Amish Proverbs

So, I have an infatuation with the Amish.  I don't think that is any secret.  I don't want to be Amish, but I really think they've got a lot to teach us!   Some years ago I read a really terrific book called Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for A Complicated World by Suzanne Woods Fisher.  It was so terrific in fact that I bought a copy for my mother and I basically never buy books.  In it I found a sweet selection of Amish proverbs which I copied down.  Having recently unearthed the list in one of my journals I thought perhaps I'd share it as I so enjoyed re-reading them. 


Take all you want, eat all you take.

 He who has no money is poor; he who has nothing but money is even poorer.

 We live simply so that others may simply live.

 Trickles tend to become streams, and steams become torrents.

 The most beautiful attire is a smile.

 A man is rich in proportion to the things that he can afford to leave alone.

 Medicine and advice are two things more pleasant to give than to receive.

 Jumping for joy is good exercise.

 Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

 Live each short hour with God and the long years will take care of themselves.

Enjoy today, it won’t come back.

Days are like suitcases, all the same size, but some people are able to pack more into them than others.

 More is caught than taught.

 To mistreat God’s creation is to offend the Creator.

God likes small people.  He cannot use big ones.

 Beware of the man who knows the answer before he understands the question.

 A task takes as long as it takes.

 Our duty is not to see through one another but to see one another through.

 Community is like an old coat—you aren’t aware of it until it is taken away.

 The light that shines farthest, shines brightest at home.

 Swallowing pride rarely gives you indigestion.

 It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.

 Do unto others as if you were the other.

 Trusting God turns problems into opportunities.

 It is better to hold out a helping hand than to point a finger.

 It is the set of the sails and not the gales that determine the path you go.

 Kindness, when given away, keeps coming back.

A friend is like a rainbow, always there for you after a storm.

 If you are true to your faith, there are things you give up for your faith.

 Put the swing where the children want it.  The grass will grow back.

 A heart touched by grace brings joy to the face.

 The person who forgives does more for himself than anyone else.

Good deeds have echoes.

There are no degrees of honesty.

Swallowing words before you say them is so much better than having to eat them afterward.

A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when it finally comes.

We are not promised skies always blue, but a Helper to see us through.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

 Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

 Pride in your work puts joy in your day.

 The year is a never-ending adventure.

 It takes both sunny and rainy days to make a life complete.

 Life just has to be lived as it comes.  Good things, bad things, life still has to go on.

Whatever you fill your mind with fills your heart, and whatever fills your heart comes out of your mouth.