Great Throughts Treasury

"When a lion is sleeping, let him sleep."

"When a luckless fool kills a rooster, it still hops; when he winds a clock, it stops!"

"When a man is too good for the world, he's bad for his wife."

"When a shlimazl goes dancing, the musicians' strings break."

"When a sinner looks in water, the fish die."

"When a thief kisses you, count your teeth."

"When a toothache comes, you forget your headache."

"When a worm sits in horseradish, it thinks there's nothing sweeter."

"When children are young, their parents talk about how smart they are; when parents are old, their children talk about how stupid they are."

"When a wise man talks to a fool, two fools are talking."

"When distress doesn?t show on the face, it lies on the heart."

"When brains are needed, brawn won?t help."

"When a shlimazl slaughters a rooster, it runs. When he winds a clock, it stops."

"When does a poor man rejoice? When he has lost something and found it again."

"When an orphan suffers, nobody notices; when he rejoices, the whole world sees it."

"When God wants to punish an unbeliever, He gives him a pious wife."

"When foolishness sometimes succeeds, it is still foolishness."

"When it comes to money, watch yourself! (from Heb. abbr. for gimel p?omim, gimel-pey, ?three times,? used in the siddur to indicate a verse?s repetition."

"When God gives bread, the people give butter."

"When God was doling out brains, you were asleep."

"When I am eating, everybody can go to Hell! (lit., when I am eating, everything can be in the ground)."

"When one always drinks vinegar, he doesn?t know that anything sweeter exists."

"When it comes to one?s own children, everybody is blind."

"When both litigants are right, it is bad."

"When one must, one can."

"When one lives, one experiences (lit., with life comes experience)."

"When one lives out of the alms box, his stomach remains empty."

"When one lives, one experiences."

"When one pours out his heart, he feels lighter."

"When one shears the sheep, the skin on the ram trembles."

"When one talks too much, one talks foolishness."

"When people say someone is crazy, believe it."

"When something?s burning, there?s a fire."

"When people talk about something, it is probably true."

"When the coop is secure, the geese will grow fatter."

"When the cat is asleep, the mice dance around."

"When the heart is full, the eyes overflow."

"When the light is crooked, the shadow is crooked."

"When the lights go out, the mice begin to dance."

"When the cat's asleep, the mice dance."

"When the crickets play, the bedbugs dance."

"When the eyes don?t see, the heart doesn?t ache."

"When scholars vie, wisdom mounts."

"When the head is a fool, the whole body can go to hell."

"When the heart is bitter, sugar won?t help."

"When does God rejoice? When a poor man finds a treasure and returns it."

"When a poor man eats chicken, either he or the chicken is sick."

"When the father gives to his son, both laugh. When the son gives to the father, both cry."

"When I take a drink I become another person, and the other person wants a drink too."

"When fortune calls, offer her a chair."