ~ West African Proverb
When you have an ass for a friend, expect nothing but kicks. ~ Indian Proverbs
“I won’t tie up the mule in a horse’s place,” says the widow. ~ Berber Proverb
The donkey won’t drink if he can’t see water. ~ Italian Proverbs
The account of the donkey is different from that of the donkey-man. ~ Turkish Proverbs
A donkey always says thank you with a kick. ~ Kenyan Proverbs
Better a living donkey than a dead doctor. ~ Italian Proverb
When God wants to please a poor man, He lets him lose his donkey and then helps him find it again. ~ Turkish Proverb
He who took the donkey up to the roof should bring it down. ~ Lebanese Proverbs
The world would not make a racehorse of a donkey. ~ Irish Proverbs
You cannot make the mule drink when he is not thirsty. ~ Italian Proverb
The donkey recognizes the tracks of a horse. ~ Mongolian Proverbs
The first drink makes you a frisky gazelle, the second an impetuous zebra, the third a roaring lion, and with the fourth you become a silly donkey. ~ Turkish Proverb
When they gave the donkey flowers to smell, he ate them. ~ Armenian Proverb
Even the best mule still saves a kick for his master. ~ French Proverb
A mule driver is not aware of the stink of his animals. ~ Yemeni Proverbs
Never stand in front of a judge or behind a donkey. ~ Indian Proverb
The crook will turn into a mule — that the honest man will ride. ~ Manchuria Proverb
An ass does not appreciate fruit compote. ~ Turkish Proverb
Better half a donkey than half a camel. ~ Egyptian Proverbs
Hay is more acceptable to an ass than gold. ~ Latin Proverbs
Every donkey has its own saddle. ~ Ecuadorian Proverbs
He who rides upon an ass cannot help but smell its gas! ~ African Proverb
He who lives with an ass, sounds like an ass. ~ Ethiopian Proverbs
A mule can go to Mecca, but it will not come back as a pilgrim. ~ Arabian Proverbs
The ass went seeking for horns and lost his ears. ~ Saudi Arabian Proverb
I would rather have a donkey that can carry me than a horse that throws me. ~ Spanish Proverb
One ass calls the other a pack animal. ~ Yiddish Proverbs
When three wise men say you are an ass, bray. ~ Montenegro Proverb
The castle gates will always open for gold-laden donkeys. ~ Russian Proverb
A mule can swim seven different strokes but the moment he sees the water he forgets them all. ~ Armenian Proverb
A little nod is enough for the wise man; an ass needs a fist. ~ Moroccan Proverbs
A good mule can be sold in his own territory. ~ Maltese Proverbs
When you go to a donkey’s house, don’t talk about ears. ~ Jamaican Proverbs
My donkey is dead; let no more grass grow. ~ Greek Proverbs
He who is a Basque, a good Christian and has two mules, needs nothing more. ~ Spanish Proverb
It is better to ride for half a year on a good horse than to spend your entire life riding on a mule. ~ Dutch Proverbs
A donkey is a donkey though it may carry the Sultan’s treasure. ~ Lebanese Proverb
A donkey decked in gold is better than an over-laden horse. ~ Spanish Proverb
The horses of hope gallop, but the asses of experience go slowly. ~ Russian Proverb
A donkey that carries me is worth more than a horse that kicks me. ~ Mongolian Proverbs
Don’t harness the donkey and the horse together. ~ French Proverb
A borrowed mule soon gets a bad back. ~ Syrian Proverbs
Knowledge without wisdom is a load of books on the back of an ass. ~ Japanese Proverbs
The ass loaded with gold still eats thistles. ~ German Proverbs
If the mule doesn’t go to the burden, then the burden will come to the mule. ~ Tajikistani Proverbs
A donkey cannot trot for long. ~ Italian Proverb
A donkey that carries a lot of books is not necessarily learned. ~ Danish Proverb
Where the camel is sold for a cent, the ass is worthless. ~ Iranian Proverb
The ass bedecked with gold still eats thistles. ~ German Proverb
Whip the saddle and give the mule something to think about it. ~ Bulgarian Proverbs
What does a donkey know about the life of a nightingale? ~ Romanian Proverbs
A mule who goes in search of a fine set of antlers, will come back with his ears cut off! ~ Arabian Proverb
When the ass is too happy he begins dancing on the ice. ~ Dutch Proverb
The bachelor is a peacock, the engaged man a lion, and the married man a jackass. ~ German Proverb
If an ass goes traveling it will not come home a horse. ~ Traditional Proverb
A mule that thinks he is a stag discovers his mistake when he comes to leap over the ditch. ~ Italian Proverb
An ox and an ass don’t yoke well to the same plow. ~ Dutch Proverb
None but a mule denies his family. ~ Saudi Arabian Proverb
I am a prince and you are a prince; who will lead the donkeys? ~ Saudi Arabian Proverb
With a mule you have a son, with a son-in-law you only have a mule. ~ Kurdish Proverb
Donkeys only come to the court to carry bags. ~ Danish Proverb
Better a healthy donkey than a consumptive philosopher. ~ Romanian Proverb
On your own donkey it is quicker than on someone else’s racehorse. ~ Yugoslavian Proverb
He’s looking for the donkey while sitting on it. ~ Armenian Proverb
Mules are always boasting that their ancestors were horses. ~ German Proverb
Whoever plows with a team of donkeys must have patience. ~ Zimbabwean Proverbs
Donkey’s lips don’t fit onto a horse’s mouth. ~ Chinese Proverb
Better ride a good horse for a year than an ass all your life. ~ Dutch Proverb
If we are both masters, then who shall lead the mules? ~ Arabian Proverb
In a deserted village the jackass is king. ~ Indian Proverb
The communal donkey gets the heaviest burden. ~ French Proverb
The donkey sweats so the horse can be decorated with lace. ~ Haitian Proverb
It’s the same donkey, but with a new saddle. ~ Afghan Proverb
When the judge’s mule dies, everyone goes to the funeral; when the judge himself dies, no one does. ~ Arabian Proverb
A donkey in Saxony is a professor in Rome. ~ German Proverb
A contented ass enjoys a long life. ~ Portuguese Proverb
Cutting off a mule’s ears doesn’t make it a horse. ~ Creole Proverb (Southern U.S.)
They asked the mule who his father was. ~ Tunisian Proverb
He who talks to a mule is one himself. ~ Spanish Proverb
When three people call you an ass, put on a bridle. ~ Spanish Proverb
When the ass was invited to the wedding feast he said, “They need more wood and water.” ~ Bosnian Proverb
An illiterate king is a crowned ass. ~ Medieval English Proverb
Love teaches even asses to dance. ~ French Proverb
Everyone will sit on a little donkey. ~ Yugoslavian Proverb
A donkey has two friends: his two hind legs. ~ Afghan Proverb
Spurs that are too sharp make even the mule rear. ~ Arabian Proverb
Mules make a great fuss about their ancestors having been donkeys. ~ German Proverb
By slitting the ears and cutting the tail, a dog is still a dog, not a horse, not an ass. ~ Sanskrit Proverb
He who is born a mule can never be a horse. ~ Corsican Proverb
To give jewels to a donkey is as stupid as giving a eunuch to a woman. ~ Indian Proverb
If you are born an ass, you will die one. ~ Hebrew Proverb
The father may well be a horse, but it’s most likely that the son will be a mule. ~ Tibetan Proverb
A Donkey Is Not Stupid, a Donkey Can Think! ~ Book preview