Maltese Proverbs

Sayings of Maltese origin

Do well and forget it; do ill and remember it.
Death said to the man with his throat cut, “How ugly you look.”
Your soul to God, your body to dust, your property to your relatives, because thus it has been found written.
You must kill the spider to get rid of the cobweb.
You can’t buy heaven with money.
You cannot serve God and the devil.
With money you can build a road in the sea.
Where the heart loves, there the legs walk.
When the husband is a hen and the wife is a rooster, the house is topsy-turvy
When it’s raining and the sun shines — then a Turk is born.
When a miser dies, the heirs feel as happy as when they kill a pig.
What was is no more, what if is just if.
We are all equal before death.
Today me, tomorrow you.
Time gives good advice.
The world teaches you more than your taskmaster.
The world is nonsense: what looks beautiful in the morning looks ugly in the evening.
The world is a wheel and men are the felloes, and the devil prowling around spins.
The weather vane will not work without wind.
One man’s death is another man’s life.
The good die young.
The wallet of the timid man neither increases nor decreases.
The person who thinks about his own grief forgets about the grief of others.
The one who has had no experience of evil cannot know the worth of what is good.
The law is not made for the rich.
The good die first: And those, whose hearts are dry as summer dust, Burn to the socket.
The good cow gets sold in its own country.
The evil weed produces the largest number of weeds.
Only fools and horses work.
Only death is certain.
One man’s fault is another man’s lesson.
No one takes away anything with him.
Mountain does not meet mountain, but a face meets another face.
Money begets money, and fleas beget fleas.
Marriage without lovemaking means sad consequences and sorrow.
Malta would be a nice place, if every knight were a tree.
Long skirts carry dust, but short skirts carry away souls.
If you don’t eat you will die; overeating will shorten your life.
I am dead. It is as if everybody were dead. Let the man left behind shut the door if he wants to.
He who goes to bed hungry dreams of pancakes.
He who does not fart lets out silent ones.
He is a fool who does not consider his own interests.
Good health is the sister of beauty.
Far from the eye, far from the heart.
Enjoy yourself; for there is nothing in the world we can call our own.
Death rights everything.
Chasten thy son while there is hope.
Charm is stronger than beauty.
Asking is the sister of knowing.
An oven whose door does not shut does not bake its loaves.
After taking ninety-nine years to climb a stairway, the tortoise falls and says there is a curse on haste.
A woman has even cheated the devil.
A man and a sheaf of straw make two.
A lovely girl attracts attention by her good looks, an ugly girl by the help of a mirror.
A kiss without a hug is like a flower without the fragrance.
A good mule can be sold in his own territory.
A good cow gets sold in its own country.
A cup must be bitter that a smile will not sweeten.
A cry, a sniff, and all comes to naught.

The Republic of Malta

Malta is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea.mIt lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The country covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000, making it one of the world’s smallestand most densely populated countries. (Source)

Valletta is the capital city of Malta, it is located in the South Eastern Region, in the central-eastern portion of the main island of Malta having its western coast with access to the Marsamxett Harbour and its eastern coast in the Grand Harbour.

Maltese is the national language of Malta and a co-official language of the country alongside English, while also serving as an official language of the European Union, the only Semitic language so distinguished. Maltese is descended from Siculo-Arabic, the extinct variety of Arabic that developed in Sicily and was later introduced to Malta, between the end of the ninth century and the end of the twelfth century AD.

“L-Innu Malti” (The Maltese Hymn) is the title of the national anthem of Malta. Lyrics:

Guard her, O Lord, as ever Thou hast guarded!
This Motherland so dear whose name we bear!
Keep her in mind, whom Thou hast made so fair!
May he who rules, for wisdom be regarded!
In master mercy, strength in man increase!
Confirm us all, in unity and peace!