Icelandic Proverbs

There’s more to dancing than a pair of nice shoes.

You do not really know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks.

When your neighbor’s wall breaks, your own is in danger.

A story is only half told if only one side has been presented.

The twigs are rarely better than the trunk.

A man’s will can be his paradise, but it can also be his hell.

All sails do not suit every ship.

Character is always corrupted by prosperity.

Pissing in your shoes won’t keep your feet warm for very long

A sitting crow starves.

More Proverbs

Iceland is an island characterized by lots of snow, glaciers, and volcanoes (many of which are still active). Most Icelandic people trace their roots from Norwegian and British settlers that came to Iceland in the late first millennium AD. Along with Icelandic, its inhabitants also speak languages such as German, English, and various Nordic languages.

Themes of Iceland include ice, a generous social services system, a high cost of living, weaving, woodcarving, festivals, Christianity, chess, rock climbing, handball seafood, coffee, potatoes, sheep, literature, and printing.